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McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by Harry Alexander

10 Weekend Thoughts is presented by Harry Alexander.
10 Weekend Thoughts is presented by Harry Alexander.
Ole Miss running back Jerrion Ealy rushes for a touchdown during the Rebels' 35-28 loss to Auburn Saturday.
Ole Miss running back Jerrion Ealy rushes for a touchdown during the Rebels' 35-28 loss to Auburn Saturday. (Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press)

1. Over the last few season, this space each Sunday has turned into a therapy session of sorts.

Ole Miss lost to Auburn, 35-28, Saturday, and for the second time this season, Rebels fans were irritated that Lane Kiffin and Co. let a game get away that they thought should have been a win.

The Rebels are now 1-4 at the halfway point of this 10-game, conference-only season. If you're hyper focused on results, you're disappointed. I would also argue you're failing to see the forest due to the trees.

This isn't a typical season. That's not an excuse for Kiffin. It's a statement of fact. For a first-year staff, this season is a nightmare. Instead of having a couple of Southeast Missouri States and Georgia Southerns mixed in to build confidence and depth, it's a Murderer's Row of Southeastern Conference foes, week after week.

Ole Miss played courageously in a loss to an overpowering Florida team, played well in a win at Kentucky and then played over its collective head in a loss to Alabama. Then the Rebels regressed to the mean. Ole Miss had seven turnovers in a 12-point loss at Arkansas and then simply couldn't make enough plays in Saturday's loss to Auburn.

As I wrote before the season, this season, viewed through a realistic lens, was always going to be a rough slog. I wrote that 1-9 was worst-case, 6-4 was best-case and something along the lines of 3-7 was the most realistic outcome. I haven't changed my opinion after five weeks.

This isn't excusing Kiffin, either. I thought he and his staff made mistakes Saturday. They got too cute at quarterback, in my opinion. They faked a field goal when, in my opinion, kicking it or going for a first down would have made more sense. I thought a timeout was wasted at midfield that would have come in handy in the final 1:13. Speaking of, there were time management issues on Ole Miss' final drive. It wasn't a perfectly coached game, and I suspect Kiffin would agree with that.

Ole Miss had chances, still. Jonathan Mingo and Kenny Yeboah had critical drops. Keidron Smith dropped an interception that might have sealed an Ole Miss win. Matt Corral threw a critical first-quarter interception. John Rhys Plumlee had a horrific read on a mesh play in the fourth quarter, killing a critical drive with a second-down negative play.

And there was another blown call by SEC officials, who have been borderline incompetent this fall. Ole Miss should have been up eight points instead of one in the final six minutes Saturday. The call was barely reviewed, if it was reviewed at all, likely a sign that the review booth knew the stripes on the field had screwed the call. It was another terrible look for the league.

Still, I would submit none of that really matters, not in the big picture. A win over Auburn would've been nice for Ole Miss, sure, but it wouldn't have changed anything. A loss to the Tigers is disappointing, absolutely, but it didn't set the program rebuild back, not even a little bit.

Fans hate this, and I have the emails to prove it, but it's my opinion this is Year Zero, a series of exhibitions in a season that doesn't count against anyone's eligibility. Ole Miss was 4-8 in a traditional season a year ago, and the defense lost considerable talent off that roster.

If you were expecting something much different than what you're getting right now, that's on you and you should put down those red and powder blue glasses and try to make a more realistic assessment.

Yes, Ole Miss could be 3-2 today, but the Rebels could also be 1-5. This team could finish 4-6 or maybe even 5-5, sure, but it could also wrap up at 2-8. The margin for error with this roster is incredibly small.

That's why Kiffin was hired. He was brought in to rebuild the roster, to make it one that can contend nationally. That wasn't going to happen in 2020, even if a pandemic had never happened and even with a traditional schedule.

This was always going to be a multi-year process. That hasn't changed.

So it's fair and fine to be upset at missed opportunities, but I'd argue nothing has happened to this point that has done anything to derail what Kiffin is working to do.

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Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee looks for running room in Saturday's 35-28 loss to Auburn.
Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee looks for running room in Saturday's 35-28 loss to Auburn. (Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press)

2. As mentioned above, Ole Miss played two quarterbacks Saturday.

It made sense early, and I think John Rhys Plumlee actually gave Matt Corral to take a deep breath and gather himself following the aforementioned first-quarter interception.

Corral did just that and played well the rest of the way, managing the game, taking what Auburn gave him, extending plays with his feet and showing growth as a quarterback a week after a disastrous performance in a loss at Arkansas.

For whatever reason(s), Kiffin and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby turned to Plumlee on a handful of key plays and/or possessions. Plumlee added nothing, really, and those plays and possessions failed. Auburn didn't have to respect the pass against Plumlee, and the Tigers took Plumlee and the running game away during his appearances.

Look, the jury remains out regarding Corral and his long-term viability as a winning SEC quarterback. However, Saturday was Corral's ninth start, and I would argue there were signs of maturity and growth. Take away a few drops and we might be having a different conversation today.

Regardless, if I'm Kiffin, I'm riding with Corral the rest of the way. One of two things will happen in that scenario:

1. Corral proves he's the quarterback of the future and he gets key experience for future games.

OR

2. He proves he's not, and Ole Miss can get into the transfer portal this offseason to search for a short-term answer at the position.

It seems clear Plumlee isn't the guy, so unless I'm missing something from a recruiting perspective that is gained by giving him critical snaps, playing him now seems wasteful. This isn't picking on Plumlee, by the way. He's a terrific athlete and a great competitor. However, if he doesn't fit this offense, he doesn't fit it. Once that decision is made, forcing reps for Plumlee is just that -- forcing something that doesn't move the program forward.

Ole Miss running back Snoop Conner looks for room during the Rebels' 35-28 loss to Auburn.
Ole Miss running back Snoop Conner looks for room during the Rebels' 35-28 loss to Auburn. (Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press)

3. Someone asked on Hand-Raise Guys late Saturday afternoon if the Rebels would be better off having a two-week minicamp than playing at Vanderbilt Saturday.

Short answer: No.

Ole Miss doesn't need a mini-camp. The Rebels' struggles aren't due to a lack of practice time. They're due to an overall lack of talent. No amount of practice, no focus on drills and no refining schemes is going to change that.

Ole Miss needs to get bigger and faster and deeper on defense. Period. It needs size and speed up front. It needs a more athletic presence on the edge and at safety. It needs length and speed at cornerback.

Ole Miss needs more wide receivers. It needs a deeper offensive line and more athleticism at guard. It needs a deeper roster to make for more explosive special teams.

There are five games left, maybe six if there's a bowl game, but nothing matters more right now than recruiting and roster management. Nothing.

Beating Vanderbilt would be nice. Beating South Carolina would be nicer. Popping Mississippi State would make Ole Miss fans feel good in late November.

But nothing matters more than recruiting and the transfer portal. That's where the program is going to be built, not figuring out a way to make a reserve wide receiver serviceable at cornerback.

4. Occasionally, I feel I need to remind distraught and/or frustrated fans that NCAA penalties are designed to injure, and in Ole Miss' case, they absolutely hit the mark.

On Saturday, with the game on the line in the final minutes, Ole Miss had Tylan Knight and Miles Battle on the field -- playing defense.

Brennon Chapman's tweet is accurate. There was no lack of effort on the part of the previous staff, but NCAA sanctions made recruiting difficult. The ensuing losses led to a malaise within the fan base and booster base, which made recruiting even more difficult.

Ole Miss' signing classes in 2017, 2018 and 2019 lacked defensive talent. They just did. It shows on the field, and it bears repeating -- that's what NCAA penalties are designed to do.

Matt Luke, Tyler Siskey, Chapman and others worked diligently to procure defensive talent, but -- how to say this? -- that market can be more, er, competitive. As hard as the people inside the program worked, it never gained real momentum and traction on the recruiting trail. Those results are evident, especially on defense, today.

It's the biggest challenge facing Kiffin. No one doubts he will recruit elite offensive talent. His success -- or lack thereof -- in Oxford will be determined by his work on bringing elite defensive talent to Ole Miss.

4b. I've heard through the rumor mill there's mutual interest between Ole Miss wide receivers coach Derrick Nix and his alma mater, Southern Mississippi, regarding the head coaching post in Hattiesburg.

If that's true, and I suspect it is, I'd argue the Golden Eagles would be foolish not to hire Nix. He makes worlds of sense for that job.

He's a legendary player at USM. He's recruited Mississippi for 13 seasons, at least. He would be able to assemble a young, cheap staff in Hattiesburg. He's a solid guy, well-liked by coaches at high schools and junior colleges all over the state. He knows all the people behind the scenes who influence decisions.

Again, if I'm USM, I'm looking no further than Nix.

5. Up next: Vanderbilt

The Commodores have had COVID-19 issues in recent weeks and have already had one game rescheduled. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason was asked about how the virus outbreaks have impacted his team.

"I think what we looked at is, you know, how can you minimize, like the risk?" Mason said. "Okay, if you got, you know, me having a couple of guys who have been in isolation, okay, do you change a room when, so you limit the exposures? I mean, you can't guarantee anything there, but you can limit the exposures. That's what we'll look to do in terms of being around the 53. I think we'll be higher than that. It just so happens that we got hit, okay, at one time, you know, with injuries, indoor isolation, indoor quarantine. And so when you get hit at one time, okay, and then, you just know that the bigger part of your group, you know, it may be out for a little bit. So, I'm hoping that this was the big hit, you know, for us, and what we're able to do, getting to the other side of this is that sustainable numbers, you know, I have to make sure that that, that we don't run into these issues as we move forward."

As of late last week, there was concern Saturday's game against Ole Miss was in jeopardy, but Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said Friday he was optimistic the contest would go on as scheduled (3 p.m., Nashville, SEC Network). Mason seems to agree.

"I've got an idea what the roster looks like, but that continues to change, as guys are still coming back off rehab," Mason said. "I mean, I know what my initial number is, and I know what I'm trying to hit. So you know, what we're going to do man is just keep getting guys back, and we'll see, you know, and how COVID, how injuries and now everything else affects numbers right now. I mean, I'm just worried about the number that we need to play. And that's 53. So as long as we're, you know, man, at the number 53 available scholarship players, we're gonna play."

The Commodores (0-3) have lost to Texas A&M, South Carolina and LSU this season.

6. It's time for my weekly ranking of the SEC.

1. Alabama -- Losing Jaylon Waddle will hurt.

2. Georgia -- Eager to see JT Daniels at quarterback.

3. Texas A&M -- The Aggies just have to run the table and they could sneak into the CFP.

4. Florida -- Can the Gators overcome COVID-19 in time to get back on track?

5. Missouri -- Back to back wins over LSU and Kentucky for the Tigers have been impressive.

6. Auburn -- Wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss were ugly, but they count, technically.

7. LSU -- The Tigers looked really athletic Saturday.

8. Arkansas -- The Hogs get a big shot at Texas A&M Saturday.

9. South Carolina -- I don't know. The Gamecocks beat Auburn but looked awful in Baton Rouge.

10. Ole Miss -- The Rebels are so close to 3-2, but that hardly counts.

11. Kentucky -- It was weird to see the Wildcats look so inept at Missouri.

12. Tennessee -- Another loss to Alabama, another failure on offense.

13. Mississippi State -- The Bulldogs get Alabama Saturday. That should go well.

14. Vanderbilt -- Same as it ever was.

7. I don't have an Associated Press ballot, thank God, but if I did, mine would look like this today:

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Ohio State

4. Georgia

5. Oklahoma State

6. Notre Dame

7. Cincinnati

8. Texas A&M

9. Indiana

10. Wisconsin

11. Florida

12. Michigan

13. Kansas State

14. North Carolina

15. Miami

16. BYU

17. Coastal Carolina

18. Missouri

19. Tulsa

20. Memphis

21. Iowa State

22. Liberty

23. Louisiana-Lafayette

24. Boise State

25. Marshall

8. This week saddened me, for I once truly loved journalism.

Over the past week, however, I've watched as media have applauded the censorship of the New York Post, the locking of the president's campaign communication director's Twitter account and the utter failure of reporters to even explore possible corrupt activity by a former vice-president who appears to be on the verge of being elected America's 46th president.

No one doubts there's bias in the media. It's understood. However, when I see media cheering for censorship, I worry about the future of my field.

I don't care if Hunter Biden slept with hookers or did drugs. He's not running for office. But if he was cutting deals with foreign companies, using his father's office as leverage and with his father's knowledge, that's an issue. Did that happen? I don't know. Media should be digging into it. If the allegations were made against Donald Trump Jr., you can bet your ass they would be.

Media is spinning COVID-19 numbers, allowing a virus to become the single most divisive issue of my lifetime. Media are using masks as virtue signals and ignoring studies that question masks' real viability.

Maybe it all ends on Nov. 4, after the election is over. I hope so. Regardless, the damage is done.

If, after all we've witnessed in 2020, you no longer trust media, that's more than fair. If you do, you should be really careful, for you might be far too naive.

Burton Webb authors Taste of the Place each week on 10 Weekend Thoughts.
Burton Webb authors Taste of the Place each week on 10 Weekend Thoughts.
Pita Alla Patata
Pita Alla Patata

9. It's time to eat. With that in mind, here's our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 59 -- Pita Alla Patata

Who would have thought that you could learn how to make really good pita bread in Italy? Not me for sure. In the big cities throughout Europe, you will have a culinary event called Taste. For a few days, the best chefs from that country come to the big city and put on a grand show. If you are in Italy, that city is of course Rome. Luckily, I was picked by the Michelin Chef whom I worked for, Daniel Usai.

You have probably been to The Grove. Think back on the Alabama weekend in 2014 and you have this culinary event. It’s awesome. You can rub elbows with the top chefs in the game, ask questions, and make connections. I was ecstatic, to say the least, to get the opportunity. Each booth had about 4 dishes at maximum to serve up. One of our dishes was a stuffed pita of cured tuna, pork juice, scorpion sauce, and the pita alla patata. It was glorious. So my recommendation is to substitute some meatloaf or brisket in the pita bread with a hot sauce of your choosing. A good play on meat and potatoes.

Tidbit #1: You will need a few pieces of equipment for this bread, a stand mixer, a digital scale, and a microwave. It really helps to streamline the entire process, quickly.

Tidbit #2: It is good to make the dough the day ahead. The following day you just need to cook it. It will develop a slightly deeper flavor because of the yeast in the dough.

Tidbit #3: When you cook pita, whatever application you use, it has to be hot. Like super hot. More information below.

Tidbit #4 (Last one): You have three options to cook the pita. You can fry it in vegetable oil at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, turning it halfway through the cooking process. The second method is grilling it in a sauté pan over medium-high heat with no oil. You will flip it once it starts to puff. Lastly, in your oven, set to the high broil setting. Put your rolled out pitas on a baking tray. Pop in the oven and let cook for about 1-2 minutes. You will then need to take the tray out, flip over and return to the oven to finish cooking the other side.

Things you will need:

3-4 People

Grilled veggies or meat to stuff it

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Rest time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Equipment needed:

1 Work surface with a chef’s knife

1 Stand mixer with a bread hook

1 Microwave

1 Digital scale

Plastic Wrap

1 Side plate

1 Small microwave-safe bowl

1 Spoon

Measuring cup of 1 tbsp

1 Rubber Spatula

1 Oven or Stovetop

1 Saucepan or baking tray

1 Rolling pin

Ingredients needed:

350g All-Purpose flour + more for rolling out the dough

175ml Whole milk

100ml Extra virgin olive oil

5g Active-dry yeast

100g Cooked Potato

10g Salt

1 Tbsp rosemary chopped

Directions:

Step 1: Weigh a potato out on your scale that near 140 grams. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in your microwave. Cook until soft. Around 5-6 minutes. Place on your side plate carefully and let cool for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Place the milk in the microwave-safe bowl. Put in the microwave and cook for 2 minutes. After, add your yeast to the bowl and incorporate using your spoon.

Step 3: Peel the potato carefully and add to the mixing bowl along with the flour and salt. Mix on low for 2 minutes.

Step 4: Add the milk mixture and olive oil to the mixing bowl. Start on the low setting until the liquid is incorporated. Then on medium speed, mix for 5 minutes. After let rest for 5 minutes.

Step 5: During your rest time, chop the rosemary and add it to the mixing bowl. Next, mix the dough for another 5 minutes on medium speed again.

Step 6: Now take the dough out of the mixing bowl and portion out the dough into 100g pieces. Roll into a ball for each and place on your side plate. Put in the refrigerator for the following day.

Step 7 (Last step): Roll out each dough ball into the size of a pancake with the rolling pin. Let sit for 20 minutes. Set your large sauté pan on medium-high heat. After 3 minutes, place 1 pita in the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then flip over using your spatula and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Place on your side plate. Continue till all 7 are done. Enjoy! From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!

10. We'll have coverage of football, recruiting, basketball, baseball and whatever else comes up this week, starting with Lane Kiffin's Monday press conference to review the Auburn game and look ahead to Vanderbilt. Until then, here are some links of interest to me -- and hopefully, to you -- for your reading pleasure:

TJ Finley makes statement debut, leads LSU to bounce-back win vs. South Carolina

Jaylen Waddle's injury overshadows another Alabama rout

How college football survived Big Ten, Pac 12 cancellations - Sports Illustrated

NCAA Asks Supreme Court to Review Scholarship Cash Limits

Rays come out victorious in Game 4 nail-biter against Dodgers (1:49)

Mookie Betts or Mike Trout: Who's the best player in baseball? – The Athletic

NBA start target: December 22, before Christmas, 72 games, end by Olympics

After 50 years of Hall of Fame broadcasting, Mike Emrick officially signs off – The Athletic

The Cost of Bidenomics - WSJ

Our COVID-19 plan would minimize mortality and lockdown-induced damage

How New York’s Coronavirus Response Made the Pandemic Worse - WSJ

Meet your (Chinese) Facebook censors

How Big Tech Masks COVID-19 Realities - American Greatness

Jonathan Capehart Says the Election Is a Lot Like Airplane Turbulence - Men's Health

Bobby Maximus' 10-Minute Bodyweight Workout Might Be More Than You Can Handle

Classic Beef Chili Recipe Recipe | Food & Wine

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