Game Day

I'm a lot of things right now.

I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm focused. And I'm pissed.

I'm sick of a vast majority of the mainstream media downplaying our Rebels. I'm sick of fairweather Rebel fans who aren't at all ready to cheer for our Rebels against an excellent team for fear that they'll be cheering on a losing effort. I'm sick of Texas Tech fans acting like their Red Raiders don't deserve to play our "lowly" Rebels in the cotton bowl and I'm sick of them acting like we're just going to roll over and die out there.

Above all of this, though, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. This four losing seasons in a row bullshit has finally ended and I don't anticipate it coming back for quite a while.

I know that this game has been placed on the back burner in favor of the BCS title game and the ESPN-boner (Rose) Bowl but when all things are considered, this is a pretty impressive bowl game. The Cotton Bowl has an incredibly storied history. National championships have been won and lost in Dallas on New Year's Day and to earn the opportunity to be one of the final teams to play in the actual Cotton Bowl stadium itself is pretty impressive. This game will also actually allow us to play out the heated debate of SEC defense vs. BigXII offense in real, on the field play. Perhaps, though, the greatest aspect of this game is the fact that we've a slew of All-Americans headlining both of these teams, all of which have something to prove.

All-Americans, all of 'em

Here's to a damn good Cotton bowl, Rebels and Raiders. Hotty Toddy and go Rebels.


Post Scriptum - Just an FYI, Leach: Peria Jerry isn't afraid to hurt a motherfucker. You can't say I didn't warn you.

Post Post Scriptum - Cotton Bowl open thread is below. If you're not in Dallas or at your favorite local sports bar and have elected to watch the game at home with a laptop nearby, leave your very own running commentary. Anything and everything goes.

We're Back and the final part of the SEC Power Poll All-SEC DLine

Alright, alright, you can all quit your bellyaching.

Between Christmas and one of us getting hitched two days thereafter we've been doing the whole "friends and family" thing. No, we're not going to apologize.

Get over it.

Now, to pick up where we left off.

I'm surprised Jefferson still has a head attached to his neck.

Peria Jerry is a bad, bad dude. He will ruin you. I mean absolutely, positively, motherfucking ruin you. This season has seen what may be the single greatest Ole Miss defensive line ever. There is star power at every starting position and potential star power a few spots deep on the depth chart. The typical adjectives used to positively describe linemen--big, strong, quick, athletic--certainly apply here. However, Peria Jerry, while all of the above, can best be described as "determined."

I'm not the biggest guy, and I'm definitely not the strongest guy. But I'm going to be there all day.

Peria Jerry was featured recently in a piece by Scott Cacciola of the Memphis Commercial Appeal and that quote, attributed to Jerry, really stood out to me. When compared to Ted Laurent or Jerrel Powe, Jerry certainly isn't the biggest or strongest guy out there. But, whatever he "lacks" in size and strength is made up for by his incredibly competitive drive and "never-give-up" attitude.

Towards the end of the LSU game, it became apparent that Jerry had simply worn his blockers down. They were all likely bigger, stronger, and more highly rated recruits but, literally, none of that mattered; Jerry was beating their asses off of the line and creating chaos in the trenches and backfield.

He brings 100% on every single down which is exactly how he beats you. By the end of the game, he's unblockable.

I know they're confident, and rightfully so, but I can't imagine Graham Harrell and the Red Raider OLine not at all worried about lining up against Peria Jerry and his legion of despair. They're going to bring it and, if Harrell and co. aren't careful, the Cotton Bowl could end very, very poorly for the Red Raiders.

Congratulations on everything, Peria. You're a team captain, an All American, and, most importantly, one of the greatest defensive tackles in the SEC according to a legion of bloggeurs.

To come: our piece in the most recent edition of The Local Voice, the most badass Christmas gift EVAR, and the beginning of Texas Tech hate week.

Add a Different Two More

Michael Oher and Peria Jerry were named AP All Americans today.

First team, lawya!

No word yet on whether Millsaps quarterback Juan Joseph was honored as an All American.

Snubs are in the past, though, and Oher and Jerry are phenomenal football players. Oher, a likely first-round draft pick last year, showed his true Rebel spirit by returning for his senior season. And Peria? Just look at that beautiful man.

Both of these guys are going to play for a long time and make a great deal of money in the National Football League. Also, Graham Harrell, who clearly is reading the Cup in preparation for the Cotton Bowl, I am legally obligated to warn you that Mr. Jerry may appear differently than the afore-linked photograph in real life.

Congratulations to the pair of Rebels who are the first duo from fair Oxford to make the AP First Team in the same year. Teams with multiple first-team selections were Alabama (with three - Antoine Caldwell, Andre Smith, and Terrence Cody), USC, Missouri, and Ole Miss (all with two selections).

15 days until kickoff

The countdown of horrible Ole Miss moments from the last four years continues as kick-off comes ever nearer.

While this countdown may seem depressing, it is simply a reminder of what we accomplished the last four years: nothing. If you find yourself down over it, congratulations, you've reached a reality check.

I'm glad we've got a new coach and that Michael Oher came back. These are positives, but just take time to remember and laugh about the bad old days.

16th Worst Moment of the Last Four Years: 2006 Loss to Mizzou

I made the drive up to Columbia, so this long sticks in my memory probably more than some others. Let's take a quick look at the numbers, or lack thereof, 162 total yards of offense...for the entire game...against a Big 12 defense: WOW. Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis had 52 yards on 15 carries. Brent Schaeffer threw three interceptions. It was a dismal day for the Ole Miss offense, and the defense let up nearly 500 yards of offense for the Tigers. A 34-7 loss was actually somewhat kind considering the ineptitude and inability to move the ball.

This clever asshat was dancing in the streets after a thrashing of our Rebels. Go ahead and let your blood boil.

15th Worst Moment of the Last Four Years: These players who left, were kicked off or didn't academically qualify for future years of ballin' outrageous in Oxford.

Chris Strong, Mico McSwain, Garry Pack, Jamariey Atterberry, Jerrell Powe(pick a year), Leroy Diggs, Leron King, Rogers Loche, Robert Russell, Quentin Taylor, Hayward Howard(parking ticket extraordinaire), Terry Levy, Roderick Davis, Colby Arceneaux, Isaiah Smith, A.J. Jackson and Jamison Hughes(even though he was just following his dad).

17 players that we had planned to give scholarships to be future players.

I wonder why we were always so thin at LB and D-Line. Hmm. What substance could we possibly assume affected the lives of these gentlemen?

THIS, THIS, AND THIS.

Okay, maybe not the first one, but definitely the last two.

There's still so much more ahead, stay tuned and stay proud.

Pre-Season All-Conference Selections

Phil Steele's has released its All-American and All-SEC selections, a release of the full details is available over at the official Ole Miss Athletics website. The most notable inclusions are Michael Oher, Greg Hardy, and Peria Jerry to the Second, Third, and Fourth All-American Teams, respectively.

Also notable is the inclusion of Enrique Davis as a SECOND TEAM All-SEC selection. In fact, his counter-part All-SEC selection at running back is another back who has yet to see any playing time in God's conference - Emmanuel Moody.

Maybe it's just the Brent Schaeffer talking, but doesn't this all seem a bit lofty? If Jevan Snead plays more like the former Texas quarterback and less like the current Ole Miss quarterback, he will (hopefully) be better than Phil Steele's All SEC Third Team quarterback - Sarah Jessica Parker Wilson. Do you all really believe that Ole Miss has legitimate a legitimate All-SEC quarterback and a legitimate All-SEC running back?

Phil Steele's entire All-SEC Team is available here.

Also, Anthony Dixon's complete absence from Phil Steele's projections is further proof that he is an absolute poopsmith, unworthy of praise and/or recognition.

Dos pickos en el primer roundo

I told myself that I would leave this thing alone for the two weeks of law exams and let you people wallow in discontent. However, when a gem like this falls into your lap, it's just too much.

Andrew Perloff, of CNNSI, has decided that Ole Miss will have two first-round draft picks next year and hints at the possibility of a third. That's right. Two, maybe three. They are:

Michael Oher. Yeah, of course. We've known MIke was first-round talent since the day Shawn Tuhoy saw him on the mean streets of Memphis and "moved him on up." Barring injury, legal incident, or over-ingestion of Taco Bell's new 89 cent cheezy double beef burritos, Mike's gonna make it rain.

Peria Jerry. Really? 'Cuz I didn't see this part coming. Isn't he more likely to go on IR than the first round of the draft?

Perloff even mentions second-team all-American back-up Greg Hardy, whom he says "overshadows" Peria. Y'know who overshadows both of them? HINT: He's the 8,000 pound namesake of Ole Miss' new jumbotron who, if he can make C's in Underwater Basketweaving, Remedial Addition, and "Independent Study" to play one season of Ole Miss football, will be the idiot that makes way more money than you.

Anyway, when three Ole Miss players are mentioned in Mock First Round Drafts (even though it's 362 days before the next one), you know someone's on the Kool-Aid.

Greg Hardy: All American at 2nd String

Greg Hardy, the prima donna of our defensive line, was recently named a 3rd team All American. The interesting thing bout all of this is that Hardy currently is not in the depth chart as a starter because we are such a deep team he's being a little bitch. Greg, seriously, give the bullshit a rest.

Oh, and yeah, Michael Oher is a first team All American. The kid's a damned behemoth so really, we're not surprised.