1. It’s bowl week for Ole Miss football, but it’s anything but a normal trip to Florida for a New Year’s Day game.
The Rebels (4-5) are facing No. 7 Indiana (6-1) in the Outback Bowl thanks to a postseason ban LSU self-imposed and Missouri’s preference to play in Nashville instead of Orlando.
Regardless, it’s a bowl game for Lane Kiffin in Year One, a reward for a program that very clearly has momentum, both on the field and on the recruiting trail.
As for Jan. 2, however, Ole Miss could very well be without four of its top offensive playmakers — Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah to opt-outs and Jerrion Ealy and Braylon Sanders to injuries suffered in the regular-season finale at LSU.
Kiffin isn’t going to detail injuries in conversations with the media leading up to the game but there doesn’t appear to be great optimism regarding Ealy and even less regarding Sanders. If that’s the case, Ole Miss may have to really rely on the running game with Henry Parrish Jr. and Snoop Conner as Matt Corral is forced to grow more comfortable with some new targets.
In short, it’s another opportunity for Ole Miss to steal the stage when all eyes are on college football. However, it’s far from an ideal matchup and the Rebels are far from their best version of themselves as they head to Tampa.
2. It’s a big game for Indiana, which is finishing off one of the best seasons in the program’s history. The Hoosiers are one score against Ohio State from being in a completely different spot in January. They’ve been one of the real Cinderella stories of the college football season.
For Indiana coach Tom Allen, a finalist for national coach of the year honors, the Outback Bowl represents a couple of homecomings, if you will. Allen was a high school coach in Tampa and was later the head coach at South Florida before getting the Indiana job. In between, Allen was the linebackers coach at Ole Miss under Hugh Freeze before leaving for the defensive coordinator gig at South Florida.
“We want to finish with a trophy-game win,” Allen said. “That’s one of the things these guys set out to do as a group. …There’s a lot of connections for sure. We’re blessed to be in a bowl game and be playing and all of those others things kind of make it extra special.”
3. Kane Wommack talked last week about his experience at Ole Miss and what he’s learned from Allen during his time in Bloomington.
Wommack, the son of former Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack and a former Rebel staffer himself, will be coaching his final game as Indiana’s defensive coordinator. He was recently named as South Alabama’s next head coach.
“I really haven’t had time to reflect on all that but it’s a neat opportunity to be able to go play at a place that I care very deeply about and had some special times and moments there,” Wommack said. “My parents are both still living in Oxford and are part of that community. That will always be a special time for both me and Melissa and the rest of our family.”
Wommack said he learned at Ole Miss that “culture is important,” adding that the Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State in 2012 was a “defining moment” for his coaching career.
“That, to me, is something I want to carry on as a head coach at South Alabama,” Wommack said. “The culture that you create allows an opportunity for people to become the best version of themselves when they have a support system like that. I saw that done well during my time at Ole Miss.”
At Indiana, Wommack has learned the importance of the “relentless in the detail of accomplishing our visions.” Allen, Wommack said, keeps everyone in the building committed to the goals set.
“We’re vision-casters,” Wommack said, “but dreams have to have context and substance and that substance is in doing the detail of what we do. Tom Allen is the elite of the elite at doing that.”
4. Speaking of defensive staff, Ole Miss made a change last week when it dismissed defensive line coach Deke Adams.
There are rumblings within the coaching community that it won’t be the only change Kiffin makes, but at this point, that’s nothing but speculation. I suspect the week following this weekend’s bowl games will be eventful around the country, so if there’s a shakeup at Ole Miss, it would stand to reason it would come in the next couple of weeks.
There are rumblings among coaches that Kiffin is looking to do something big on the defensive side of his staff, but again, it’s rumor time in coaching circles so that might or might not mean anything.
5. Bowl games are important, sure, but for Ole Miss, there should be more focus on the future than there is on Jan. 2.
Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter told me last week UM and Kiffin are “in a good place,” implying that progress toward a new deal for Kiffin and assistant coaches should come “around the bowl game.”
That’s obviously phenomenal news for the Ole Miss program. Further, it’s a sign Carter isn’t going to just roll over when overtures for Kiffin come in the future. More importantly, there is considerable buzz that Ole Miss will fairly soon be launching a new capital campaign for facilities improvements, obviously including football.
It’s sorely needed at Ole Miss, not because the facilities are bad or anything. They’re not. But this is the SEC, and the arms race, if you will, never ends. Kiffin is going to give Ole Miss a chance to recruit and win at a very high level. However, if facilities are allowed to lag, that task becomes even tougher.
Carter clearly knows it and unlike some who came before him, he’s neither willing to accept those limitation or looking for the cleanest exit.
So there will be a lot of focus on Saturday’s game, but it’s a blip on the radar in the big picture — win or lose.
6. Ole Miss opens the Southeastern Conference portion of its basketball season Tuesday night in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels are 5-1, suffering their only loss on Dec. 19 at Dayton.
Offense has been a struggle at times for Ole Miss, but the Rebels have figured out that getting out in transition more often is critical. Defense must generate offense.
“We’ve talked a lot in the last few days about second-half defending,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “Some of the games earlier in the year, we were not as good in the second half. At Dayton, obviously, we had some breakdowns at the end that cost us.”
Oxford native Jarkel Joiner, who transferred from UC-Bakersfield, has looked more relaxed of late and has been more effective as a scorer. Davis said he thinks Joiner has put too much pressure on himself early this season.
Robert Allen has played well of late, giving the Rebels another weapon in the post.
“I’m proud of our team,” Davis said. “Would we like to be 6-0? Were we disappointed at Dayton? You bet. …I’m really proud of our team. They have been a great practice team. I mean, a great practice team. Not perfect but always come to play. I’m really proud of them. I think it’s going to be a fun team to watch and keep watching improvement and I really think we’re going to keep improving offensively.”
7. The Rebels haven’t played since a laugher this past Tuesday against UT-Martin. It would be foolish to make much of one performance from that blowout, but the Rebels definitely hope it’s the start of something good for freshman guard Matthew Murrell.
Murrell scored 13 points in 24 minutes against UT-Martin, making three of five shots from behind the 3-point line.
“He’ll do that plenty more times here,” Davis said. “We just keep encouraging Matt. He’s an elite shooter. I think he’s got a really good mid-range game. He’s athletic at the rim. We’ve talked about him getting more paint touches and being athletic at the rim and get himself to the line.”
Murrell said he never lost confidence during his slow start.
“I feel good,” Murrell said. “This is like AAU. You play a bunch of games in a short period of time. I feel like I’ve adjusted pretty well. I think IMG prepared me for the schedule and I’ve adjusted pretty well.”
8. Speaking of SEC basketball, it’s nowhere near as good as we thought it would be months ago. Kentucky fell to 1-6 with a loss at Louisville Saturday. South Carolina is 1-2 and has been riddled by COVID-19. Alabama and Mississippi State have three losses each. Florida is just 3-1 and the Gators are now without Keyontae Johnson, who is home — thank God — after collapsing during a game earlier this month at Florida State. Auburn, ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA issues, has already lost twice.
Arkansas looks like the real deal at 8-0. Georgia is better than advertised early. Missouri looks the part. So does Tennessee. LSU and Texas A&M join Ole Miss as 5-1 clubs.
Who knows what the season will look like? Who knows whether conference tournaments will even be a thing? Every game is likely more important than ever before moving forward, and with the SEC struggling early, NCAA Tournament bids are likely to come at a premium.
9. It seems like it’s always time to eat during the holidays, so with that in mind, here’s Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 67: Filets de bar à la vanille (Seabass with vanilla).
Ok, so I know what you are thinking. Did he just say fish with vanilla? Is this a dessert dish? What is going on?
This is actual a very French dish, served around Christmas time. Who would have thought, right? I had it last year and will again in just a few days. Of course, I asked for the recipe. So if you would like to change up one dish that you are having this week, use this one! Trust me.
Tidbit #1: First thing you need to know, you can substitute another fish that is dense, meaty, and white for this recipe. I would put in its place a trout filet. No worries.
Tidbit #2: You do need a vanilla bean and vanilla extract for this recipe. The bean will give it pops of flavor while the extract is in this recipe for a flavor base.
Tidbit #3: Traditionally this dish is served with sautéed spinach, yet I like to pair it white rice. You can pour the sauce over the rice and place the fish on top for a better presentation. Your choice.
Tidbit #4: You will need to marinate the fish for 25 minutes to 1 hour. You can cook the sides or talk with family, they will probably be intrigued with the pairing.
Tidbit #5 (Last one): When you are cooking this fish, we will cook it on both sides and then place it on the side plate. Keep the sauté pan on the stove top: we will make a sauce in that same pan. It will have more flavor because of what is left over in it: the fish juice. Yeah, that didn’t sound right.
Things you will need:
4 People
A glass of Bourgogne Blanc
Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Equipment needed:
A Work space and a chef’s knife
1 Plastic container for the filets
1 Digital scale
1 Drinking cup
1 Medium saucepot
1 Medium sauté pan
1 Side plate
1 Fish spatula
1 Wooden spoon
1 Stove top
1 Timer on your phone
Ingredients needed:
4 4-ounce portions of sea bass
1 Vanilla bean
6 Drops of vanilla extract
40 cl of White wine
2 Shallots, minced
60 cl of Heavy cream
500 g Basmati Rice
80 g Butter
Juice of 1 Lemon
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Directions: Step 1: Cut the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape the grains in it. Place in your plastic container. Add your fish filets to the container, rub to coat, and then place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 1.1: Go ahead and cook your rice in the saucé pan, and leave to the side of your stovetop to keep warm.
Step 2: After the 30 minutes, we will cook the fish. Place the sauté pan on the stove top over medium-high heat. Add about 2 tbsp of olive oil followed by the fish filets.
Step 2.1: Cook on both sides for 2 minutes, remove from the pan and place on your side plate.
Step 2.2: Add the shallots to the pan and cook for 1 minute. After, add the white wine with the lemon juice. Let it reduce by half.
Step 2.3: Now add the cream along with the vanilla extract, cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the butter. Make sure to swirl the butter around as it melts to form a more stable sauce. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste. Adjust for your “S&P” if needed.
Step 3: Place the rice on a serving plate and then the sea bass filets. Next, pour the sauce over the top. Dig in while it’s hot. Enjoy!
I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. It is always a time for reflection with family and friends. I thank God for Neal and Chase giving me the opportunity to be able to write for you each week, to bring you traditional and non-traditional dishes for you to try. From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit and Merry Christmas!
10. We’ll have coverage of Ole Miss football, basketball and whatever else may come about this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me — and hopefully, to you — for your reading pleasure:
Nets look unstoppable behind Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant - Sports Illustrated
Inside the battle over Auburn’s coaching search - al.com
At Auburn, Bryan Harsin will get everything he asked for – The Athletic
The root of the NCAA violations by Florida and Texas A&M – The Athletic
Schools Rethink Covid Rules. ‘We’re Over-Quarantining Kids Like Crazy.’ - WSJ
'The Daily' Host Clouds NYT Effort To Restore Trust After 'Caliphate' : NPR
