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#RCRMailbag talks Hugh Freeze, Jeremy Liggins, Bo Wallace, and Houston Nutt as a Gameshow Host

Y'all ask questions to us via the #RCRMailbag hashtag,and we answer them on Fridays. This week's mailbag talks coaching, trophies, and #TouchdownWaffles.

By The Ghost of Jay Cutler, Whiskey Wednesday, Juco All-American, and smeargle
Scott Halleran

Ghost: It's really hard to complain when your team is 6-0. I'd say that his playcalling gets a high B from me, only because I don't like how the team will sometimes try a high-risk play against a good team (i.e., asking Jeremy Liggins to throw against Alabama) and I would like to see the Rebs put the foot to the floor more often. That said, as far as program management and game planning go, Freeze gets an A. His team has been ready to play against every opponent they've faced this year.

Juco: I'm tough on people when giving out grades. I'm going to go with B. I think he's a great coach. His second half adjustments are awesome. He recruits wonderfully and prepares well for games. I just think that he doesn't do well enough at using his personnel to the best of their abilities. Ole Miss' starting guards are not fast enough to pull regularly. Yet that's the bread and butter of the running game. I think it's good playcalling but doesn't suit the personnel there. The passing offense, on the other hand, is called to near perfection.

Smeargle: I honestly love it. It seemed like the first four games were a little dull but now looking at how much the playbook opened up for Bama and A&M, I was too selfish earlier on and wanted to see everything our offense had to work with. As for the Liggins plays, I'm sure he wouldn't call it up in an actual game if it hadn't worked well in practice and he thought it could work under certain circumstances. A-

WW: Yeah, it's hard to complain about specifics of play-calling when you're 6-0. Personally, I'd like to see us throw to Treadwell more, and I'd like us to try to use tempo with the big package to see if we can't just rumble for a long drive every now and then. But obviously, Treadwell has opened things up for everyone else, and our running game continues to improve outside of the big package, so maybe we're good. Give Freeze an A-.

Ghost: Probably go 12-0 in the regular season. Right now, Marcus Mariota and Dak Prescott are getting most of the media's attention right now, and that's ultimately what sways Heisman voters one way or another. If the Rebels keep winning, Wallace will get that type of attention.

Juco: He has to have a big game against Auburn and a big game against Mississippi State. I guess he would also have to have a big game in the theoretical SEC championship game. Here's the deal with Bo Wallace so far. He has been exactly what the team needs. Ole Miss is 6-0, and he hasn't turned it over in the two toughest games so far. For him to get the Heisman though, he would have to put more on his shoulders. He would have to have big, big statistical games against our two biggest remaining opponents.

Smeargle: His stats just aren't quite there yet. I actually did some number pulling for a potential post about Wallace's campaign but ditched it once I saw the data. Here's a quick glance at the three conference games among the respective Heisman candidates:

Comp. %

APY

Total TDs

Interceptions

Prescott

63%

1085

11

2

Mariota

69%

949

11

0

Petty

51%

1034

11

3

Wallace

67.5%

832

7

0

As you can see, Wallace's numbers just aren't there yet and if it weren't for some injuries on Oregon's O-line which more or less costs them the game against Arizona, Prescott would be leagues behind Mariota (the dude hasn't thrown a pick all season!). For Wallace to jump in, he'll need to continue avoiding picks because, despite his ACTUAL performance, the Good Bo/Bad Bo narrative still exists and it will grow even stronger with every interception. Also, Freeze isn't asking him to throw a ton, he's just asking him to make accurate completions so the receiver can step up and make a play plus not turn the ball over.

WW: Meaningless stats are a lot less meaningless when you start talking about the Heisman. I think LSU, Arkansas, and UT are teams that Bo could easily have big stat days against (he's carved up LSU 2 years in a row, and thrown his way out of the Arkansas game as well). If he averages about 350 APY/game over that stretch, with very few INTs and no losses, we're talking about a serious contender. If not, then the talk will go away.

Living out of state, I'm getting asked a lot if I worry about Freeze leaving now. I don't. Can u reassure me?

[So whoever wrote this tweet must have deleted it. We already answered it anyway, but now we can't embed it. This is awkward. -Ed.]

Ghost: Hugh Freeze is from Mississippi, his parents still live in Mississippi, his immediate family is happy in Mississippi, and if he keeps winning we'll be able to pay him a competitive salary. That's why I think he stays.

Smeargle: Granted I'm saying this off the cuff, but I'm fairly sure Freeze has said numerous times that this is his dream job. Considering Ole Miss football is becoming more and more relevant thanks to him, I doubt he leaves the potential chance to go down as one of the greatest coaches in Ole Miss history.

WW: Freeze's ability to recruit at a high level here is something that makes me feel good about his job stability. If he felt like he could recruit much better elsewhere, and elsewhere offered, then it'd be tough, but he should have proven to himself by now that he can recruit at an elite level here as long as he's winning and improving and showcasing his talented players.

Juco: I think we will continue to use it a lot on third and one. Bo Wallace doesn't like that, but it has just been awesomely effective in that situation so far.

Ghost: Ditto. It's one of those super obvious telegraphed play calls that even good teams would have trouble stopping. #TouchdownWaffles

Smeargle: ME BIG LIG, GIVE BIG LIG BALL, BIG LIG RUN BALL AND FALL ON PEOPLE FOR FIRST DOWN. NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM WAFFLES.

WW: I love it, probably too much. If we start to struggle on offense at any point moving forward, I hope this is what we do as a change of pace.

Juco: Their ain't.

Ghost: It's not exclusive to Ole Miss fans. Mississippi State and Southern Miss fans (all seventeen of them) think the media is out to get them. I think Mississippians in general are a sensitive bunch. That probably hurt some of y'all's feelings, which only supports my assertion. It's okay y'all, I'm a Mississippian too.

Smeargle: Mississippians just have a whole lot of pride when it comes to football. Now that both schools are atop the charts with the national college football eye upon the Magnolia State, every fan wants to solely look through rose colored glasses and hear how good their respective team is. Some pundits like the other team more. Good thing that November 29th isn't too far away.

WW: Are there a couple of dickheads on TV who don't like Ole Miss? Yes. Are there a billion dickheads on the Internet who don't like Ole Miss? Hell yes. Is there a bias? No. There are a ton of people who are picking us to win the SEC, enter the Playoff, and even win the National Title. Even we aren't foolhardy enough to predict those things yet.

Ghost: Because television executives don't know a damn gold mine when they see it. I mean, "Two Broke Girls" is a thing, yet "Family Feud hosted by Houston Dale Nutt" isn't? Total bullshit, imo.

Smeargle: Probably because every welcome to the show would turn out something like this:

Hoooooooooooooo doggy hot diggety dog c'mon dooooown to the Wheel of Family Jeopardy! Love wheels, they keep cars moving and keep families together, keep ‘em moving down the route. Love that wheel route, never could execute it but sure loved it on paper. Gotta love the paper plays, X here, O there. Tic-Tac-Toe, 3 X's in a row! That'll win you Jeopardy every time, go big on that daily double, double trouble, double bubble, brought to you by the Double Down from KFC.

Then the contestants awkwardly look into the camera as the show's network facepalms and cuts to a rerun of Seinfeld.