McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by Harry Alexander
1. It's Egg Bowl Week.
Right?
It's on the schedule and Las Vegas established an early betting line, but until the Southeastern Conference confirms everything, I suppose it's at least a little bit up in the air.
My expectation, as of this writing, is the game will be played Saturday at 3 p.m. and televised on the SEC Network. My expectation, again, as of this writing, is the SEC will wait for this weekend's results before they shuffle anything to make up missed games.
Mississippi State played short-handed and valiantly Saturday night at Georgia, so presumably, the Bulldogs can and will do it again.
My expectation is if games are shuffled, they'll be shuffled after this weekend, assuming Alabama beats Auburn and clinches a berth in the Dec. 19 SEC Championship Game, likely versus Florida.
There's a path to get all of the games in. Move Ole Miss-Texas A&M to Dec. 5. Let Alabama travel to Baton Rouge next weekend instead of Ole Miss. Move Texas A&M-Auburn from Dec. 5 to Dec. 19. Auburn could travel to Starkville on Dec. 12, the same day Texas A&M heads to Tennessee.
It's not perfect, but it gets 10 games for all teams, even if a few teams have to suck it up -- like Mississippi State, Missouri and, to some extent, Arkansas did Saturday -- and just play, knowing the playing field isn't perfectly level.
All of that said, no one should be surprised if this week brings a rash of cancellations and/or rescheduling. The league reserved the right to change things until 8 p.m. Monday night, and until that hour comes and goes, nothing is set in stone.
2. Up next, presumably: Mississippi State.
MSU fell to the three-time defending SEC East champion and 12th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, 31-24, in Athens.
“I thought it was a really good effort,” Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said. “This is the best game we’ve played this year. I was very proud of the way our guys played. I wish we hadn’t come up short, but I was really proud of them. This is, by a significant margin, the best game we’ve played this year.”
From BulldogBlitz.com:
Mississippi State traveled to Athens with 49 players, four below the SEC’s minimum. Instead of choosing not to play, the Bulldogs campaigned to take the field on Saturday night, and they played like a team that was determined to play at all costs.
“We knew we belonged here,” said receiver Jaden Walley. “We just thought that they were the same as us. We could compete with them. We’re hard on playing the next play and keeping the energy up on the sideline.”
“We’re a gritty team that’s always going to fight,” added linebacker Erroll Thompson. “49 guys, 22 guys, it doesn’t matter; we’re going to scrap to the end. I feel, for the rest of the year, we’ve got nothing to lose. We gotta come in each week and prepare, but this is a scrappy team from here on out, I can promise you that.”
The State offense, which has been statistically one of the worst offenses in recent history, played like a sound group. It started with a 15-play, 71 yard drive that ended in a field goal on the first possession of the game.
As the game went on, the two teams traded blows. Georgia scored to go ahead, 7-3, but State responded with a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a four-yard run by Dillon Johnson. The Bulldogs in red and black answered with a field goal to tie, but the maroon and white Bulldogs marched 75 yards in four plays with Will Rogers finding Jaden Walley for the go-ahead score.
UGA scored back-to-back times to regain a touchdown advantage, but MSU put together another methodical touchdown drive, 75 yards in 11 plays, with Johnson finding pay dirt again from three yards out. However, in the end, Georgia’s talent advantage and depth won out. Nevertheless, a solid day from the offense and quarterback Will Rogers—41/52 for 336 yards and a touchdown— is an extremely encouraging sight to see.
“I think he’s gotten better,” Leach said. “I think our offensive line took a step this week, which I think was important. I think Will did too. I think as a team, we played improved, and I think that we played together better than we have.”
Despite falling short, there is legitimate encouragement inside the Mississippi State program right now, in terms of the state of this current team and the program’s future.
“I feel like it’s pretty big,” Leach stated. “I would say this team tonight played as hard and as well with what your best is than any team I’ve ever had. I’ve had a lot of great teams, and yeah, we’ve beaten some teams, some that we probably weren’t supposed to beat, but with regard to matching the best of your ability up to whatever the adversity may be, this team may have preformed to that level, higher than any team I’ve coached.”
Through a season of disappointment and hardships, Mississippi State put together a performance “Between the Hedges” that State players, coaches, and fans have been yearning to see. It is a performance that adds a loss to this season’s record, but much more than that, it proves the kind of team that this one really is.
“This is our team,” Walley said. “This is the team we’ve supposed to have been all year, and it’s just now popping out. We’re seeing it now.”
3. In the past, this game has meant so much to Ole Miss coaches.
For some, it was everything.
Don't expect Lane Kiffin to fall into that trap.
Kiffin discussed the rivalry on Wednesday, calling it "not the friendliest of rivalries." He refused to put the game on a pedestal, however. He said it's always "awesome" to win rivalry games "for fans," which I think one can read a decent amount into.
Here's the deal for Kiffin, in my opinion: He wants to win nationally. To do that, he can't turn the Mississippi State game into the end-all, be-all. For Ole Miss to win nationally, if it can happen, beating Mississippi State has to be something akin to an afterthought.
He's not going to build on the hatred in the rivalry.
"We're not going to discourage that or whatever but that's really not who we are," Kiffin said.
The rivalry has gotten toxic. It's my opinion Mississippi State likes it that way. I've long said Ole Miss has to escape that. If I were Ole Miss, I'd win the game and leave the trophy sitting on the field, untouched. I'd give it to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. I am very clearly not Ole Miss and that's not what Ole Miss is going to do.
But the game needs to be the Egg Bowl, not the Super Bowl. It appears Kiffin gets that.
4. Otis Reese was cleared to play immediately on Friday.
In case you forgot, Friday was Nov. 20.
Here's the release from UM Media Relations:
Ole Miss defensive back Otis Reese has been granted a transfer waiver and is now eligible to play for the remaining games of the 2020 football season, it was announced Friday.
After Reese' original waiver request was denied, a waiver was resubmitted on different grounds and was granted.
"We appreciate the NCAA's consideration of this matter and look forward to Otis participating in the remainder of the season," said Keith Carter, Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics. "We are grateful for the diligence of everyone involved in this process.
"Reese, a transfer from Georgia, saw action in 25 career games with the Bulldogs during his two seasons in Athens. The Leesburg, Georgia, native finished his UGA career with 16 career tackles. The Lee County High School standout was a consensus four-star prospect and was the No. 5 outside linebacker nationally in the 2018 class. Reese was the No. 56 overall prospect according to Rivals and the No. 87 recruit to 247Sports. Rivals listed Reese as the No. 8 prospect in the state of Georgia.
Reese, who earned the 2017 Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year by both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Sports Writers Association, helped lead Lee County to a 14-1 season and the GHSA Class 6A Title as a senior. Reese was named to the USA Today 2017 All-USA Georgia first team defense, in addition to being named a member of the 2017 all-state Class 6A first team defense by both the AJC and GSWA.He was an all-state first team DB by both the AP and AJC in 2016 after recording 65 tackles, 10 for loss, as well as five sacks and three INTs as a junior.
Again, this occurred on Nov. 20. I have no idea what the issue(s) was/were. However, logic tells me if those issues, which were first raised in January, could have been discussed and ruled on by Nov. 20, they could've been discussed and ruled on by, oh, I don't know, Sept. 20.
There were two acceptable solutions here. One was Reese simply wasn't eligible to play this season. The other was he was eligible to play this season. That's it.
Clearing him to play in the final 0-4 games, depending on COVID hysteria and/or bowl selection, is wrong. There's a better way to do this.
5. Much of what Ole Miss can or can't do down the stretch is going to be predicated on what the Rebels can accomplish defensively.
Last week, during the postponement-created open date, defensive backs Deane Leonard and Jon Haynes addressed that topic.
6. It's time for my weekly ranking of the Southeastern Conference.
1. Alabama -- What Nick Saban has built is remarkable.
2. Texas A&M -- The Aggies' belief they're title contenders put the SEC in a predicament.
3. Florida -- Kyle Trask makes the Gators dangerous. The Gators' defense makes them fallible.
4. Georgia -- Why did the Bulldogs wait to go with JT Daniels?
5. Auburn -- The Tigers are very solid of late.
6. Ole Miss -- The Rebels' offense gives them a chance every week.
7. Missouri -- Eliah Drinkwitz has done a very good job in Year One.
8. LSU -- TJ Finley is playing quite well for a true freshman.
9. Arkansas -- The Hogs aren't far away from being a very tough out. Also, if Sam Pittman has already had and recovered from COVID, why is he wearing a mask? Virtue signaling? Feelings? Why?
10. Kentucky -- Someone has to be 10th.
11. Mississippi State -- The Bulldogs showed a pulse in Athens.
12. Tennessee -- Hugh Freeze to Knoxville?
13. South Carolina -- Billy Napier or Shane Beamer?
14. Vanderbilt -- Is the end near for Derek Mason?
7. I am not an Associated Press Top 25 voter, thank goodness, but if I were, my ballot would look like this today:
1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Northwestern
8. Cincinnati
9. Oregon
10. Indiana
11. BYU
12. Miami
13. Georgia
14. Iowa State
15. Marshall
16. Oklahoma
17. Coastal Carolina
18. Louisiana-Lafayette
19. USC
20. Wisconsin
21 Tulsa
22. Auburn
23. Iowa
24. Texas
25. Oklahoma State
8. Ole Miss is scheduled to open its basketball season Wednesday at 1 p.m. against Central Arkansas.
The Rebels are scheduled to face Jackson State on Thanksgiving Day at 1 p.m. and then Arkansas State Friday night at 7.
Assistant coach Ronnie Hamilton will direct things Wednesday and Thursday, with Kermit Davis scheduled to return on Thursday following his 10-day quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.
I hope and pray my reservations about the viability of the season are wrong. I worry the current contact tracing rules are going to be chaotic and create a series of dangerous starts and stops (dangerous for bodies, not for young athletes who are unaffected by the virus).
Regardless, here's what I'm looking for as the Rebels approach the 2020-21 season:
-- Can KJ Buffen make the next step? Ole Miss needs Buffen to be an All-SEC-caliber player for the Rebels to make it to the top six or so in a loaded league. He's shown flashes. He needs to put it all together consistently.
-- Will the Rebels be tougher on the glass? My guess is the answer to this will be quite affirmative. This team figures to crash the glass from all five positions.
-- Can Matthew Murrell impact immediately? Most expect Murrell to eventually be a star at Ole Miss. If he can emerge as an impact player as a freshman, Ole Miss can be very explosive.
-- Is there enough perimeter shooting? From those close to the program, that's the one real area of concern. Are there enough shooters? Are there enough guys who can hit a key shot when it's necessary?
-- Are the Rebels versatile enough? It's a COVID year. One week, the Rebels might have to play four guards and one big. The next week, they might have to go with three bigs and two guards. Are there enough interchangeable pieces? It's a question Davis will be asking himself all season.
9. It's the holidays, so of course, it's time to eat. Here's our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 63 -- Boeuf Bourguignon [buff-boore-ghee-nyawn].
Welcome back to back-to-back meat-heavy additions to the recipe of the week before the Thanksgiving holiday in a few days. This dish comes from the Burgundy region in France, yet that little tidbit is disputed in the history books about its actual origins. Things that we do know is that the meat is stewed in red wine and beef broth. This dish may take a few hours to make, using the low and slow technique yet, it is always a crowd pleaser especially with the colder days coming ahead. Double up the recipe if you would like and then you can have it for a few days.
With COVID restrictions here in France, this year will be a little different without all of the sides, turkey, etc. If you have ever heard of the great Julia Childs, she popularised this traditional French dish in the states and stated that this dish is “certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.”
Tidbit #1: For the meats, you need to get a good sear on them. So have your pan at medium-high heat.
Tidbit #2: You can supplant different meats other than beef. If you would like to use chicken, lamb, rabbit, or deer (venison) for this dish.
Tidbit #3: Make mashed potatoes to go with it. Here is a link to French style mashed potatoes, a.k.a., a lot of butter.
Tidbit #4 (Last one): Near the last step you will need to drain the wine and beef stock from the pot. You will do this to be able to then reduce the liquid in another pan so that the alcohol completely cooks off. If not, you will get a strong wine taste that isn’t that pleasant.
Things you will need:
3-4 People
A glass of Chianti
6 Hours, Prep time - 30 minutes
Equipment needed:
1 Work surface and a chef’s knife
1 Stovetop and oven
1 Large Cocotte Pot
1 Medium mixing bowl
1 Large skillet
1 Wooden spoon
1 Strainer
1 Medium saucepot
Measuring cups of 1 cup and 1 tbsp
1 Large side plate
1 Spoon
1 Pair of tongs
Timer on your phone
Ingredients needed:
3 lbs. beef chuck, diced in golf ball-sized pieces
5 pieces of smoked bacon, diced
1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced
3 Cups of Chianti
3 Cups of beef stock
2 Spoons of flour
2 Bay leaves
4 Sprigs of thyme
2 Sprigs of rosemary
1 Small bag of pearl onions
2 Medium yellow onions, sliced big
2 Carrots, medium sliced
3 Cloves of garlic
2 Spoons of tomato paste (or 5 tomatoes)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Step 1: Turn your oven to 350°F. Next, put your large cocotte pan on the stove on medium-high heat. Put the meat in your medium mixing bowl. Toss with salt and pepper.
Step 1.1: Now add your flour to the mixing bowl, toss to cover the meat with the flour. Next, place in your saucepot and sear all of the sides, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pot and place on your side plate.
Step 2: Place the sliced onions and carrots in the dish and cook for 4 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the beef back to the cocotte pot along with the bay leaves, beef broth, and red wine. Place the lid on top and then in the oven for 4 hours.
Step 4: At the hour 3 mark, put your skillet on the stovetop on medium heat. Cook your diced bacon until crispy, set on the side plate.
Step 4.1: After, add butter and olive oil to the skillet along with the onions and herbs. Cook on medium heat for 40 minutes. Turn the onions occasionally to brown them. Add to the side plate.
Step 5: In the same skillet again, add your sliced mushrooms and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add to the side plate to form a mountain of food.
Step 6: With the 4 hours completed, carefully remove the pot and strain the liquid into the medium saucepot. Return the meat and vegetables to the cocotte pot along with everything that is on that ‘side plate’.
Step 6.1: Begin to reduce the liquid to 1/3 of its original volume in the medium saucepan. After, pour back into the cocotte pan. Stir carefully with the wooden spoon to properly mix everything. Place back in the oven for 1 more hour.
Step 7 (Last step): Remove the oven carefully and let cool with the lid off for 15 minutes. After, serve it up with mashed potatoes and make sure to pour the sauce over the top that is in the bottom of the pot! From the Mississippian in Paris, have a great week, a wonderful Turkey Day, and give thanks! Bon Appétit!
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss football, basketball, football recruiting 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:
Enter Georgia quarterback JT Daniels: 'We had a great game plan'
Clemson-Florida State: Why they couldn't agree to play – The Athletic
Breaking Down Ohio State Football's Elite Recruiting Approach
Louisiana media fails to do its job when it comes to LSU
South Carolina football: Candidates to be its next coach – The Athletic
What the Rangers should do with Lance Lynn
Theo Epstein is baseball's biggest free agent – The Athletic
What Trump Showed Us About America - POLITICO
Trump’s Parting Gift to Biden: A More Stable Middle East and a Weakened Iran
Trump campaign lawyer under protection following ‘threats of harm’
Governors Cancelling Thanksgiving in Favor of Misery - American Thinker
Covid-19: Strengthened tier system for England after lockdown - BBC News
Joe Biden dismisses reporter question about closing schools - TheBlaze
Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint - The New York Times
