Ole Miss Athletics

Are we at OMA not the only ones who are disappointed the administration didn’t work out a way for the spring game to be on the same day as a baseball game? 

Don’t you remember last year?  Getting to see Snead throw around for a while, basking in the excellence, watching McCluster zip all over the field, and getting all pumped for football season, and on top of all that, going to watch Pomeranz and the Diamond Rebs shut down LSU (before LSU went on a 20-something game winning streak before making the CWS)?  I remember.  Now, all the spring game day has to offer is Ole Miss to the Pros.  I love Michael Oher and Peria Jerry, and wish them both the best of luck in their NFL careers, but as far as athletics, what has the admin done to attract fans to this game? 

As much as people don’t want to believe, some kids/young adults (15-24) make a choice on whether to go to Ole Miss’s spring game or MSU’s Super Bulldog Weekend in Starkville.  Besides Ole Miss to the Pros, which I still think is a cool idea with Shepherd Smith, AKA ‘Ole Miss Media Promoter’, leading the interview, we have Ole Miss Women’s Tennis, a softball series with Tennessee, and an Ole Miss alumni soccer game.

MSU’s Super Bulldog Weekend includes their spring football game (which should be a bore considering they allow for a highest bidder to be one of the coaches), tennis versus the #3 team in the nation (our Ole Miss Rebels of course), a baseball series versus Kentucky, and a softball series versus South Carolina.

I can’t stand the Bulldogs, but it seems they promote their product a lot better than Ole Miss media has done theirs.  Ole Miss Baseball has proven it can actually be one of the few intercollegiate sports at the University that actually turns a profit.  Why not cash in and make the spring game a week later and be hosting one of the top five baseball teams in the nation (Georgia)?  Just a thought in comparison to our in-state rivals.

As for the actual spring game itself, I hope to see a balanced attack. 

I’ve heard great things about Jevan Snead, even though people have said he’s struggled at times.  Of course he has struggled, Ole Miss has one of the best returning defenses in the country.  Is everyone forgetting the Cotton Bowl?  After spotting Texas Tech 14 points, we went on to dominate their ‘unstoppable spread offense’ the whole game.  Jevan will be fine.   Nathan Stanley has impressed, but will it be enough to overtake senior Billy Tapp’s position?  Experience or future?  I think Stanley eventually takes Tapp’s position as the backup, but I think Tapp gets a chance to start on Saturday.

As for the RBs, I look to see Cordera Eason and Brandon Bolden go at it to see who will be the clear starter.  After that, as many will see as a surprise, I look for Devin Thomas to insert himself as the third RB on the depth chart.  After being injured during his senior year which is believed to be a pain even during some of his freshman year, he has really turned things around the spring.

From what our sources tell us, we also see Andre Sterling and Enrique Davis locked in a dead tie for the 4th RB position.  I know, I know, after hearing about how great Enrique would be, it’s kind of shocking to see him fall down the charts, but these are some great RBs he’s facing, all with equal to superior God-given abilities as himself. 

WRs seem to be a definite strength coming into the spring.  Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge obviously lead the way, but players such as Lionel Breaux, Markeith Summers, and Andrew Harris have really turned the corner in their development and look to be prominent players next fall.  The coaching staff has also explained that incoming freshman Pat Patterson will be thrown into the rotation immediately and should receive plenty of playing time this fall. 

I personally see Pat Patterson fitting into Ole Miss’s balanced playbook in a way that Julio Jones fit into Bama’s playbook last fall.  Maybe not the exact numbers Jones put up, but I wouldn’t doubt to see him close to it.

The OL is showing a bit of concern during the spring.  I look to see Rishaw Johnson get some looks at guard, considering his abilities and potential.  I still say that Bobbie Massie gets a good chance of starting from day one at Ole Miss, considering his size and strength.  We won’t get to see what the future holds for the OL probably until gameday against Memphis. 

The DL comes in as a definite strength.  Losing Peria Jerry hurt, hurt a lot, but there is so much depth here.  Kentrell Lockett, Greg Hardy, Ted Laurent, Jerrell Powe, Marcus Tillman, Lawon Scott,  Emmanuel Stephens, Craig Drummond, the list goes on and on.  They have definitely put some pressure on our QBs this spring, which can only translate to good things this fall when the ‘Landsharks’ begin their sequel.

The LB core, from the coaching staff’s eyes, may have seen improvement as a whole this spring, even though losing future pros Ashlee Palmer and Tony Fein.  Patrick Trahan has evolved into the clear best LB of the group.  Add in Allen Walker and Jonathan Cornell and this group seems to have it’s clear favorite of starters.  Can Patrick Trahan be half as good as another former Reb named Patrick who played LB?  We can only hope.

At the secondary, Ole Miss looks to be improved but not out of the water yet.  Losing James Scott, I beleive, really took our secondary back, but they do have good experience and did improve over the course of the season last year.  I’m hoping to see Marshay Green work hard on covering fade routes, as during some parts of the ‘08 season it became evident of the team’s picking on his size.  Jeremy McGee looks to have improved a bunch.  It’s imperative, from what I hear, for Ole Miss to get either Jamar Hornsby or Darius Barksdale in from the ‘09 class for immediate help.  Johnny Brown, I believe, will be okay, but there needs to be some depth there in case he goes down. 

Overall, this team has the look of a preseason top 10 team as many believe they are.  This is easily the most hyped up Ole Miss team since the Vaught era, and looks to be the most hyped up team Ole Miss has ever produced, considering the information era of today.  With a seasoned QB, a balanced attack on the offensive side and a ferocious defense of ‘Landsharks’, this team looks to do some damage in the ‘09 campaign.  We’ll let you know our post-spring thoughts over the weekend.