Ole Miss lost another befuddling game Saturday night, dropping a 24-17 decision to Texas A&M at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The Rebels are off until Nov. 2 when they travel to Auburn to begin a November slate that will likely end without postseason eligibility.
My thoughts on that, basketball, the NBA, the World Series and more are on the way.
1. Leading 17-14 and driving midway through the third quarter Saturday night, Ole Miss looked poised to not only take over a game against Texas A&M but also to break through for a signature win of sorts.
The Vaught-Hemingway Stadium crowd sensed it, too. Ole Miss, after so many close calls in losses to Memphis, California and Missouri, was finally about to take a step, get its fourth win of the season and set up a November run at the program's first bowl bid since the Jan. 1, 2016 Sugar Bowl.
Then John Rhys Plumlee tried to do too much with his feet. Texas A&M's Justin Madubuike and Jhamon Ausbon stripped Plumlee of the ball. Buddy Johnson scooped it up and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown.
In a flash, everything changed.
Ole Miss had another couple of chances to make noise, but Madubuike blocked Luke Logan's field goal attempt and Matt Corral was intercepted.
Texas A&M won, 24-17, dropping Ole Miss to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the SEC. Barring an upset of a top-10 team next month, Ole Miss isn't going bowling this season. A 4-8 record is very much on the table. Momentum _ at least tangible momentum _ has been lost.
Conversations have shifted from rebuilding to head-scratching. Is this just part of a young team learning how to win? Is it as simple as just needing one breakthrough victory? Or is it a coaching staff in over its collective head?
It's not my place to try to answer those questions. For now, I suppose, it's Keith Carter's, but there's no way he knows whether or not he'll have the same authority in a few days or a few weeks or a few months.
That leads to more questions. When is a permanent athletics director being hired? Who is making that hire? In other words, who is pulling Glenn Boyce's strings? Will there be time for a new athletics director to evaluate the situation properly? Would he or she have time to survey the coaching landscape? What is the financial situation?
Maybe Ole Miss breaks through soon and all or most of these questions are rendered moot. However, after a second-half swing on Saturday night against Texas A&M, there's no point in pretending that's not what is being talked about.
At some point, simply improving and getting closer isn't enough. At some point, it's a scoreboard business.
Fairly or not, that's what is beginning to haunt Matt Luke. His program is recruiting well. Young players look promising. However, since starting last season 5-2, Ole Miss has lost 10 of its last 13 games and patience is wearing thin.
Ole Miss needed a win Saturday night, and victory was there to be had. It didn't happen, so prepare for weeks of angst in Oxford.
2. My God, get rid of the damn lizard.
I can't believe I'm using one of my 10 thoughts on a mascot, but here I am.
The lizard looks stupid. It doesn't look like a shark. Further, Ole Miss has over-thought the damn thing. Look around the league. There's Aubie, Big Al, Big Red, Albert the Gator, Truman the Tiger, Scratch, Bully, etc.
It's not complicated. Ole Miss did a great job with the shark fin marks being incorporated with the M or the state of Mississippi. The merchandise is cool.
The lizard is not.
Change is happening. There's a new chancellor. Something will happen regarding the athletics director in the coming weeks, I'm guessing. There will be a debate about what to do, if anything, with the football staff.
So my advice to the powers that be, whoever they are, is ditch the lizard and get a fluffy shark. Call San Jose, Calif., speak to someone in the San Jose Sharks' NHL marketing department and basically copy their mascot (picture enclosed below). Don't over-think it.
Make stuffed sharks and sell them at games. Little kids would like that. They'll take them home and tuck them in. Make some heartstrings. Some won't stand the test of time. Some will.
Just get a fluffy shark. Now is the perfect time because the lizard's ill-conceived baby shark costume Saturday night has made it an absolute laughingstock.
3. Another week of SEC football is in the books. Here's my weekly ranking of the league:
1. LSU -- Joe Burrow just might win a Heisman.
2. Alabama -- If the Tide has lost Tua Tagovailoa for any length of time, this season just got fascinating.
3. Florida -- The Gators got it done in Columbia, but it was too close for comfort for a while.
4. Auburn -- The Tigers just steamrolled Arkansas.
5. Georgia -- The Bulldogs can't pass the ball anymore.
BIG BREAK
6. South Carolina -- They looked decent.
7. Texas A&M -- They're remarkably average.
8. Missouri -- My God, how do you go to Vandy and lose? How?
9. Tennessee -- The Vols were quasi-respectable in Tuscaloosa.
10. Mississippi State -- The Bulldogs were decent for one half, awful for another and their coach is desperately trying to get the Rutgers job. Rutgers.
11. Ole Miss -- The Rebels are making a habit of beating themselves.
12. Vanderbilt -- Kudos to Derek Mason for a win over Mizzou. He should wear his vest more.
13. Kentucky -- The Wildcats can't complete a pass.
14. Arkansas -- The Hogs should swallow the $9.8 million and make a wholesale change.
4. I could never be trusted with an Associated Press Top 25 ballot, not with my incredible fandom of ULM controlling my every thought. However, if I had a ballot, mine would look like this today:
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Clemson
6. Penn State
7. Florida
8. Auburn
9. Georgia
10. Notre Dame
11. Oregon
12. Baylor
13. Utah
14. Minnesota
15. SMU
16. Texas
17. Wisconsin
18. Iowa
19. Iowa State
20. Cincinnati
21. Appalachian State
22. Memphis
23. Boise State
24. Wake Forest
25. San Diego State
5. Basketball season continues to inch closer to its start. Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis made his appearance at SEC Media Days in Mountain Brook, Ala., and the second-year Rebels coach was clearly confident.
“I think our team looks more like an SEC team with length and athleticism," Davis said.
Davis said some interesting things and gave a hint about the Rebels' recruiting approach as well. Specifically, Davis said the Rebels would look at the transfer market if they don't land their preferred target in the early signing period. He didn't name anyone, obviously, but he was almost certainly referring to Matthew Murrell, who visited Texas over the weekend and will be announcing a decision early next month.
Davis said freshman forward Sammy Hunter "will be a terrific player in time." He said junior guard Devontae Shuler is "a good rebounding guard," adding junior college transfer forward Khadim Sy "will give a huge boost rebounding."
After struggling in that category a year ago, Davis said rebounding is "a huge emphasis every day."
Davis said senior guard Breein Tyree has "maybe the best mid-range shooter in college basketball" and "can finish with either hand."
Davis also said the Rebels will play 10-11 guys in the rotation this season, adding he has a roster that is "longer, more athletic, (and) can make more plays in the open floor."
6. After winning just 19 of their first 50 games, the Washington Nationals are in the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Dave Martinez's team will face Houston in Game 1 Tuesday night. The series shifts to the nation's capital on Friday night.
My prediction: Astros in 6
7. The NBA regular season begins Tuesday with a doubleheader featuring New Orleans at Toronto and the Los Angeles Lakers facing the Los Angeles Clippers. Last week, I gave you my sure-to-go-wrong predictions for the Eastern and Western Conferences. Today, I'll jinx the seasons of several players.
Rookie of the Year: Ja Morant, G, Memphis Grizzlies
Most Improved Player: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Coach of the Year: Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz
Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Sixth Man of the Year: Terrence Ross, Orlando Magic
Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Milwaukee Bucks
Eastern Conference Finals: Philadelphia 76ers over Milwaukee Bucks in 7
Western Conference Finals: Houston Rockets over Los Angeles Clippers in 7
NBA Finals: Houston Rockets over Philadelphia 76ers in 7
8. It's time for Sunday dinner. So here's Burton Webb with "Taste of the Place."
Taste of the Place, Lesson 8
Broccoli and Beer Soup with Cheddar Toast
What time is it? Soup time. What time is it? Soup time. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Yeah, broccoli soup! Wait….what?
Ok lets talk soup. In the culinary world, especially in Europe, when you are interviewing for a job at a higher end restaurant, you are asked to create two dishes. If you have ever seen or heard of a popular television series where the contestants have secret ingredients in a black box, well you get the point. The first dish that you need to prepare is cooking an egg, usually to the request of the owner. If he/she wants a sunny side up egg, then sunny side up it is. The next dish is a soup. The ingredients that are given to you by the owner is all that you have to work with for this part.
Now you might say. “Burton, what does this have to do with the recipe of the week and why these two dishes?” Well these two dishes show the top two qualities of a chef, skill and taste. It takes skill to properly cook eggs and one must understand how to build levels of flavor in order to make a delicious soup. To say that these interviews are intense, well, that is an understatement. I also have forgotten to mention, there is a timeframe as well to accomplish both. So today, we are going to build a great tasting soup with things that you might find in one of those “black boxes” over here in Europe. There will be no timeframe to accomplish this and yes, with the beer that you don’t put into the soup, you can drink it as long as you are of age.
First, for the tidbits, you will need an immersion blender for this soup. I like the little electric ones; they aren’t expensive and are also great for helping out with sauces to blend together. Once the potatoes are cooked in the mixture, that is when we will use the immersion blender.
Second, when you boil anything except for pasta, it should be at a slow boil. What this means is that the liquid is hot with a few bubbles coming to the surface to get the items to infuse their flavor into the water. You never do the “jacuzzi setting on full blast,” because too much water will evaporate over time. That water has flavor. Plus, for step 3 of the recipe it has a 3.1 and 3.2 addition. Essentially during the cooking time for your soup of 15 minutes, this is when you will complete those two steps. When you start your stove top eye for your soup to boil also start your oven at the same time.\
Lastly, when I specify a “floret of broccoli,” that size is the equivalent of you touching your index finger and thumb together to form a circle. That is a typical size of 1 flouet. Ok enough talk, get to the chopper, I mean kitchen, Go Now!
Things you will need:
6 People or 2 Persons Eating it more than once
Fall Weather Outside
Wine Choice for the Soup: An un-oaked Chardonnay that has been aged between 3-5 years
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 25 Minutes
Equipment Needed:
1 Large Saucepot
1 Medium Sauté Pan
1 Baking Tray
1 Cutting Surface
1 Pairing Knife and 1 Serrated Knife
1 Small Mixing Bowl
Measuring Cups of 1 Cup, 1/2 Cup, 1 Tbsp, 1 Tsp, 1/4 Tsp.
1 Vegetable Peeler
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Soup Ladle
1 Fork
1 Pair of Thongs (Tongs again)
1 Stove Top and 1 Oven
1 Bottle Opener for your Beer and Wine
1 Immersion Blender (Handheld)
1 pair of Oven Mitts
Timer on your phone
Ingredients Needed:
1 + .5 Big Heads of Broccoli
2 Yukon gold potatoes
2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 Cup Gruyere Cheese, grated
1 small White Onion
2 Garlic Cloves (medium sized)
1/2 cup of a Blonde Beer
4 Tbsp of Sour Cream
1/4 Cup Whole Milk
4 Bouillons of Chicken (small size)
4 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1/2 Loaf of French Bread
6 Tbsp of Almond Slices
2 1/4 quarts of water or 8.5 cups
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Step 1: “MIs En Place” everything and wash those vegetables. Begin by chopping off the broccoli heads from their stems and after, chopping into floret sizes. With your 1 head of broccoli florets, place those in your sauce pot and reserve the .5 head to the side of your cutting surface.
Step 2: We will need to go ahead and peel the potatoes and use your knife to quarter both of the potatoes. Add them to the pot. After, peel your garlic and with the knife gentle laid on top of both cloves, give it a gentle smack with the backside of your palm to smash them. Add to your pot.
Step 3: Peel and then slice your onion into quarters. Add them to the sauce pot along with the water, beer, bouillons of chicken, and 1 tsp salt. Turn the stove top eye to its highest setting. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat so that you have that “slow boil” and we will cook the mixture for 15 minutes.
Step 3.1: With you pot heating up to boiling, turn your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the 1/2 French loaf on a bias at about a thumb’s width in thickness. Place the bread slices onto your baking tray. Now in the small mixing bowl, combine the gruyere cheese, the sour cream, and just 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Use your fork to mix everything around until thoroughly combined. After, divide the mixture evenly on your slices of bread.
Step 3.2: It is time to sauté your garnish for the soup. Turn your stove top eye to medium heat and let the pan heat up for 4 minutes. Next, add your olive oil to the pan and broccoli florets. Ensure that the florets are touching the pan, so the stem should be in the air. Cook until blackened, 4 minutes. Add your almonds to the sauté pan along with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Continue cooking for 4 more minutes moving everything around using your thongs. Turn the stove top eye off with the pan still on it.
Step 4: With the 15 minutes now completed. First put your bread into the oven to melt the cheeses. Now, we need to use our immersion blender to blend everything in the pot while it is hot. Once we have blended it to a homogenous mixture add the rest of your cheddar cheese and milk. Blend once more until all of the cheese is combined.
Step 5 (Last Step): Use your soup ladle to portion out the soup to you hearts desire. Remove the bread from the oven with your oven mitts. Put as much garnish in your soup cups as you would like and also serve two pieces of your bread with each cup. You have just created a great soup from scratch. So way to go! If you would like to go back for seconds by all means. It’s good soup. With all being said, your cooking knowledge and skills have increased. So without further ado, from the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!
9. Of course, man can't live on food alone. So here's Jonathan Howard with the Drink of the Week:
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss football, basketball and more during the Rebels' bye week. Until then, here are some links of interest to me _ and hopefully, to you _ for your reading pleasure:
Why Terence Davis II might be the Raptors’ next undrafted gem
The Real L.A. Stories of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
Five things we learned about the Jazz this preseason – The Athletic
The Art of Sticking Around in the NBA
Enes Kanter: I will not be silenced over Turkey - The Boston Globe
NFL: Tom Brady trolls Robert Kraft in Netflix comedy series
Former Buc Warrick Dunn surprises St. Pete single mother with new home - tampabay.com
'We're going to the World Series': Altuve, Astros feast on the big moments - espn.com
‘Some of us may never get over it’: Yankees’ season ends in heartbreaking fashion – The Athletic
Tyler Skaggs death investigation: Angels, MLB and legal implications - Sports Illustrated - si.com
Sarris: Scouting the next wave of potentially great managers
Why Theo Epstein's trade history can often be deceiving
Winner’s trap: How did a Cubs dynasty start to fall apart before it truly began? – The Athletic
The Olympic dreams of prospect Seth Beer, and why he gave them up for baseball – The Athletic
The Top Whatever: Adjust for Illinois, or Illinois will adjust you
LSU football, politics intersect in Louisiana election - Sports Illustrated - si.com
Media sue NCAA, NC State for documents in FBI investigation | Charlotte Observer
Memphis basketball: What to expect from James Wiseman, Tigers - Sports Illustrated - si.com
RBC's Calvasina on impact of 2020 presidential election on individual sectors
Mitt Romney in the Middle of the Impeachment Fight - The Atlantic
Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free — ProPublica
What is the 1%? Americans Need $500,000 a Year to Reach It - bloomberg.com
