Paul Mac isn't mad. He's disappointed

For of Paul's work, check him out on Chuckoliver.net


I could go several ways with this piece. I could say that it was embarrassing, that it ruined a promising season before it started, that it was catastrophic…. But I don’t feel that way completely. Coaches will tell you when they watch the game tape that it’s never as good as you thought and it’s never as bad as you thought. The fact of the matter is this is a dreadful loss for Ole Miss. A loss that will almost assuredly keep them out of a signature bowl game. A loss to a school that isn’t even in the same subdivision as Ole Miss much less the vaunted SEC can mean several things, loss of senior leadership; overconfidence; poor coaching decisions; bad luck or even all of the above.

Folks I don’t need to restate, when it’s 31 – 10 at the half, the game should not be at all in doubt. It looks like I felt a little too good about the front 7 or didn’t pay enough attention to a porous secondary. Or I gave them too much credit for showing up and playing as hard as they could for 4 quarters. The Rebels defense only managed about 2.5 Quarters in this one.

Ole Miss won the battle with the NCAA but they forgot to win the war. A decision that was incorrect in regards to Jeremiah Masoli was righted. Houston Nutt didn’t know quite what he had in Nathan Stanley and depth was thin. He did what he had to do to make sure he had enough firepower on offense. That offense scored 48 pts. That should be more than enough….unless you play in the SEC West it seems.

Defensive Coordinator Tyrone Nix has got to be disgusted with himself and how his team played in the 4th quarter and the overtime period. They could not make a stop against Jacksonville State no less. The Rebels played very soft zone coverage in the second half and they mustered almost no pressure until the overtime period. They played the 4th quarter as if they had a 100 pt lead. Not only did they quit which is a significant indictment, they didn’t look all that ready nor fit to play football against the other team on the field, never mind the Gamecocks they faced don’t hail from Columbia, South Carolina…these Gamecocks reside in Alabama.

Let me take a brief pause from eviscerating the Ole Miss defensive effort (it was very poor) and credit the real hero’s of this game. Yes Ole Miss is supposed to be better than Jacksonville State. They have more money; they have more cache; they are the SEC program…. But they weren’t the best team on the field in this game at full time. It wasn’t luck that won this game for Coach Jack Crowe and his team. It was effort. They actually wanted to win this game. Ole Miss just wanted it to be over at half time. Former Alabama Mr. Football Coty Blanchard a freshman QB and also the team’s punter led the Gamecocks back in the 4th Quarter shredding the Rebels open and receptive soft zone that never stiffened even in overtime. Former overlooked Georgia High School Stars Alan Bonner (Newnan) Calvin Middleton (North Cobb) and QB Marques Ivory (Northside Warner Robins) all played huge roles in this win but the magnificent 30yd strike that Coty Blanchard tossed on 4th and 15 in double overtime was the stuff of legend. The fact that a true freshman made that pass at that time against an SEC caliber defense… improbable to say the least but it was a great play on both ends. Then to manage a falling down almost goof of a pass to Middleton under extreme pressure to convert the 2pt and win…. It was an amazing comeback really. When you consider that Jacksonville State played 2 different Quarterbacks and STILL scored on their last 6 possessions has to say something about the Ole Miss defense and how much they were not prepared for what they saw in this game. Jacksonville State was absolutely the better team on the field for at least the second half last Saturday and that is really hard to swallow if you’re an Ole Miss Rebel.

Even with the complete and total defensive breakdown, there were bright spots for the Rebels. First off, Nathan Stanley has made the most of his off season. He looked very sharp starting the game and threw for 3 touchdowns. They also ran the ball well with Boldin who averaged over 6 yards per carry but it remains to be seen if they can do it against an SEC defense. The other good news is that Masoli can even play at all. He didn’t look as sharp as Stanley but he’s only had a very short time to mesh with the offense and he will come around. Masoli will be vital to this team if they are going to bounce back and make something of themselves this season. His rush for the first down in overtime indicates the kind of ability he has and how important his talents are to his new team.

The other really good news is that this game doesn’t count for anything for more than a week or so. Sure, it could effect bowl standing, but if you handle your business in the SEC that won’t matter. Houston Nutt has said that this was his worst loss in his career and he’s had a few bad ones. No doubt this hurts, but it’s not impossible to rebound from this. They do have a talented team they just need to wake up and play like it. It’s an embarrassing loss, but it’s just one loss. No reason to let this one beat them the entire season. They obviously can score points and they have a lot better defense than they let on last Saturday. In another town at another time Houston Nutt took a very talented Arkansas team who lost their opener in a fairly embarrassing fashion and got them to the Georgia Dome for an SEC championship game. It doesn’t look good at this point…but they can recover from this and become a pretty good football team. This all said welcome to Michigan’s hell. Ole Miss will be the butt of jokes for years to come after this game they must accept their fate, own it and move on.

Lastly, the joy that people have found calling this loss karma for accepting Jeremiah Masoli into the program at Ole Miss is a bit comical to me. Masoli is an elite talent at QB. Ole Miss had an opening and needed at least the depth and talent Masoli provided. He looked at his options and took advantage of a rule that allowed him to play. Morality and therefore Karma does not exist in college football no matter how much some wish it to be so. Houston Nutt did his job as head football coach finding a way to make his team better before the season started. Unfortunately maybe too much of his focus was on the offense. Tyrone Nix has got quite a bit of explaining to do and he’s got a hard road ahead of him getting his squad ready for SEC play. They cannot afford another effort like that, otherwise resume’s will need to be sharpened.