Alabama Crimson Tide VS Ole Miss Rebels

As I write this post I am praying Florence, now downgraded to a tropical storm with wind gusts expected to reach 54 mph and torrential rainfall up to 15 inches over the next 24 to 36 hours where I live, doesn’t knock out the power.

Duke Energy has warned that anywhere from 1 million to 3 million of its customers could lose power over the next few days, out of a total customer base of 4 million.

I’m Jonesing for a football game where the Rebs of Ole Miss hope to hit Bama with their pet shark.  Not to be too corny here, but they’re gonna need a bigger fin to pull off a win against my beloved boys from Tuscaloosa.

Bob Lynch over at SB Nation/Red Cup Rebellion notes, Sports Illustrated claimed Ole Miss could be “one of the agents of chaos in college football” and could cause a championship team like Alabama to “slip up.”

Lynch continued, “It’s an interesting idea to entertain. But we all know what’s actually going to happen. We know how this ends.”

In previous years the Tide’s primary offensive weapon has been the running game. This season features the best thing in Tuscaloosa since Dreamland Barbecue.  Of course, I’m referring to the “Hawaiian Superman” Tua Tagovailoa.

Reb Head Coach Matt Luke said of Tua, “They ask him to do some RPO stuff where he has to make some decisions. He’s got a really quick release. He has very good receivers to throw it to. Then, his ability to extend plays. You watch their first touchdown against Louisville. He extended the play and made a play with his feet. He keeps drives going on third down by scrambling out of the pocket. His ability to extend plays and obviously his decision-making has been good.”

Tua scored six touchdowns while completing over 70 percent of his passes and posting the second best QB rating in the country.  With the game well under control against Arkansas State last Saturday, Coach Saban put in QB Jalen Hurts who went 7 for 9 for 93 yards and 2 TDs.  With the score 57-7, third-string QB Mac Jones entered the game to finish things up.

The Rebs rank 125th in total defense after two games and have given up 557.5 yards of offense per game and the pass defense is at No. 126 having given up 355 yards a game.

Ole Miss fans can lock up the Vaught for all the good that’s going to do.  They’ll be crying in their beer.  I can’t wait for the ESPN cameras to pan the crowd for all those “surrender cobras” in the stands.

Ole Miss Rebels Vs Alabama Crimson Tide: Landshark’s Gonna Need A Bigger Fin

For the second time since 1848 when the University of Mississippi was established, the school may be changing its mascot.  Colonel Reb was the original sideline mascot but was retired and replaced by a black bear.  Now, the student body will determine whether the bear goes by the wayside as well.  In 2010 the bear was chosen in a three-way tie with the landshark as the runner-up.  Ole Miss lore tells us the landshark is based on a “fins up” hand motion started by late Rebels middle linebacker Tony Fein.

Swapping out the mascot isn’t the only change at the school. Gone is starting QB Chad Kelly. Gone is Head Coach Hugh Freeze. Gone is defensive mastermind Dave Wommack. Gone is the Rebel swagger. 

Freeze was unceremoniously fired on the heels of a scandal involving calls to an escort service, violating his responsibility legislation and lack of institutional control.  The Rebels also face a self-imposed post-season ban and scholarship reductions as they await a final decision from the NCAA on several very serious infractions that have rocked the athletic department.  Talk about falling on hard times; every game this season means absolutely nothing.

You’ll pardon me as I bask in the glow of their calamity.  It's still hard to shake the memories of the recent history of the series. You see, on a September night in Tuscaloosa in 2015, Ole Miss became just the second team (following LSU in 2010 and 2011) to beat the Crimson Tide in consecutive years under Coach Saban.  In the 120-year history of the series, the Rebels had never taken two straight.  That game was Bama’s only loss of its national championship run that year.

The Ole Miss team will board a bus for the three-hour ride to Tuscaloosa dreaming of those back-to-back victories knowing there’s not a snowflake’s chance in hell of whipping the SEC West juggernaut. And Bama, well Bama will carry the nightmare of those two meetings with them on the field of play.  There will be no landshark taunts by Ole Miss.  The Rebs can save that crap for another team and another time.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Alabama Crimson Tide (No.1) Vs Ole Miss Rebels (No. 19)

Order shall be restored today.  Count on it.  Alabama takes the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium against the Ole Miss Rebels in what amounts to a reckoning.

Ole Miss fans will lock arms before kickoff and sway to the public address system blasting Led Zeppelin’s ominous Kashmir as their team runs onto the field.  They believe “locking up the Vaught” intimidates their opponent.

News flash folks.  It ain’t-a-gonna work today.  Not against the boys from Tuscaloosa.  The Tide may have been a little too hyped last year, but this time around they are MOVITATED—perfect fodder for revenge.  No team, and I mean no team, has beaten Bama three straight times in the Saban era.  The Rebs’ streak ends today.

Don’t believe me?  Last week offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin literally got an ass-chewing from Coach Saban when a fumble led to a Western Kentucky touchdown.  That ass-chewing was coach’s way of putting his game face on early for Ole Miss.

Alabama leads the all-time series with Ole Miss, 51-10-2.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

And since no football post would be complete without some gorgeous cheerleaders, we present:

LSU Tigers Vs Ole Miss Rebels: SPECIAL EDITION

What is a dyed-in-the-wool Alabama fan doing touting a football game between the LSU Tigers and the Ole Miss Rebels?

My dear friend Diogenes has a broken heart following the death of her friend and former business partner Allen Toussaint.

Toussaint, the gentlemanly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter, producer, pianist and singer whose career spanned decades, passed away of a heart attack shortly after performing in Madrid, Spain.  He died doing what he loved—spreading the gift of New Orleans music around the globe.

As Diogenes prepared to say her final goodbye to her friend, she requested I post what she had intended put up at her place about her beloved Tigers.  It is my great honor to do that for her.

LSU @ Ole 'Missy—What started out as a promising season for the young Tigers is all but lost after last week’s loss to Oliver Hardy and an Arkansas team with a fraction of the talent.  The attempt to confuse the Hogs with an unfamiliar split offense instead of dancing with the one that brung ya, did nothing but confuse them. I don't blame the players; their youth and expectations seem to have caught up to them. 

What was expected by everyone to be a successful 10-2 season for the Tigers became blown up in the sports media into a No. 2 ranking they were never worthy of.  Hopefully the Tigers can take a deep breath and get back to playing at the level they're capable of or they'll be playing the Fighting Nuns of St. Mary's in the “99 Cent Bowl” next month. 

Diogenes’ Prediction:  Tigers by 6 

Charleston Southern @ Alabama—After convincingly silencing those @#$& cow bells of Starkville last week, my advice to Nick Saban is just play the second string and save their energy for Auburn…Oh wait…the entire team is first string!  

Diogenes’ Prediction:  Bama by 45 

TCU @ Oklahoma—This week TCU goes to Norman, Oklahoma to face the Sooners who laid waste to Baylor in their own house last week. This week the Froggys meet the same fate and become roadkill as the Sooners continue their march toward a chance at a playoff berth.  

Diogenes’ Prediction:  Here Comes Big Red - Sooners by 13 

LAST WEEK:  Once again I put the “Expert Sports Monkeys” in the weeds by correctly calling the upset of the overrated undefeated Baylor Bears at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners last week and correctly called the Alabama/ Miss State game, but missed on the LSU/Arky game leaving me at 2-1 for the week.  

Diogenes’ Picks YTD - 19-5

Diogenes, we know the Good Lord will place His Hand upon your shoulder and give you comfort in the middle hour of your grief.  Stay strong, take care and know that we love you dearly.

GEAUX TIGERS!

If you’d like to say a few words to Diogenes, you can do so by visiting her tribute to the great Mr. Toussaint here.  I know she’d love to hear from you.

Payback Time: Alabama Vs Ole Miss

Revenge is in the air tonight as No. 15 Ole Miss rolls into Bear Country.  No. 2 Alabama will take on the Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 9:15 PM.  The game will air on ESPN.

The Rebels came away with a 23-17 victory last year at home against a stunned Tide and the jubilant fans rushed onto the field of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium tearing down the goalposts and parading the pieces around The Grove and The Square in Oxford.

Ole Miss has never beaten Alabama in back-to-back seasons.  The only time Ole Miss beat Alabama at home was waaaaaaay back in 1988.  Wins over Alabama are far and few between.  One fan mused, “Our hearts are broken year after year.”

That shocking defeat caused jaws to flap endlessly amongst sports writers and pundits who questioned whether Alabama could win the SEC Championship.  They did recover.  After all the bowl games and playoffs had been played, the Tide wound up with two losses and the rest of the SEC teams had at least three.

The Crimson Tide’s defense is about to be tested in ways it hasn't been since the Sugar Bowl, and it’s offense won't need any extra motivation to play an Ole Miss team that beat them a year ago.

Last week the Rebels’ defensive back, Tee Shepard, was ejected for targeting against Fresno State and the SEC Office imposed a half-game suspension today.

The Crimson Tide had the most efficient run defense in the country last year and returned five starters in their front seven. In games against Wisconsin and Middle Tennessee State, Bama allowed opposing running backs a scant 91 yards in 38 carries.

Ole Miss beat Bama with a so-so run game last year, but trust me, that ain’t something you want to try twice.

Bama wins by a touchdown.

ROLL TIDE!

And because no football post would be complete without pom-poms, please enjoy this photo of some Bama beauties.Get

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