The wide receiver depth issue, SkyBox picks and a look around the SEC
How will Ole Miss fare with a banged up receiving corps, the Manning bonanza weekend and some picks
Hope everyone is having a good start to the weekend. We have a tremendous Friday podcast out with former Ole Miss defensive back Travis Johnson. We talked about his pick six against LSU in 2003 in what is still the loudest moment in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history. He also gave us some ridiculous Ed Orgeron stories, including his recollection of the infamous Shirts Off introductory meeting. I promise it will make your day. Weldon Rotenberg previewed LSU after that and LBs Greg brought us home with some Friday picks. Check that out here or anywhere you get podcasts.
We’ve got some final OM-LSU thoughts, SkyBox’s picks and a look around the SEC to get to today.
Lost in the Corral talk, is larger concern
As of this writing, Kiffin just went on Finebaum and stirred the pot regarding Corral’s status for tomorrow, and then immediately posted an article from an aggregation site on Twitter after the appearance ended. This seems to be a bit of a hobby for Kiffin at this point, and a dead giveaway that he pulled a fire alarm or two as a child. I wrote my thoughts on it yesterday. I think Corral plays. I don’t think he runs it a lot, but I think he plays.
All of that aside, I haven’t seen much discussion about who Corral (or whoever plays quarterback I guess) will throw the football to. Your guess is as good as mine as far as Braylon Sanders’ status. Jonathan Mingo isn’t going to play and Chase Rogers missed last game. Ole Miss got by despite all of this in Knoxville because of Corral’s heroic performance with his feet, but the Rebels will face a much fiercer defensive line and a better secondary. If the receiving corps struggles to create separation and has drop issues (Jahcour Pearson for example), that’s going to make things a hell of a lot tougher on Corral and the offense as a whole. Yes, of course the top worry for Ole Miss is Corral’s health, but given what we all think will happen with that, the Rebels not having much to work with at receiver is arguably the biggest realistic concern going into this game. The depth will be tested. I am curious to see if Bralon Brown, Jadon Jackson or any of Brown’s fellow freshmen make an appearance. I guess the Qua Davis ship has sailed? Did it ever even leave the dock? We knew depth was an issue at receiver coming into the year and this might be the first full game in which it is exposed.
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Can LSU chase the game? Will it even try?
Writing about the importance of a fast start is not the earth shattering analysis you subscribe for, but there may not be a more important game for Ole Miss to do so. What is LSU playing for? The coach the players hate? The distracted assistants worried about their next gig? I just wonder what the body language and effort level is from the Tigers if Ole Miss jumps out 14-0. Motivation aside, LSU hasn’t played good enough defense to chase games this season. Now that morale is presumably pretty low, I wonder how deep they’ll dig to crawl out of an early hole. It’s something hard to tangibly quantify, and there is a case to be made Orgeron will have them ready to run through a will given the opponent and the sold out crowd. But pregame adrenaline rarely lasts for more than a quarter. I think there is an opportunity for Ole Miss to induce an LSU roll over if the Rebels jump on the Tigers early.
Conversely, the Tigers have been pretty good on-script on offense. In four of eight games this season and have only allowed one opponent score on opening drives. I won’t belabor the point, but allowing a vulnerable LSU team to go up 7-0 and get settled in would be suboptimal for the Rebels.
Orgeron undefeated against Ole Miss
I saw a stat earlier this week that Ed Orgeron is 5-0 when coaching against Ole Miss. Whoever dug that up apparently decided the 2007 Egg Bowl did not count as coaching against Ole Miss. The Rippee Writes Stats and Information department does not recognize this stat.
SkyBox picks
If you’re a podcast listener, SkyBox usually rides with us on Fridays during the college portion of the picks segment with Greg. I forgot to send them the sheet of games last night because I am forgetful, so I figured I would include them below.
Clemson +3 at Pittsburgh
Ohio State -21 at Indiana
West Virginia +5 at TCU
Iowa State -7 vs Oklahoma State
Ole Miss -9.5 vs LSU
Mississippi Sate -20.5 at Vanderbilt
Tennessee +25 at Alabama
South Carolina +20.5 at Texas A&M.
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Manning bonanza in Oxford
Ole Miss hasn’t always employed the smartest marketing tactics, and I don’t just mean in athletics. But you have to give the school and athletic department credit where credit is due. Retiring Eli Manning’s jersey against LSU, in mid-October for a sellout game with Arch in attendance will shape up to be an incredible spectacle an one hell of a show for the nation’s No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2023. From the ceremony to the painted end zones and Eli going down the Walk of Champions, Ole Miss orchestrated a well thought out and well put together show. I imagine if you are an Ole Miss fan that it is refreshing to see competence at the head of the athletic department and an adult running the football program.
Enjoy the atmosphere this weekend and everything that comes with it. I remember the last time I covered a football game in Vaught-Hemingway that the school couldn’t get people to show up for the No. 1 team in the country, for a night game in November when Joe Burrow and the LSU Tigers came into town. Winning puts butts in the seats. Competence helps expedite the process. The only small gripe is that it seems like they wasted an opportunity to bust out some throwback uniforms. But stuff like that doesn’t really matter.
Again, enjoy it. It wasn’t always this way and surely won’t always be this way going forward.
SEC storylines
I’m not much for making picks and it’s relatively light slate around the SEC but there are a few storylines I am interested in around the country this week.
Mississippi State at Vanderbilt - I don’t think the Bulldogs are as bad of a football team as they showed for the first four weeks of the season. If I am correct in that assessment, they’ll win this game by three scores. If I am wrong, woof, this one could get weird.
Tennessee at Alabama - This game shouldn’t be competitive, but Tennessee can move the football a little bit if Hendon Hooker plays and is healthy. I think you see a similar result to when Ole Miss went to Tuscaloosa in that Alabama’s defensive line will utterly destroy a week Vols offensive line. But it’s worth noting that Alabama must hold serve to continue to control its own destiny in the SEC West. One more loss puts Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Auburn firmly back in the race. I am just not sure where that loss comes from. Maybe the Iron Bowl? It’ll be fun to root for. I’d like to see the West get weird. This week, however, I am afraid it’s nothing more than wishful thnking.
Oklahoma State is a touchdown underdog at Iowa State despite being undefeated and coming off a road win at Texas. I have no clue if the Cowboys are good, but this would be a pretty good gauge as far as answering that. It seems like they’re the best chance to give Oklahoma a run in the Big 12. The program gave Mike Gundy a lifetime contract this week. I didn’t quite understand that move, but good for Mullet Man.
Clemson is a three-point underdog at Pitt. It’s worth noting the Panthers are 5-1 with a quarterback getting some Heisman buzz. I have no idea what to make of the ACC and tend to think they get shut out of the playoff. But if the Panthers beat Clemson and win out, I suppose they’ll have a case.
Ohio State goes to a struggling Indiana team. The Buckeyes appear to be figuring some things out on the back end of their defense and that offense looks way more explosive than it did at the beginning of the season. A blowout here might be and indication of the how the Big 10 is going to get a team into the playoff. I am not sure I completely buy Michigan or Michigan State yet.
On the horizon:
Huge Sunday reaction show with Weldon
Perhaps a Sunday newsletter now that I am done traveling for a while and will have a chance to sit at home, watch a lot of football and write.
A week full of newsletters as the Rebels hit the heart of their season.
That is all from me today. Thanks for being a loyal subscriber. Send to your friends and tell them to join in on the fun by hitting the subscribe button below. It is free.