1. Matt Corral isn't in the Heisman Trophy conversation this season. However, it's not premature to speculate about a Heisman candidacy in 2021 for the Ole Miss quarterback.
Corral was 28-for-32 passing Saturday, good for 513 yards and four touchdowns. I've covered quarterbacks who couldn't have done that against air. For the season, Corral is now 162-for-219 passing, a 74 percent completion rate. Corral has thrown for 2,359 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has thrown nine interceptions, but six of those came against Arkansas.
He's done this against an All-SEC schedule and he's done it on an offense that has had to score virtually every position. Corral has improved week after week. He rarely makes mistakes. He extends plays with his feet. He takes what defenses give him and he's repeatedly shown that cannon he has attached to his right shoulder.
Corral should enter next season very much on the NFL radar. Throw in the attraction media has to Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and Corral will get volumes of attention prior to the 2021 season. He should be a legitimate Heisman contender, which is one of the next big steps for a program that wants to recruit and compete nationally.
"It's a blessing to be in this spot, to be around this type of people, to have the coaches that I have," Corral said. "I couldn't make this up. It just kind of fell into my lap."
Corral should benefit greatly from an offseason in the same system, something he hasn't said since coming to Ole Miss. He'll also, assuming a regular schedule, get to pad his stats against non-SEC schedule. If he makes the next step, whatever that is, the numbers will be eye-popping. If the wins come with them, he should be in some different conversations 12 months from now.
2. The NFL is all about versatility. Having offensive players who can contribute in different ways is currency in the league.
With that in mind, Ole Miss' Elijah Moore made money Saturday against South Carolina.
"He belongs in the NFL," Corral said, calling his teammate "electrifying."
Moore caught 13 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns, solidifying his status as one of the top wide receivers in the country. He also lined up some at running back, gaining 45 yards on six carries.
"I kind of did it in high school, but when I was in little league, I played running back," Moore said. "It kind of made me go back to that time. It was a great feeling."
Moore even contributed in pass protection, picking up a rusher on a play that resulted in a touchdown throw from Corral to Jerrion Ealy.
"(Ole Miss offensive coordinator) Coach (Jeff) Lebby always says you don't even have to hit 'em," Moore said, smiling. "You just scream at 'em. That's kind of one of the jokes that we have in there."
Moore's stock has skyrocketed this season but he said Saturday he really wants more.
"I'm going to keep on striving," Moore said.
3. Ole Miss' defense was abysmal in the first half Saturday. It wasn't a ton better in the second half, though the Rebels did come up with some critical fourth-quarter stops that allowed Corral, Moore and Co. to pull away for a win.
The Gamecocks rolled up 548 yards of total offense, though they got one-dimensional in the fourth quarter, allowing Ole Miss to make some key plays.
"We just have to go back and watch the film and see what went wrong," Ole Miss linebacker Lakia Henry said. "We just have to get work. We have to believe in each other, trust the coaching staff and just play football."
Henry said the Rebels should be able to build off the way they finished Saturday.
"It's a four-quarter game," Henry said. "You have to play like it's your last game. I feel like we did that towards the end and we came out with the win."
4. Up next: Texas A&M?
Ole Miss is scheduled to face Texas A&M Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in College Station, Texas. Will it happen? Well, as of Sunday, no one really knows.
On Friday, the Southeastern Conference announced it will utilize Dec. 19 as a playing date for football games rescheduled during the 2020 season due to the impact of COVID-19 and has established parameters that allow for the adjustment of game opponents as late as five days prior to competition, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Friday.
In the release, the SEC said, "As of Friday, all games planned for November 21 will be played as scheduled. All games currently scheduled to be played after November 21 are subject to weekly evaluation in order to reschedule games that have been postponed during the 2020 season.
“It has been a goal of the SEC to play a complete football schedule provided we maintain a healthy environment for student-athletes and everyone around our football programs,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. “The added flexibility of a Dec. 19 playing date for teams that do not qualify for the SEC Football Championship and the ability to adjust opponents on five-day notification provide a greater opportunity for our schools to play a full schedule of games in 2020.”
Dec. 19 is the date of the SEC Football Championship Game to be played in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Teams that do not qualify for the championship game would be eligible to play games on Dec. 19 that are rescheduled during the remaining weeks of the 2020 football season.
In addition, the league office announced it reserved the right to revise the weekly football schedule up to 9 pm ET/8 pm CT on the Monday prior to Saturday games for the purpose of maximizing the number of games available to be played. The games subject to rescheduling would only be those on a team’s original schedule and against opponents that a team has not yet played.
What does that mean for Ole Miss? As of this writing, I'm not sure. There's been pessimism on both sides regarding next Saturday but the league really wants to get back on schedule. The league also really wants to get Alabama at LSU played, and if that happens, it will happen on Dec. 5, per a source with knowledge of the discussions. That would push Ole Miss' game at LSU, scheduled for Dec. 5, to Dec. 19, meaning the Aggies' preference to move the Ole Miss game to Dec. 19 -- Texas A&M will make up its game at Tennessee on Dec. 12 -- could not be fulfilled.
Sankey has preached flexibility from Day One of the pandemic. It's about to get tested this week.
5. How does Ole Miss fix its defensive woes?
Recruiting.
Whether it be recruiting, the transfer market or the grad transfer market, Ole Miss' path to respectability on defense is coming to come via new blood.
The NCAA isn't making it any easier. Late last week, the NCAA extended its dead period through April 15, and most expect it will be further extended in the spring. Regardless, even without any face-to-face contact, Ole Miss must wrap up a recruiting class.
It won't be the highly ranked class Kiffin and Co. intended to sign when they arrived in Oxford in December 2019. Instead, look for the Rebels to continue to be very selective with high schoolers, address some immediate defensive line needs via junior college recruits and then be very active in the transfer markets.
Starkville, Miss., quarterback Luke Altmyer was in Oxford Saturday night, and sources continue to be optimistic regarding a flip from Florida State to Ole Miss. The Rebels are also involved with a handful of Mississippi State commitments -- Makylan Pounders, MJ Daniels and Brandon Buckhaulter.
Ole Miss is hoping for good news from Taleeq Robbins, and that could come as early as this time next week. The Rebels are also pursuing Markevious Brown, and that race could come down to just Ole Miss and Miami.
The Rebels are in on a handful of junior college defensive linemen and would take them all if they all elected to sign (that's not how it works, but you get the point).
What Ole Miss won't do, however, is fill a class just for the sake of filling it. Instead, the Rebels will save scholarships and either use them in the transfer market or get creative with a huge, impactful 2022 signing class.
6. It's time for our weekly ranking of the SEC.
1. Alabama -- The Tide wasn't happy when LSU ducked them last week.
2. Texas A&M -- The Aggies could be forced to play shorthanded this week. Can Ole Miss play national spoiler?
3. Florida -- Kyle Trask was special against Arkansas. Wow.
4. Georgia -- The Bulldogs are good, not great, but they'll be beat the hell out of average teams.
5. Auburn -- The Tigers will go as far as Bo Nix can take them.
6. Ole Miss -- The Rebels' offense gives them a shot every single week.
7. Arkansas -- Someone has to be seventh.
8. Missouri -- The Tigers' offense, when it has played, has been solid.
9. Kentucky -- Someone has to be ninth.
10. Tennessee -- Someone has to be 10th.
11. South Carolina -- I'm guessing the end is near for Will Muschamp.
12. LSU -- Last week was a bad look in Baton Rouge. It just was.
13. Mississippi State -- The Bulldogs' numbers situation is tenuous, I'm hearing. That's their fault.
14. Vanderbilt -- Give the Commodores credit. They played hard at Kentucky.
7. I don't have a vote in the Associated Press Top 25, thank God, but if I did, it would look like this today:
1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Texas A&M
6. Indiana
7. Florida
8. Wisconsin
9. Cincinnati
10. BYU
11. Oregon
12. Oklahoma State
13. Georgia
14. Miami
15. Marshall
16. Northwestern
17. Iowa State
18. Coastal Carolina
19. Louisiana-Lafayette
20. Oklahoma
21. Tulsa
22. USC
23. Liberty
24. Texas
25. Auburn
8. Ole Miss' women's basketball team opens its season in 10 days against Northwestern (La.) State. The Rebels will do so with Shakira Austin on the floor.
Last week, Austin was named as one of 20 student-athletes nationwide selected to the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award Preseason Watch List, released by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The Lisa Leslie Award – named after the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer from USC – is in its fourth year, and recognizes the top centers in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Austin, ESPN's No. 1 rated transfer this season, was a significant piece of the puzzle at Maryland before transferring to Ole Miss. She was granted immediately eligibility on Oct. 29. At Maryland, Austin played in 66 games and started in 47 during two Big Ten championship runs in 2019 and 2020, during which the Terrapins went a combined 57-9 overall. Along the way, the former No. 3 national high school prospect and McDonald's All-American broke Maryland's single-season blocks record with 89 her freshman season and was named Second-Team All-Big Ten her sophomore season.
In two seasons at Maryland, Austin averaged 10.1 points. 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.2 percent overall. She also has 15 career double-doubles and has had multiple blocks in 26 total games. This is the second time that Austin has found herself on the preseason watch list for the Lisa Leslie Award after being named as a sophomore during the 2019-20 preseason.
9. It’s time to eat, so here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 62 — Cassoulet
There are some dishes that are just reserved for special occasions. Welcome to the world of Southern France Gastronomy with this one. Cassoulet is on the upper level of old cuisine with the likes of fois gras and terrines. It is meat-heavy and contains pork, confit duck, sausage, pork rinds, and white beans. It is gluttonous for sure.
This dish is named after the red clay earthenware that it is served in, a cassolette. The origin of this casserole dish dates back to the 100 Years War when the soldiers would just put any meat they had in a pot with beans. Now in the region of Languedoc, you have the Great Cassoulet Brotherhood, made up of 8 members to oversee the integrity. Yes, there is a society that goes between the three cities that serve the slightly different variations of this classic. Pay attention to the tidbits!
Tidbit #1: Ok, this dish is going to take some time to prepare. Soak the beans overnight in water, to begin with. After, you need to make a pork stock, cook the beans, sear the meats off, and finally bake everything in the oven. You don’t have to be in the kitchen all of the time, just to be around for about 4 hours. It's worth it!
Tidbit #2: This dish has variations of course. Some people like tomato paste in it, others add goose to it. Start with the base recipe below and you can add/subtract what you would like in the future.
Tidbit #3: For the pork, buy a pork shoulder. It will have a fat cap (rind) and a bone in it that you will use to help make the pork stock. You usually will never hear of a pork stock because the flavor is too intense. This is why we are using only 1 bone and 1 pork rind to make the stock.
Tidbit #4 (Last one): It is best to make this dish the day before you need it. The flavors will marinate that much more, especially the beans. Reheat for 1 hour in the oven at 300°F.
Things you will need:
4-6 People
4 Hours
A Glass of Côtes du Rhône Pinot Noir
Equipment Needed:
1 Work surface with a chef’s knife
2 Large saucepots
1 Medium sauté pan
1 Cast iron cocotte pot
1 Strainer
1 Pair of tongs
1 Stovetop and oven
1 Digital scale
1 Heavy duty baking tray
Ingredients needed:
2 Carrots, sliced big
2 Onions, diced big
3 Cloves of garlic
3 Bay leaves
6 Sprigs of thyme
2 Duck confit thighs, on the bone
1 Small pork shoulder with bone and fat cap
4 Links of spicy pork sausage
3 Pieces of smoke bacon
500g White beans
Directions:
Step 1: Make sure to put the beans in one of the sauce pots, add water, and soak overnight.
Step 2: Bring the beans to a boil on the stovetop the next day, boil for 5 minutes, then let sit for 1 hour off of the heat.
Step 2.1: Butcher your pork shoulder to get the bone and fat cap separated from the actual meat. Butcher the actual pork meat into equal portions
Step 2.2: Place the bone and fat rind in your other sauce pot along with the carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Add water till 3L of water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour.
Step 3: Strain the beans in the sink. Place back in the same pot.
Step 3.1: Strain the pork stock into the bean pot just into the liquid is about 4 inches over the beans. Cook for 1 hour on a simmer.
Step 3.2: Place your vegetables, pork bits, and herbs in the cocotte pan. With the liquid still left over, place it back on the stovetop and reduce to 1/4 of its original volume. Set aside.
Step 4: Place the duck thighs in the sauté pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Melt the fat away from the thighs. Take them out and place in your cocotte pot.
Step 4.1: Place your bacon in the same sauté pan, fry to crispy, and place in your cocotte pan.
Step 4.2: Repeat the same step above, now with the sausage links, and then followed by the pork meat.
Step 4.3 (Option): You can pour all the grease into the cocotte pan from the sauté pan, or you can store it for frying other items in the future. Your choice.
Step 5: Add the beans and the reduced pork stock to the cocotte to just the top of the dish. If you need more stock water, use it from the beans pot.
Step 6: Turn your oven to 350°F. Put the uncovered cocotte pan on the baking tray. Place in the oven for 1.5 hours.
Step 7 (Last one): Pull from the oven. Let sit till room temperature. Place in the refrigerator until the next day. Reheat for 1 hour for lunch or dinner at 300°F. Enjoy! From the Mississippian in Paris during lockdown #2, Bon Appétit!
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss-Texas A&M (if it happens) this week, as well as whatever else may come up, on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me -- and hopefully, to you -- for your reading pleasure:
'He's a Tough Kid:' Tom Allen Reacts to His Son Thomas Allen's Injury
Belichick Conspiracy Claim Refuted in $7 Million Bielema Arkansas Suit
Will Notre Dame's Win Over Clemson Be Remembered as a Super Sweet Victory or a Super Spreader Event?
How Devin Williams went from 'Dave' to NL Rookie of the Year – The Athletic
Dan Le Batard's Time With ESPN Is Dwindling – OutKick
CDC Data Suggest Lockdowns Could Be Killing As Many As COVID
38 percent of Americans planning on having Thanksgiving dinner with 10 or more people | TheHill
Opinion | MSNBC’s Jon Meacham problem - The Washington Post
Teens in Covid Isolation: 'I Felt Like I Was Suffocating' - The New York Times
World Leaders, Politicians, Hollywood React To 2020 Election Results With Joe Biden As Winner
Man builds mini Matterhorn rollercoaster in backyard during pandemic
