McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by GameChanger Patch Co.
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1. I can't help but remember where the Ole Miss program was just two years ago.
That was weeks before the Piss & Miss. At the time, both publicly and privately, Ole Miss officials said Matt Luke's job was safe. John Rhys Plumlee was the quarterback/media star, getting attention for leading the Rebels back from large deficits to lose by respectable margins
That Ole Miss team lost by 11 at Missouri, by seven at Texas A&M, by six at Auburn, by 21 versus eventual national champion LSU and by a single point at Mississippi State.
Winning was a luxury. It damn sure wasn't expected.
Two years later, Ole Miss football is becoming a national brand. Oxford was crazy this past week, really from Thursday morning on. Ole Miss retired Eli Manning's number, so multiple dozens of former players were invited back to town for the weekend's festivities. The Grove, I was told, was "chaos," and I'm pretty sure that was meant as a positive.
Then Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was, per Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, the guy who was likely headed to Oregon two years ago, "was awesome. I've never heard our home games that loud. Ever. We need to do that more often, for sure."
Ole Miss defeated LSU Saturday, 31-17, in a game that wasn't really that close. The Rebels are now 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Southeastern Conference play. With games against Liberty and Vanderbilt still on the docket, 8-4 is the floor this season.
Two years ago, 8-4 was a fantasy. Today, it would be a real disappointment. The truth is, Ole Miss is a win Saturday at Auburn from entering into a November with realistic playoff hopes very much in the mix. A win at Auburn would likely cement Corral as the Heisman Trophy front-runner going into the final month of the regular season.
It's been a whirlwind of a ride and it might just now be getting started.
"I attribute it to guys playing well," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said Saturday. "I attribute that to having Matt Corral. Lets make no mistake, we’re not 10-2 in those (last 12) games without him. That’s for sure. They bought into each other and they’ve played really well. We told them just to find a way to win. The stars change every week in each game. Last year you kind of knew that it was going to be Matt and Elijah (Moore). This year you’ve got different people stepping up which is great to see."
"It's just selling out every play," Corral said. "That's the reality of it. It's a decision. Everything is there."
On Saturday, Ole Miss' defense stepped up big, holding LSU to just 77 rushing yards. The Rebels pressured LSU's quarterbacks, caused turnovers and got frequent stops. On a day in which the Rebels' offense was essentially the walking wounded, the defense shut the door on LSU and gave the offense time to get rolling.
Kiffin has talked about the transition from good to great, noting how difficult a step that is for a program. On Saturday, there were signs that Ole Miss is moving in that direction.
"I think sometimes when you have moments in the season where those close games go your way, then it springboards you into having some confidence as players thinking, 'Hey we’re pretty good,'" Kiffin said. "We say it all the time that good is the enemy of great. We’re good but we don’t close people out at the end of games. We’re not great. We weren’t great (Saturday) either. The good thing is though, that we’re close. I think we need to get healthy and then we can be a really special team. I just hope we get healthy before there aren’t any games left."
2. Kiffin played up the drama a bit, but he wasn't lying last week when he intimated Corral was hurt.
The Rebels' quarterback clearly was favoring an ankle Saturday, and that disrupted some throws. He did limit his running against LSU, likely a smart thing moving forward.
"When you have a hard time pushing off then it’s hard to play quarterback," Kiffin said. "Your rhythm is off because you can’t move the way you normally can and you don’t take all the reps you normally take during the week. Also, his receiver group that I said would be the best three-receiver group in the country if they didn’t get hurt, got hurt and he’s down to one out there.
"The guy's a warrior. The guy is awesome. Selfishly for him, I wish we had the pieces out there around them because then you’d be getting the Heisman numbers. You have to watch the game. He doesn’t just sit back there and throw to wide-open people. He’s awesome. I don’t know where we’d be without him. He threw for 180 or something and I said after the game, 'I’m sorry we didn’t do a better job of getting guys open for you,' and he didn’t care. He doesn’t care about his stats. That’s really rare especially in this age with kids."
Corral, who completed 18 of 23 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, said he felt "better than what I expected," though he admitted the shot wore off after the second quarter and he "felt every bit of it."
Corral said he knew all week he was going to play, adding that he believes his team is "bridging to (get from) good to great. ...We're finally starting to put it together and it doesn't matter who's out there. We're going to get it to work. ...We don't know who's going to be that star player and we don't care."
With more than half the season gone, Corral leads the Heisman race. He admitted Saturday the attention is "hard to ignore." However, Corral said he's more focused on the now and his team than he is an individual award.
"I'm not worried about that," Corral said. "I'm really not. ...I'm worried about every little thing because every little thing matters because that's going to domino effect into the big things."
3. Kiffin challenged Jerrion Ealy on Monday.
Ealy answered with one of his best games of the season, rushing 12 times for 97 yards and a touchdown.
"Just mentally and physically, I was fresh," Ealy said. "I kind of changed my routine up before the game, for this game. I'm just going to stick to that."
Kiffin said he urged Ealy to go back to using his speed as his primary weapon this week. Ealy listened.
"It was more I didn't trust myself," Corral said. "I didn't trust my speed. I didn't trust my abilities. Today, I just said, 'Forget it. I'm going to trust it. Whatever happens, happens.'"
Ealy said fans and opponents alike haven't seen the best version of Ole Miss' running back trio. It's typically two of the three at the top of their games at any one time, but it's never been all three, he said.
"When that time comes, you'll know," Ealy said, smiling.
4. Cedric Johnson and Sam Williams got to the quarterback Saturday, each causing a fumble Ole Miss recovered.
"We've been practicing really hard, doing different stunts and it's starting to work out," Johnson said.
Johnson said Ole Miss' effort Saturday was its best
"We're starting to play together, starting to play for each other, starting to play together as a unit," Johnson said. "It's starting to work out. ...We just settled in, played for each other and gave as much effort as we can.
"I believe we played a complete game. ...I feel like we're just going to continue getting better and better. Going into those next few games, we know we have tough opponents coming up, it feels great."
5. Here's my weekly ranking of the SEC:
1. Georgia -- There's nothing on the regular season schedule that is an obstacle at this point.
2. Alabama -- The Tide is mortal, but it can blow a game wide open quickly. Ask Tennessee.
3. Ole Miss -- Over the past two weeks, the Rebels' defense has started to step up. If that continues, look out.
4. Kentucky -- Hey, 11-1 is in play for the Wildcats, though Saturday night in Starkville could be a real test.
5. Auburn -- The Tigers control their own destiny and get Ole Miss at home Saturday. It's a huge game.
6. Texas A&M -- The Aggies look quite formidable right now. After a week off, they get Auburn and Ole Miss to open November. We're about to learn a lot about Jimbo Fisher's team.
The drop starts here...
7. Arkansas -- The Hogs get a week off before entering into a November in which 3-1 is very possible.
8. Florida -- The Gators could have a big finish, but they've got to survive a date with Georgia first.
9. Mississippi State -- The Bulldogs are inconsistent, but there are signs at times of a good football team. We'll find out, as the Bulldogs have Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn and Ole Miss still on the docket.
Another big drop...
10. LSU -- It's a talented roster, but the program has been chaotic for two years.
11. Tennessee -- The Vols gave Alabama all it wanted for almost three quarters. Then they got boat-raced.
Fall of the cliff here...
12. Missouri -- The Tigers are OK on offense but downright awful on defense.
13. South Carolina -- Shane Beamer has his work cut out for him. That's putting it mildly.
14. Vanderbilt -- That was a gross effort Saturday. Just disgusting. When bad teams don't care, well, you know the rest.
6. I can't be an Associated Press voter, not with my defection from mainstream media and my obvious collection of biases, but if I were, my ballot would look like this today:
1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Cincinnati
4. Michigan
5. Oklahoma
6. Ohio State
7. Michigan State
8. Ole Miss
9. Oregon
10. Kentucky
11. Iowa
12. Wake Forest
13. Notre Dame
14. Oklahoma State
15. Pittsburgh
16. Auburn
17. Texas A&M
18. SMU
19. San Diego State
20. Iowa State
21. Baylor
22. UTSA
23. Houston
24. Arkansas
25. Penn State
7. Ole Miss deserves a lot of credit for a weekend Rebels fans will remember for a long time.
Yes, Mother Nature cooperated fully, delivering perfect weather for the entire weekend. However, all of the rest of the credit goes to the athletics department, which made sure everything was perfect.
The red-painted end zones with "MANNING" emblazoned was a brilliant idea, making the 10-yard-line markers red instead of the usual white a really neat touch.
Square Jam remains one of the best preseason basketball ideas out there, a unique, cool setting that serves as a jump-start for the hoops season.
Kiffin's determination to reach out to former players is admirable. The turnout, reportedly, was very strong. It's a necessity for successful football programs. Having an event just for them was genius.
"I want to thank Keith Carter and Denson Hollis and their team for showing love to former players this weekend," former Ole Miss quarterback Romaro Miller tweeted Sunday. "That was my favorite weekend ever being a Rebel. From the social Friday to Patrick (Willis) locking the Vaught, to Eli's celebration, that's what it's all about. Job well done!!"
Then there's the stuff Kiffin just gets. Wearing Manning's New York Giants jersey on the Walk of Champions was an ode to a legend, a sign to future players that the coach respects the past, even if he wasn't part of it. Kiffin even more a white hoodie with "Manning10" on it during the game, again putting the program ahead of himself.
A lot of people, self-included talked this weekend about how Ole Miss fans "deserved" this weekend after the last few years. In a way, we're/they're right. But in a way, we're/they're not. No one "deserves" anything. Success is a result of a process. It's earned. It comes when that's the standard and nothing short of it is accepted.
Hiring Kiffin was brilliant. It's worked in ways few (I'd like to say hello here) thought it would. Ole Miss should revel in the afterglow of a perfect weekend for about a day. The next step -- the biggest step -- is making that atmosphere commonplace.
8. The World Series is set. The Atlanta Braves will battle the Houston Astros for baseball's ultimate prize.
The series begins Tuesday in Houston, shifting to Atlanta for Game 3 on Friday. Apparently, Georgia's voter law, too restrictive for Major League Baseball to host its all-star game there in July as scheduled, is OK for the World Series. (Or we can admit that Rob Manfred folded to theatric pressure and made a joke of himself and the sport in the process of being super woke and moving the game to Denver).
Charlie Morton, a former Astro, will start Game 1 for Atlanta. Framber Valdez, dominant in a pivotal Game 5 win over Boston in the ALCS, will start Game 1 for Houston.
It's Atlanta's first World Series since 1999. It's Houston's first trip since 2019 and the Astros' third World Series in the last five years.
My prediction: Houston in 7
9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 109 — Pickled Cauliflower Brains.
Yeah, it sounds kinda weird but it is just pickled vegetables. This is going with the spooky theme for your Halloween party. If you talk to someone in advance and get them to bring a sausage and cheese plate, well you two will be the hit of the party.
Tidbit #1: Pickling something is not hard, it is all about the ratios of water to vinegar to sugar to salt. So 2 to 1 to .25 to .12. This will give you a good starting point.
Tidbit #2: Your pickling liquid needs to be brought to a boil and then poured over the vegetables. Let this set out until it reaches room temperature to slightly “poach” the vegetables with the heat. The flavor will infuse better in this way.
Tidbit #3: It is very important to “label” the jar(s) that you then put pickled items in with the date. Also, the liquid has to completely cover the vegetables. If not, you have the potential for mold.
Tidbit #4: For the other vegetables added to the cauliflower, this is your choice and you can go wild. For instance: peppers, carrots, bell peppers, onions, okra, parsnips, beets, etc.
Things you will need:
Halloween Party Guests
Drink of choice
Preparation time - 15 Minutes
Rest time - 4 hours-24 hours
Utensils needed:
Work surface with chef’s knife
Measuring cups
Saucepot
Glass container
Fridge
Stovetop
Ingredients needed:
1 head of cauliflower
1 Red bell pepper
2 Onions
2 Carrots
1 Jalapeño
8 cups water
2 Cups distilled vinegar
1 cup champagne vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/5 cup salt
4 Thyme branches
Mise en Place
Step 1: Slice the vegetables into various sizes that could fit in a spoon, except for the cauliflower. Take that apart and use the florets as “brains”. Place all in the large glass container along with the thyme.
Step 2: Place the rest of the ingredients in your saucepan and then bring to a boil. When the mixture boils, turn off the heat and slowly pour over the vegetables in the container. Let sit until room temperature.
Step 3: At this point, if you don’t want a “brain”, you can portion out the vegetables into mason jars accordingly. Finish the process of labeling the outside and then place it in the fridge. You’re ready to go in advance for the party the next day.
From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss football, football recruiting, basketball, soccer and whatever else may come up this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me -- and hopefully, to you -- for your reading pleasure:
NCAA Football Conference Realignment: Most Likely Scenarios for Sun Belt & C-USA
Big 12's Bob Bowlsby says current trust factor with Texas, OU is 'low'
Why LSU football's hiring quest is different from most coaching searches | Toppmeyer
What Now for Ben Simmons and the Sixers? - The Ringer
There's never been a World Series team quite like these Braves — Jayson Stark's Weird and Wild
Inside the Red Sox trade for Kyle Schwarber, whose approach has set the tone in October
In an age of disgruntled stars, Ja Morant is ‘not a big fan on the leaving’
The subtle strength of Anthony Edwards: 'Never stop, never quit, keep going'
L.A. County wants to put Vanessa Bryant through hell ... again
Meghan McCain on Leaving 'The View,' Feuds, Toxic Work Environment - Variety
McEnany slams ‘ultimate establishment insider’ McAuliffe, ‘insidious’ CRT curriculum
White House Knew About Letter That Compared Parents to Domestic Terrorists - Washington Free Beacon
In Major Shift, NIH Admits Funding Risky Virus Research in Wuhan | Vanity Fair
