Grove Bowl Recap

Alright, Houston... let's chat. First off, I had to leave work early so I could race over to the Vaught and check out the Red/Blue game. No big deal. I'm excited about the Rebs again, the weather was gorgeous, and there were high school girls dressed to the nines all over the damn place. However, amazing as the day turned out to be, I was much less than thrilled to show up midway through the first quarter, only to see the first team Offense and Defense pounding on their backups. This is of course painfully boring unless you're the type of half-wit who tries to start a Hotty Toddy (at an inconsequential moment, no less) during the SPRING GAME. Here's the thing about that, H.D.N.: we're VERY familiar with losing. If you'll just let us think that we'll be terrible for four and a half more months, then manage to win seven or eight and go drub some shitty Big XII team in the Indy bowl, you can stay here FOREVER!!! So maybe let us see how Snead, Eason, Dex and co. do against their first team counterparts, rather than stirring up fan expectations via a 40-14 blowout... That's just me. Moving onward, here is my initial list of Grove Bowl observations...

1. Jevan Snead looks (quick, knock on wood!) pretty damn solid. 20-26 and two td's is nothing to scoff at, even against the 2nd team defense. Remember, Schaeffer/Lane/Spurlock/Adams were typically about 20-26 in completing passes to the ground or Craig Steltz.
2. Cordera Eason is probably not terrible. Enrique Davis might have to practice his 40 yard touchdown runs as the #2 back this fall, as Eason looks strong and quick. Backup Marcus Crockett also did some good things at tailback for the Red (2nd) team. Crockett's background is shrouded in mystery (meaning, he has no scout.com profile), and may in fact be Bruce Hall in disguise.
3. Tony Fein is likely to be the first SEC athlete arrested for a legal, on the field tackle. He isn't fast, but he is straight nasty. Unfortunately, his appeal to the NCAA to allow him to surgically replace his arms with two chainsaws has been denied.
4. Jesus God, Greg Hardy, earn your starting spot back already, this is fucking stupid.
5. Dex scored a nice looking TD on a slashing run out of the pistol, and also led all receivers on the day. As good as it is to have a guy that can do that (Mike Wallace also turned in a solid day), it was surprising to see so little out of Shay Hodge and Mike Hicks.
6. If we could get through a SPRING GAME with fewer than 10 special midfield presentations of awards to people no one gives a shit about, that'd be great. Thanks.

Anyways, feel free to add any relevant observations in the comments, as I was too entranced by the Pride of the South to pay any real attention to the game...

Which depth chart did they show him?

Kendrick Hardin, a 6' 0", 205 pound halfback with, as Yancy describes it, "deceptive speed" visited Ole Miss for the Red/Blue weekend and left the campus impressed. According to him, the Rebels are high on his list (which includes State, Auburn, and Southern Miss) because our "depth chart looks the best for (him) out of all of the schools (he has) looked at so far."

Really? So, do you plan on there being a lot of injuries or do you like splitting time/never playing... I dunno, I'm just confused as to what he meant because, as I see it, this is our depth chart at halfback for the opener against Memphis:
1. Cordera Eason - Four-Star, Top-20 RB prospect in HS, top RB prospect in MS
2. Enrique Davis - Five-Star, #1 Prep School recruit, #3 RB prospect in HS behind Joe McKnight and the-other-guy-at-USC, often compared (probably inaccurately) to Bo Jackson
3. Derrick Davis - Three-Star, As-good-as-if-not-better-than Eason in HS before knee injuries, supposedly back at 100%
4. Devin Thomas - Three-Star, fastest of the bunch, incredibly elusive, Army All-American

So.... where exactly do you fit in, Kendrick?

Red/Blue Photo Essay

How was your Red/Blue weekend? Oh yeah... that's neat.
Mine was better. Don't believe me? Check the photos:

The Grove was in pristine shape

Manning/Willis Day

Crawfish Boil

Red/Blue Game

Yes, I drank those

Bases loaded against LSU. The beer is causing a memory lapse. Something happened here...

Guaranteed hangover cure

Rebel of the Week

I apologize. Normally I like to do these things on Friday or Saturday but this weekend was especially busy keeping me virtually void of free time with which to peruse the intrawebs.

As is standard fare with Red/Blue weekend, the Ole Mis Rebels competed (successfully, I may add) in numerous and varied sporting events. The track team had a good showing in the Ole Miss Invitational, The Rebel mens tennis team defeated Mississippi State for the 21st time in a row, the Rebel baseball team took the series from LSU thanks to a dominant performance by Drew Pomeranz, and the Rebels defeated the Rebels in the annual Grove Bowl in front of a record spring game crowd. In addition, if the myriad of sporting events, booze, beautiful weather, beer, frat parties, and crawfish boils weren't enough to get your ass outside for some Rebel festivities, then Manning-Willis Day should have.

Manning-Willis day was more-or-less an opportunity for all of us to say things like:

"ZOMG I saw them play here like 2/5 years ago!!!!1"
-or-
"PWillie is totally my friend cuz he said hi to me in class EVERY. FUCKING. WEDNESDAY! It's good to see him doing so well! I'm gonna write on his wall LOL!"
-or-
"Christ. We're awful without Eli... Hell, we were awful WITH Willis...."

Manning-Willis day saw a large crowd in the Grove, highlights brought to us by NFL Films, and the ceremonial, collectively-thrown first pitch just before the first inning of our series-winning game. As a celebration of our former Rebel greats, the days events got me thinking about which of these men deserves to be named as our *ahem* pristigious Rebel of the Week. Earlier, we did ask for audience participation in the selection process but the decision obviously seemed too difficult to make.

I agree.

Yes, the choice between the Superbowl MVP/bringer-downer-of-all-things-BigTeleven and the Defensive Rookie of the Year/human-with-rhinoceros-genetics is a difficult one to make; which is exactly why I won't at all make it. Instead, I am going to pretend that, through the wonders of science some shit which I don't understand at all, we could create a new, ÜberRebel capable of all things football. He would have the physical tools and presence of a Willis while having the intelligence and commercial acting ability of a Manning. He would be.....ELI WILLIS!!!!

Tremble at my Photoshop skills, mortal!

Congratulations, Imaginary Rebel! You've been named the Rebel of the Week! See you next year at Manning-Willis day!

Red/Blue/Manning/Willis/Fireworks/ChangingtheCultureofAlcohol Preview!!!!@3

So if you're looking for a great weekend in Oxford this spring... this may not be it. Avett Brothers headline Double Decker, and will easily be the best act in DD history, as far as I'm concerned. Unlike the past few years though, the DD headliner probably couldn't start at quarterback and/or cornerback on the football team. So if you like, I dunno, sports and shit, maybe this weekend will be ok...

I have a beef with the Ole Miss PR 'machine' this weekend. By declaring Manning-Willis day this weekend, we slight two recent Ole Miss greats, Deuce 'Volkswagen' McAllister, and Derrick Burgess. Like Manning/Willis, they had great collegiate success on underachieving Ole Miss teams, and went on to do great things in the NFL, McAllister being an integral part of the best Saints team in history, and Burgess leading the NFL in sacks two years ago. Also, Deuce has already supplied the University with a significant monetary contribution, and with all of his dealerships, he looks to do the same in the future, as well as send his kids here to pledge Phi Delta Theta.

So anyway, here are two lists of observations/predictions to look out for this weekend, one of which is likely to happen, one of which, if it happens, don't say I didn't call it...

Real predictions:

1. Greg Hardy does something ridiculous. Whether he kills Billy Tapp in cold blood or chases down Mike Wallace on a deep route after shaking off a Michael Oher Block and getting chop blocked by Corey Actis and Chaz Ramsey, expect Greg to do something to assert himself as the most dominant class skipper on campus.
2. Dustin Mouzon turns in a solid performance, solidifying his top spot at CB, leaving Vaughn and Green to battle it out for the other spot. My vote goes to Green, based on his having been taught to, I dunno, catch the ball sometimes.
3. Tony Fein makes a good push as the starter at Mike 'backer. I think Cornell or perhaps Trahan get the eventual nod here, but Fein is instinctive, and will likely do well against our offense. Spread and/or spread option offenses will kill him, but he'll at least be in the conversation until we come across one for realstown. Staff sources indicate that despite his speed limitations, Fein's wicked awesome tattoo could start at outside 'backer in a pinch.
4. Allen Walker/Jamarca Sanford/an errant observer might hit Dex so hard he dematerializes. I'm really excited about him being so involved in the offense. But please, Coach, don't put him in until SEC play.
5. Jevan Snead will NOT throw an interception to Mike Dzura, as he did last spring. Mainly because Dzura got, like, hardcore busy with frat stuff and isn't on the team anymore. Seriously, though, if Snead throws picks, it'll only be to legit DB's, ya'll. I am worried about his Brett Favre tendencies, but hopefully he learns to trust his offense enough to help him score without throwing up garbage.
6. Offensive line gets beat up, gets called various effeminate names by Markuson. I think they'll be fine, especially when John Jerry gets rid of whatever unsavory medical condition currently ails him. However, Peria + Hardy + Tillman + Laurent + Stevens + Lockett = a disconcerting amount of sacks for an offensive line coach. This will also cause folks to be underwhelmed with Cordera Eason, but again, I'll give him a pass for now.
7. Assuming that teams are divided into first team O/second team D vs. second team O/first team D, I'm picking the first team O, since the defensive line backups will dominate their offensive counterparts, and the deep receiving corps on the second team won't have many good passes come their way. 17-7, first team O, decided in regulation...

Fake predictions (but don't blame me if they happen):

1. Tracy Rocker and Jerrell Powe get bored on the sidelines and ingest Dexter McCluster. Though not as high in protein, Nutt will appeal to Powe to snack on private school kickers in the future.
2. Rory Johnson, Mico McSwain, and Jamal Harvey drop by to watch their former teammates, but are quickly evacuated as the APR reactor reaches critical mass.
3. Andy Kennedy and Mike Bianco make a special guest appearance to speak to the team about reaching their potential... various NAFOOM posters suffer irony-related aneurysms.
4. Houston Nutt will express his continued optimism towards the team saying that, although he is excited about the progress of the team as a whole, "we're really just waiting on Hunter Miller."
5. Make your own... It is damn near 2:30 A.M., and I'm almost sober.

Saturday Scrimmage

Saturday's scrimmage was a big let-down for me. Snead didn't play well. Tapp played terribly. Eason broke several long runs, but the running game really struggled.

The running game's woes can be attributed to fantastic play from all three of the starting linebackers and the incredible defensive line that O left us. However, the passing game's struggles were unexpected.

Snead was fantastic last Saturday, and most expected the same this weekend with the secondary's inability to cover the solid group of WRs that return. And the thing is that the corners, with the exception of Marshay Green, didn't even play well. There were just communication problems all across the board. Many times, receivers would not even turn their heads, and the ball would just pass right by them. That's an issue that HAS to be addressed. Receivers have to understand that they are a target on EVERY play. This staff does not have them run away from plays just to draw coverage.

Players who excelled on offense:
LT Michael Oher
LG Reid Neely
WR Markeith Summers
WR Mike Wallace

Players who had significant trouble on offense:
HB Derrick Davis
RT Maurice Miller

Players who excelled on defense:
DT Peria Jerry
DT Ted Laurent
DE Greg Hardy
LB Allen Walker
LB Ashlee Palmer
LB Jonathan Cornell
CB Marshay Green
S Kendrick Lewis

Players who had significant trouble on defense:
All the backup LBs

Spring Practice: The Lines

Man... I hate this. I watch practice and start to think we're really good. I'm so hopeful for this season. Of course, we'll end up winning 5 games or some crap like that. However, this post is going to seem a whole lot like a Spirit post. The lines are just good.

Offense:
Michael Oher:
Positives: Everything
Negatives: Nothing
RSC Analysis: Oher will be beastly. In practice, the ends have real trouble with him. Yesterday, Greg Hardy got so frustrated that he moved inside right before the play started to try to get away from Oher. He ended up running all the way around the line, essentially taking himself out of the play. Oher will dominate opposing defensive ends.

John Jerry:
Hasn't played enough to know (due to illness)

Maurice Miller:
Positives: Strength, Bulk
Negatives: Footwork
RSC Analysis: Miller is very powerful. The concern I have is with his pass blocking. It seems that he overcommits when dropping back into stance. Defensive ends can fake him with a juke move.
This could be part of the reason he is being moved to guard.

Daverin Geralds:
Positives: Bulk, Snap (Center)
Negatives: Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Geralds is a little overweight (even for an O-lineman) but nothing to be worried about. Geralds looks to start at center. Early on, he had trouble connecting on snaps, but that is much improved.

Reid Neely:
Positives: Bulk
Negatives: Doesn't use weight well, gets pushed off the line too often
RSC Analysis: Neely has never impressed me as much as he has our coaches. However, with this staff, I can say for certain that they know more about football than I do. Also, like most untrained eyes, I still have some difficulty analyzing offensive linemen. Because of this, I'll go with what they think.

Rishaw Johnson:
Positives: Strength (one of the strongest linemen and only a freshman), Bulk
Negatives: Too much fat, misses assignments every now and then
RSC Analysis: Johnson is going to be a very good guard, just not right now. With more work from the coaches, his problems should be erased. He has prototypical physical tools.

Mark Jean-Louis:
Never paid attention to him.

Bradley Sowell:
Positives: Footwork
Negatives: Too thin, Not incredibly strong
RSC Analysis: Sowell has the height necessary for LT. Unfortunately, he lost too much weight his senior year in high school. He needs to gain some of that back in order to keep defensive ends away from the quarterback.

Brandon Green:
Never paid attention to him.

Alex Washington:
Positives: Size
Negatives: Footwork
RSC Analysis: Squares up well with dlinemen at first but overcommits like Miller.

I'm sure there are players I'm missing, but that's it on the O-line for right now.

Defense:
Ends:
Greg Hardy:
Positives: Speed, Aggression
Negatives: Takes plays off
RSC Analysis: If Greg can consistently play to his ability, he can dominate (as evidenced by the Alabama game against All-Everything Andre Smith). Unfortunately, he doesn't do that.

Marcus Tillman:
Positives: Size, Strength
Negatives: Speed
RSC Analysis: Tillman is just not fast enough to consistently pressure the quarterback. One thing that Tillman brings to the table is that when he's in the game opposite and end like Kentrell Lockett, we can go with a 3-4 look (which we did yesterday in practice). That's two big ends (Tillman and Peria Jerry) lined up on either side of Ted Laurent. Lockett moves back and plays OLB. It's a fun set to see us throw in ever now and then.

Kentrell Lockett:
Positives: Speed, Finesse
Negatives: Size, Strength
RSC Analysis: He needs to be in the game on 3rd and long. Does well enough to fill in on other downs, but is primarily a pass-rusher.

Emmanuel Stephens:
Positives: Speed, Size, Strength
Negatives: Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Finally, a 4-star juco who lives up to his billing. Stephens really has shown a lot of power and speed in practices. He has complete tools at the position. He just needs experience against effective offensive linemen.

Chris Strong:
Positives: Size, Speed, Strength
Negatives: Agility, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Strong may become a good DE or DT, but he's just too slow (in terms of quickness, not top speed).

LaMarck Armour:
Didn't pay attention to him.

Tackles:
Peria Jerry:
Positives: Everything
Negatives: Nothing
RSC Analysis: They only make Peria practice for a little while each practice because they can see just how dominant he is on every play when he's in. After a few snaps, they need to get experience for the younger players.

Ted Laurent:
Positives: Size, Strength
Negatives: Speed, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Laurent has been a pleasant surprise this spring, stepping into the starting role seemingly with ease. I expected Lawonn Scott to get the nod. Laurent uses his size well enough to clog running lanes. I hope we pull him out in obvious passing downs and move Tillman over to DT (similar to the way the NYG used their three ends at the end of the season.)

Lawonn Scott:
Positives: Size, Strength
Negatives: Speed, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: He looks very much like Laurent, and I often confuse them because they are so similar. The only difference I notice is that Laurent throws his body toward the ball carrier with more aggression than Scott.

Justin Sanders:
Positives: Size
Negatives: Speed, Agility, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Sanders is definitely a work in progress...

LaDerrick Vaughn:
If he was really moved to DT, I can promise I haven't seen him there.

So that's it for the lines. We seem to be set on both sides of the ball.