clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics The original Air Kiffin shirt is available here

Filed under:

#RCRMailbag Answers Way too Many Questions about the Alabama Crimson Tide

What, no questions about Memphis?

By The Ghost of Jay Cutler, Juco All-American, Whiskey Wednesday, and Ivory Tower
Eugene Brazley
Eugene Brazley
Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Juco: Um.... not high? I imagine the Rebels having a tougher time against Alabama simply because of the styles of offense they would be facing. When opponents have lined up and run right at the Ole Miss front seven, it hasn't looked pretty for Ole Miss. Alabama will do that over and over again, and they're averaging 6.2 yards per carry so far this season.

Texas A&M runs well at 5.6 yards per carry, but it's not as much of a power run, in-your-face type of team. They do much of the same thing Ole Miss does (though they're not identical).

I have trouble imagining a situation in which Ole Miss beats Bama and then loses to A&M.

Ghost: I guess I'll say that, for your scenario to take place, Ole Miss would have to first beat Alabama, which I don't think is particularly likely. However, if they were to beat Alabama, the likelihood that they'd then lose to Texas A&M in Kyle Field is more likely than not. To win that Alabama game and then turn right around and travel to Aggieland a week later is a pretty tall task. So let me just throw a number at it: 27%.

Whiskey: Probably not great. The biggest danger by far is letting Alabama beat us twice. A&M's defense should still allow us enough points to make the game very evenly matched.

Ghost: I'm not sure how it could. Ole Miss could lose to Bama in a somewhat embarrassing fashion and still have a good season.

Juco: No. It can't. That stretch of five games starting with Bama and ending with Auburn does though. If Ole Miss is 5-0 through that stretch, we're obviously talking about an unbelievable year. 4-1 is still wonderful. 3-2 is as well. 2-3 is alright, and 1-4 leaves Ole Miss fans pretty sad with a lost opportunity. 0-5, obviously, is a huge letdown.

Whiskey: Again, you can beat Bama, you can lose to Bama, you just can't let them beat you twice. Through that brutal 5 game stretch, we really have to win 2 games for it to be a good season (assuming UT is a tough but very likely win), and 3 or more to start thinking about a great season.

Ghost: Do I have to root for either? I really want College Gameday to finally come to the Grove, but I also don't mind Alabama losing to SEC teams. I guess I'm pulling for a nailbiter of a win for Alabama.

Juco: It depends on how the game goes. If Florida beats Alabama because Alabama is exposed and actually looks bad, I'm thrilled. I care more about Ole Miss beating Alabama than I do about Gameday. If Alabama is bad (somehow), there will be jubilation and much rejoicing at my home. If it's a close game where both teams look good, I want Bama to win. The last thing Ole Miss needs is a pissed off Bama coming to Oxford having missed out on Gameday.

Whiskey: You can pull for whomever you want, but Florida isn't going to win that game.

Juco: The offensive line cannot adequately get out into space on designed pulls. They also can't get much push. That's pretty much it.

Ghost: Seconded. I've watched our replays and I'm not finding much to be optimistic about regarding the run game. I do think our line pass blocks quite well, but when they're asked to pull or get to the next level, they don't do particularly well. Rod Taylor and Fahn Cooper have slipped up a few times, which is to be expected giving their newness, but for Justin Bell to seem continuously out of position is bothersome. Laremy Tunsil is still pretty damn great though, so we've got that going for us.

Whiskey: Juco is dead on. Tackle play appears to be quite good, but guard/center play is not. You watch any run that involves a pulling situation (most of Freeze's run playbook involves pulls), and most of the time, the pulling player either whiffs or shows up late. A major shakeup at guard and/or center at some point during SEC play would not surprise me.

Ivory Tower, Blogger Emeritus and Fan of Cars Driving in Circles: First of all, any fool knows among NASCAR fans it's pronounced Dale Earnhardt JUNE-YUR. Nobody says joon-yah but coonasses and old ladies from Georgia. Apologies if you're the latter, and good luck against State if you're the former. Anyway, Stenhouse is a Mississippi native, two-time champion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series (basically, the minor leagues), a long-time Ole Miss fan, and the significant other to Danica Patrick, a famous attractive and successful race car driver. Freeze, meanwhile, is reportedly a NASCAR fan, who might reasonably be expected to be a supporter of Stenhouse, since the driver grew up about 10 miles from the coach's hometown.

Basically, though, it boils down to mutual self-promotion. NASCAR's official Twitter account published pictures of Stenhouse visiting Ole Miss, so did @OleMissPix. Nothing wrong with either party trying to appeal to segments of their respective fan bases, especially when it costs practically nothing. Pro athlete* visits your campus, you might as well post some photos.

*Dispute about whether NASCAR drivers are "athletes" is duly acknowledged.

[Tweet at @RedCupRebellion with the #RCRMailbag hashtag to ask questions. We'll answer them. Maybe. -Ed.]