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Ole Miss began practices for the TaxAct Texas Bowl on Saturday.
The Rebels will face Texas Tech on Dec. 28 in Houston. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. and be televised nationally on ESPN.
Based on a tentative media schedule given to us by Ole Miss media relations, it appears the Rebels will practice in Oxford through Dec. 20, head home for a few days and then report to Houston on Christmas Day.
As of this writing, the Texas Bowl staff still hasn't delivered a media schedule for Dec. 26 or Dec. 27 in Houston, something that probably doesn't mean much to you, the fan, but is kind of bewildering to us in the media.
Is it worth it to fly to Houston on the 26th? The 27th? At all? When the bowl officials don't have a schedule ready two weeks out, that's usually a decent sign that, from an organizational standpoint, this thing is going to be chaotic.
But let's be honest here; this game, in the whole scope of things, isn't exactly meaningful. A loss to Texas Tech, while it's going to piss off fans in the immediate aftermath, isn't an indictment on Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin or the direction of the program. A win over the Red Raiders, while it will make the beer and bourbon taste better in the early-morning hours of Dec. 29 in clubs and pubs all over Houston, isn't going to serve as some beacon of hope going into 2023.
It's just a game, a made-for-TV event on a day full of ESPN programming in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. It's a canvas to build around a week full of promotion for the College Football Playoffs national semifinal games on New Year's Eve.
And that's fine. We'll go to practice Tuesday and Wednesday and essentially call roll. Who's there? Who isn't? Are the guys who've opted out practicing? We'll get Kiffin and some defensive players on Tuesday. We'll talk to some offensive players on Wednesday. Maybe we'll uncover some interesting nuggets of information. Maybe we won't. This isn't high-drama stuff.
It's a reminder, I suppose, of what could've been for this Ole Miss team, one that started 8-1 and was very much in the CFP and access bowl picture. That juice, of course, has long since been spilled. Bowl games, likely including this one, will mostly be determined by who actually plays and who actually cares. Competitive juices will kick in and the game should be entertaining.
But when the bowl itself doesn't seem all that excited, it's usually a reminder that this isn't how the season was supposed to end.
2. Speaking of, the best way to prevent a similar fate this time next year is by making hay on the recruiting trail.
Ole Miss entertained a handful of official visitors over the weekend, a mix of high school prospects already committed to the Rebels and a couple of transfer portal targets, including former Mississippi State wide receiver Rara Thomas.
The transfer portal is crowded right now, and like a packed highway, things are moving slowly.
There are so many questions as it pertains to Ole Miss' -- and everyone else's -- recruiting. Can Ole Miss hold on to Marcel Reed, who visited Auburn this weekend and will go to Texas A&M next weekend? Is Zach Evans really considering returning? Will Jeremy James elect to return to Ole Miss for the 2023 season or will he seek a place where he can showcase his left tackle skills in order to increase his professional stock?
Can Ole Miss close the deal on Suntarine Perkins? Can he play immediately? Rivals' Nick Harris thinks so.
"No prospect looked as freaky and built this week than Raleigh (Miss.) four-star outside linebacker Suntarine Perkins as he came into this week fresh off a heroic state championship performance on both sides of the ball," Harris said. "Oddly enough, given his last name and the No. 4 on the back of his high school jersey, Perkins reminds me of 2022’s Harold Perkins in the sense that both cover a ton of space, can rush the passer with a combination of moves and are each deadly in facing up ball-carriers one-on-one.
Perkins and Ayden Williams both have a case to be No. 1 in Mississippi, but Perkins is the one that made the conversation more difficult this week. During practices this week, Perkins showed his IQ at the position in team reps and flashed his athleticism in skill one-on-ones against some of Mississippi’s best players out of the backfield."
As for Williams, who will visit next weekend, Harris was very impressed with what he saw in Mobile.
"Ayden Williams saw a huge jump in this week's Rivals250 update, moving to the No. 43 position, and he showed this week why his stock continues to rise," Harris said. "Whether it be his fluidity in route-running, his high-point ability or his strong hands at the finish, Williams is easily the most complete pass-catcher in attendance for the all-star game.
"The Ole Miss commit couldn’t find much competition throughout the week in practice, but he will get a solid taste of it at the Under Armour All-American Game in a few weeks. If he can prove to be as dominant in that environment, a five-star discussion will certainly be on the table."
3. From Rivals' Ryan Young:
Caleb Williams talked for nearly 13 minutes in his Heisman Trophy speech Saturday night, after winning college football's top honor and stamping his name among the sport's all-time greats.
The ESPN broadcast ran well past the end of the scheduled hour, but nobody was going to tell the USC quarterback to cut it short.
Williams spoke movingly and at times emotionally about finding his drive at the age of 10 to be the best at this chosen craft, about how his parents, mentors and coaches helped him create and execute the plan to make that reality, of his relationship with USC coach Lincoln Riley and all they've been through and, finally, a message to any young person who aspires to chase a dream the way he did.
"I used to write down my goals in a journal, and what used to just be words on a piece of paper has me standing here today. So everyone, dreams really do come true. Thank you. Fight On," Williams said in closing.
Williams punctuated his incredible sophomore season by becoming USC's eighth Heisman Trophy winner -- breaking a tie with Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame for the most by any school all-time. (Yes, counting Reggie Bush.)
And he won it convincingly, receiving 544 first-place votes (and 2,031 points) out of 870 media personnel, 58 Heisman winners and one fan ballot, distancing himself from TCU QB Max Duggan (188 first-place votes, 1,420 points), Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (37/539) and Georgia QB Stetson Bennett (36/349).
My ballot, in case you wondered, was impacted by the final weekend. I voted Duggan No. 1 after watching his gutsy performance in the Big 12 title game. I had Williams No. 2, even though by that point I knew he'd win. Finally, with my third-place vote, I went sentimental a bit and voted for Kansas State running Deuce Vaughn, who was the MVP of the aforementioned Big 12 title tilt.
4. From RebelGrove.com's Walker Bailey:
Ole Miss (6-2) bounced back from from last weekend's loss at Memphis with a dominant 98-61 win over Valparaiso (4-7). Junior guard Matthew Murrell led the Rebels in scoring with 17 points. Ole Miss had six double-digit scorers on the afternoon. Every player who touched the floor for Ole Miss scored.
“I thought that that was the best we’ve played offensively all season,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “We really made a concerted effort to get downhill more after the Memphis game over the break. We’ve got to spread the floor more and try to find some certain things with different lineups, and tonight I thought you saw that.
Ole Miss started fast, jumping out to an eight-point lead within the first two minutes. The Rebels never looked back, stretching the lead to 23 at halftime. Ole Miss shot 56.4% in the first half, finding different ways to attack the rim and get easy baskets against the Beacons' defense.
“The key to the game was the quick start,” Davis said. “We started looking analytically at the first five minutes of every half, good or bad, and we were settling in slow starts. We put some different things in that we think will help us with that, but we’ve still got to grow into it."
Ole Miss shot 56 percent for the game and amassed 29 layups or dunks on the offensive end. Ole Miss accumulated 64 points in the paint and 54 bench points. The Rebels' defense forced 21 turnovers, which led to 36 of Ole Miss’ 98 points.
“Defense leading to offense is such a focus for this group,” Davis said. “We met all of our goals. We had five goals as a team. We held their team to around 38 percent shooting. That’s when our team is at its best, is when they can get out in transition. I thought we shared the ball well in transition and pitched ahead. That’s going to be a big part of us this year is being able to score points from good defense.”
Ole Miss returns to action on Wednesday against Central Florida (6-2) at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
“We’ll take off (Sunday) and get ready for a really good Central Florida team on Wednesday night,” Davis said. “I appreciate the people who came, hopefully we can build on that for Wednesday night for a game that’s really critical in our home stand.”
5. Ole Miss guard Daeshun Ruffin brought his five-month-old son, Daeshun Jr., to the postgame press conference following Saturday's win over Valparaiso.
The little boy, Ruffin admitted, has provided some perspective during a trying start to the season. Ruffin has eased back into playing since suffering a setback in an exhibition game days before the season opener. He played sparingly against Memphis and then added a bit to his workload Saturday against Valparaiso.
"We've been managing my minutes each game," Ruffin said. "I feel good. Overall, I feel great though."
Ruffin said he looked into the stands a few times Saturday and saw his son "in his own world." The younger Ruffin provided his dad with a calming presence.
"Anytime anything gets hard or any time I face adversity, I just think about my son," Ruffin said. "It's bigger than me now. It definitely helps me for sure."
Ole Miss forward Jaemyn Brakefield said he's noticed a difference in Ruffin since he's gotten back into the gym in recent weeks.
"Having his son beside him right now, I know it's heartwarming for him," Brakefield said.
6. Here's my weekly ranking of SEC basketball teams, complete with their NET rankings, entering Sunday's games:
1. Alabama (NET: 5) -- The Tide is a joy to watch, though North Carolina and Houston would disagree.
2. Tennessee (4) -- The Vols have a veteran-laden, savvy team.
3. Arkansas (25) -- The Hogs are adjusting to life without Travon Brazile, who tore his ACL last week.
4. Kentucky (27) -- Count the 'Cats out if you'd like, but they're going to be fine.
5. Mississippi State (6) -- Probably the biggest surprise of the league so far.
6. Auburn (42) -- Memphis popped Bruce Pearl's Tigers pretty well, likely creating some questions on the Plains.
7. Ole Miss (60) -- The Rebels' losses are fine, but they need to find some big wins early in league play.
8. Missouri (69) -- The Tigers fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, getting blown out by Kansas.
9. LSU (84) -- The Tigers have lost just once so far this season.
10. Florida (74) -- The Gators are 6-4 but they've shown some flashes.
11. Texas A&M (97) -- Probably the biggest disappointment in the league in the early going.
12. Georgia (172) -- Mike White's team is 7-3 early on.
13. Vanderbilt (139) -- The Commodores have been consistently inconsistent.
14. South Carolina (301) -- Here's your league NET nightmare.
7. Major League Baseball's winter meetings began in San Diego with the Rangers' signing of pitcher Jacob deGrom and ended with the hometown Padres inking shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
In between, the Phillies signed Trae Turner to an 11-year deal, the Yankees retained Aaron Judge on a nine-year, $360 million deal, Justin Verlander signed with the New York Mets, Willson Contreras left the Cubs for the Cardinals. The Mets pushed their payroll over $400 million on Saturday night when they landed Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga on a five-year deal.
Carlos Rodon is seeking a seven-year deal and the Yankees, Cardinals, Giants and others are involved. There are still multiple teams involved for shortstops Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson as well.
What was shocking throughout the industry this past week was the years committed. Teams -- well, except the Cubs -- didn't hesitate to commit a decade to players 30 years old or older. That's great news for Rodon, Correa and Swanson, who figure to cash in big time.
It could be great news for potential free agents Shohei Ohtani, Manny Machado and Rafael Devers, all stars who can become free agents next winter.
8. The World Cup has been awesome.
I'm certainly not at a stage of my life to wish away four years, but Good Lord willing, Carson and I, assuming at 20, he'll still want to hang with me, are going to definitely take in some World Cup games in the U.S. I can wait; don't get me wrong, but I'll be excited about it when the time comes.
Anyway, here are my predictions for the semifinals:
Argentina over Croatia
France over Morocco
World Cup Final: Argentina over France (it feels like destiny for Messi).
9. I lost a ton of emails this weekend, including Burton Webb's Taste of the Place. I'll get it to you next time.
I'll fill in with a couple of holiday twists on my favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned.
First, if you want to go super festive, try a cranberry rosemary Old Fashioned.
Ingredients
Cranberry Rosemary Old Fashioned
2 ounces Cask Strength Whiskey
1/2 ounce Cranberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
2 dashes aromatic bitters
Rosemary sprigs for garnish, if desired
Cranberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cranberries
2 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
Cranberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
Combine sugar and water with cranberries in small saucepan over medium heat. Warm until almost boiling, and most of the cranberries have popped. Pull of of heat, add in rosemary sprigs and let infuse for 15 minutes. Strain out syrup, discarding cranberries and rosemary. Store in jar, in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Cranberry Rosemary Old Fashioned
This is a build in glass cocktail, so place an ice ball into a rocks glass. Add in whiskey, simple syrup and bitters. Stir until syrup is combined, and drink is chilled. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.
Or:
If you want to go super simple, make a brown sugar simple syrup, add it to bourbon and bitters, stir. Add a large ice cube or sphere. Then take a cinnamon stick and char it with a flame. Add to the drink as a garnish.
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss football, football recruiting, basketball and whatever else may come up this week at RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me -- and hopefully, to you -- for your reading pleasure:
Note: There will be no 10 Weekend Thoughts next weekend. I'll be on my way to Boise. The plan is to have a pre-Christmas edition and then my annual year in review countdown of the top 10 stories on New Year's Eve.
Laying out Joe Burrow’s MVP case — where it shines and what it’s still missing
Why everyone loves Mike White, the Jets quarterback and ultimate family man
Forgotten Colts star paying the price for a life addicted to football
Texas A&M’s season of disarray: Youth, predictability and pride steer Aggies off course
Stetson Bennett: The Athletic's College Football Person of the Year
Inside the Yankees’ ‘stressful day’ that led to Aaron Judge’s return
Why Trea Turner, Phillies found a great fit on an age-defying contract
What's Jed Hoyer’s plan for 2023 and how can he add an impact bat?
Why Willson Contreras got a long-term commitment from the Cardinals, not the Cubs
Rosenthal: Bogaerts deal is odd but understandable for Padres
Trae Young can't shoot straight, and that's the Hawks' biggest problem
Kane on penalty miss: ‘I was confident. This will hurt for a long time’
Tony Reali on life, grief, empathy and two decades of ‘Around the Horn’
5 Tips How to Get Rid of Love Handles with Diet and Ab Workouts - Men's Health
With new Twitter files, Musk forces a free-speech reckoning for politicians and pundits | The Hill
Masks Were Unethical by Design ⋆ Brownstone Institute
The crisis of student mental health is much vaster than we realize
