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I've been doing some soul-searching the past few weeks on my relationship with Ole Miss football and how much it has had me in my feelings these past several months. Stopping and looking back at all that has happened between hoisting the Sugar Bowl trophy and now, it seems like the plot of a poorly written sit com. I have sorted out some of these thoughts and I offer them here for your consideration, scorn or abject mockery, such as the case may be. The fact that I am mad about where we are and this craptastic season of football is a given. But the question I stumped myself with is: Who am I really mad at?
1.The players? No, they are for the most part playing hard and making a valiant effort to compete in a toxic brew of cut schollies, bad coaching, and the 5-alarm dumpster fire of off the field stuff. No these players are playing hard, this is not their fault.
2. The band? No, they are kids with very small scholarships that love their school and support it with their talent. I miss Dixie. I do. I'm not one of those who will go off the deep end because of it, but I miss it. At every pep rally, grove set, and pre-game show that I watched during my 4 years as a parent of a kid in the POTS, I got goosebumps every time they played that song. Every. Time. I will miss it, but that's not the band's fault. At least I have all of the videos I took of the band on my YouTube channel.
3. The coaches? Don't get me wrong, they have been pretty bad so far this year. But they, mainly Matt Luke, were asked to step into a situation that most coaches in their right minds would have run from, and he stepped up and took the job. He is not, IMHO, a good coach, much less a head coach, but he's for all I can see a stand up guy, a true Rebel, and the players love him. Honestly, given the NCAA and the CHF debacles at the same time, what did we really expect from this year?
4. The Athletic Foundation? I am going to admit something, I feel like a sucker. Two years ago, my wife and I bought season tickets for the first time. Our kids were all grown, we were finally financially able, and it was our youngest son's senior year in the POTS, going into the 2015 season it was a no-brainer. We even made a healthy donation to the capital improvement fund to get our ticket prices frozen for 10 years. Sweet, right? It was, for one year. Then last year happened, and now this year. Not just the awful play, but the other mess going on. I have 4 seats (pretty good ones after so many people bailed this year) and all I can think about is how much travelling I could do with that money. Did they sucker me? Yeah, but it's my own fault. I thought I was buying 10 2015's. LOL Caveat Emptor.
5. The administration? Well, sort of. I do feel lied to by the many times they sugar coated the NCAA situation that they had to know was much worse than they were telling us. I also think they should have never cooperated with the NCAA the way they did. The NCAA intends to send a message with the smack-down they are about to lay on us, but the message they will be sending when they crush us will be this: Never, ever cooperate with they NCAA. Lawyer up and fight for every inch of ground. As for the coaching situation, we gots what we gots this year, and they are already preparing to find the next HC. I think (unless the NCAA absolutely guts us), they can make a splash with this hire. It could be the perfect situation for the right coach: if he fails, what could he do? it's the NCAA's fault, not his...but if he succeeds even marginally, he's gonna get a statue on campus.
6. The boosters? Yes, at least the ones who were cheating and got caught. You can be corrupt, or stupid, but you can't be both at once and get by. The ones who did hurt the school far more than they ever helped it.
7. The NCAA? Of course. Are they being unfair? No doubt in my mind. But I know that if this was happening to a rival school I wouldn't have felt sorry for them, so who is going to come to our defense?
8. Our rivals? Bama? Yeah, but I expect them use their clout to keep us down. They did it to UAB in their own state, they aren't going to play nice with us. State? Oh heck yes, especially a certain scruffy would-be gumshoe and his group of "elite" followers. But we knew they hated Ole Miss, we knew some of them would sell their kidneys to see Ole Miss fall, especially after we had a little success. Are we really going to act surprised that a few of their fans with too much time on their hands would dig until they hit pay dirt? Would I not laugh my head off if the roles were reversed?
9. Hugh Freeze? As many of you know, I knew Hugh (not well) and his family long before he was the HC. He always seemed like a good person, and his parents are just fantastic people, his dad was my kids' middle school principal. I appreciate the fun times Hugh brought to Ole Miss, going to that 2016 Sugar Bowl was one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done, and make no mistake, I don't get that moment without Hugh Freeze. Except for feeling bad for his family, I really don't care about his peccadillos. But he either broke NCCA rules or knew that someone else was, and he didn't stop it or even try to hide it very well, and it's going to cost us for years, and he's still a millionaire. Was that Sugar Bowl trip and all the fun we had getting there worth the platter of crap sandwiches we are currently enjoying? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on when you ask me.
Thoughts? Sorry for the long post, if you didn't get this far, no hard feelings. But I'm still an Ole Miss Rebel, dadgumit! We have stunk before and we stink now, we will stink again in the future, but sometimes we won't. I have decided that I will keep my tickets and go to the games, and enjoy the experience with my family that I could not afford to experience a few years ago. I will cheer for this team, no matter how bad they are, as long as they keep trying, because they are MY team, MY Rebels, at MY Ole Miss Hotty Toddy!
Last edited by BucRebel (11/01/2017 3:36 am)
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This whole NCAA/Freeze nightmare has been long and frustrating for all of us. Anyone who has not been angry at times (or the whole time) is not in touch with the reality of the situation. While we cannot change the past, I do believe several long term benefits will come from this.
First, our administration made the mistake of believing that the NCAA was on the level with them at the beginning of the investigation. Certain "If you cooperate" assurances were made to Ole Miss, and the NCAA--through its investigators--soon welshed on those assurances. I believe a lesson was learned, and that will not happen again.
Second, maybe more could have been to vet Freeze when he was hired, maybe not. Bjork has made it clear that all future candidates for new head coach, as well as any suggested assistants, will be thoroughly vetted.
Third, I think boosters are going to be more carefully watched and "cut loose" as soon as any overt violations of NCAA rules are uncovered. (I'm talking about under-the-table arrangements to pay recruits and players, not something like the Cannon Motors car loaner situation).
There is some smoke now that some of this is going to blow back on Mississippi State. I'll believe that when I see it confirmed by the media or some other source than message board talk. However, I do hope it's true.
Finally, I have two degrees from Ole Miss, and it is my University. I'm not going to run out on Ole Miss because things got tough for a while. In situations like this, the pendulum always swings back. It ALWAYS does. A lot of both Ole Miss and Mississippi State fans are forgetting that now. Don't be one of them.
Last edited by Semper (11/01/2017 9:44 am)
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The thing I'm most pissed about is the Administration as well as Hugh Freeze.
Administration
1. They should have told the NCAA to kiss their ass and prove it
2. They should have paid more attention. The University's compliance officer failed, big time, in monitoring what was going on.
3. Vitter is a disaster and needs to resign, or someone find a way to get his ass gone. He wouldn't listen to Bjork or anyone else. He's nothing but a part of the GOB Network and needs to be gone. Bjork has caught alot of flack, but when your boss is telling you to do something, you have to do it. I like Bjork, and especially like the fact that he's an outsider.
Freeze
1. He caused so much embarrassment by his actions and we will suffer for his actions for years to come.
2. Every single thing he accomplished is tarnished - including the Sugar Bowl memory.
3. His clearing the staff out was purely due to his inability to see the state of the program. He kept Luke on for all of this time, and then hired Longo. What an idiot...................
SEC Office
Yes, I blame the SEC office for allowing the NCAA to camp out on campus for half a decade and allowing other schools to go after Ole Miss. I hope that entire office burns down and I hope there's a way for every single team in this conference to lose and to suffer the same bullshit we've gone through. This would have NEVER happened under Slive (as much as I hated him).
But yeah........I've given up on this football team. Not sure I'll watch another game this season to be honest.
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The thing that I am most angry about is the NCAA. Our stuff is garbage compared with what is going on around the CFB world but we are the ones being maligned publicly and treated as a dirty program. The fact that there are teams covering up rape, paying players outright, and having athletes get credit for fake classes and getting off scott free is infuriating. I'm tired of Bama fans calling us cheaters while their players are running around in brand new cars. I'm tired of us getting 1 or 2 big time recruits and this being more suspicious than Bama getting the unanimous top class for 6 years in a row to have 5 stars sit on a bench for a couple of seasons. I'm tired of these pissant MSU fans that have taken more pleasure from our rivalry and downfall and treating us as actual "enemies" than simple opposing football teams. (Read their boards and you will see just how much hatred actually exists.... actual hatred.) I'm tired of us being the sacrifice of the SEC while every other team gets to do whatever the hell they want to and it just gets covered up or goes away.
Last edited by Sooper_Rebel (11/01/2017 12:15 pm)
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As usual, I agree with Semper except for one thing. Hopefully he is right, but we let history repeat itself while everyone was talking about it. The Billy Brewer/Gerald Turner fiasco should have taught anyone connected with Ole Miss you cannot play ball with the NCAA. Other than that I second Semper's findings. Something I wish though from everyone on the board, LET'S GET POSITIVE ABOUT the REBELS. We have so much negativity expressed on here that sometimes I go 2 or 3 days without even reading posts, much less posting something myself. These kids are playing hard! Some of them are not SEC caliber players and that goes back to Hugh's change after his big contract. He quit recruiting. (legally anyway) I watched a team quit on Houston Nutt; this one is not doing that and I am going to make a bold prediction. We will upset Kentucky this Saturday.
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Semper wrote:
... I think boosters are going to be more carefully watched and "cut loose" as soon as any overt violations of NCAA rules are uncovered. (I'm talking about under-the-table arrangements to pay recruits and players, not something like the Cannon Motors car loaner situation).
...
If this practice were used at some schools, then they would lose their whole fan base!!!
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Sooper_Rebel wrote:
The thing that I am most angry about is the NCAA. Our stuff is garbage compared with what is going on around the CFB world but we are the ones being maligned publicly and treated as a dirty program. The fact that there are teams covering up rape, paying players outright, and having athletes get credit for fake classes and getting off scott free is infuriating. I'm tired of Bama fans calling us cheaters while their players are running around in brand new cars. I'm tired of us getting 1 or 2 big time recruits and this being more suspicious than Bama getting the unanimous top class for 6 years in a row to have 5 stars sit on a bench for a couple of seasons. I'm tired of these pissant MSU fans that have taken more pleasure from our rivalry and downfall and treating us as actual "enemies" than simple opposing football teams. (Read their boards and you will see just how much hatred actually exists.... actual hatred.) I'm tired of us being the sacrifice of the SEC while every other team gets to do whatever the hell they want to and it just gets covered up or goes away.
Sooper.....when you (insert administration) refuse to fight back a bully (insert NCAA) will push you around at will....it's a simple concept. Other schools don't just take it they punch back... When we finally grow a pair then we'll cease being the NCAA punching bag. And let me say further....when the supporters/fans of OM who USED to be true rebels instead of wimps have finally had enough they will force the administration to change....until then it's business (insert wimpyness) as usual.
Remember the old movie where the guy screams...."I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!?" Well that is the kind of effort it's going to take.
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catfishboy wrote:
Semper wrote:
... I think boosters are going to be more carefully watched and "cut loose" as soon as any overt violations of NCAA rules are uncovered. (I'm talking about under-the-table arrangements to pay recruits and players, not something like the Cannon Motors car loaner situation).
...
If this practice were used at some schools, then they would lose their whole fan base!!!
I'm not making a good/bad judgement on it. Just saying that there will be more scrutiny of boosters.
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As for pointing the finger at the guilty party for the decline in Ole Miss football, I feel the administration is primarily responsible. Everything starts at the top and the Ole Miss Administration has proven that they are often inept when it comes to leadership and working to sustain winning programs. Often they are more concerned about being in power, showing their power, and letting everyone know they are in power. These leaders have a way of making bad decisions and putting their foot in their mouths.
Hugh Freeze is also very responsible for the rise and fall of Ole Miss football over the past few years. He became a dark horse coach and produced almost immediate positive results after having to deal with Houston Mutt's dumpster fire. The sad thing is that this success inflated Hugh's ego and he simply could not handle the fame. Freeze got the big head and after two seasons lost the fire in his belly to keep the team successful. Many people around Freeze noted the change in his personality after a couple of seasons. In the end Freeze proved to be a hypocrite and an ineffective manager. Most of the NCAA allegations happened on his watch, so he is to blame for the improprieties. The Administration is to blame for not taking the advice of a good lawyer and telling the NCAA to take their investigation where the sun does not shine.
To me there are better ways to spend every Saturday than to attend a ball game. Back in the day they were fun, but now The Grove is just too crowded and people seem to come for the party rather than the game. Ticket prices are ridiculously high and the amount that you are asked to pledge is ludicrous. Also, how do you know where your money is being spent? Now, going to a couple of games each season might be fun, but I just do not have a desire to go to every game and spend the high dollars it takes to go to every game.
Fans can only hope that Ole Miss will get better. The seasons where Ole Miss went to top bowls and won the Sugar Bowl were great. There is almost no doubt that teams like Alabama and Moo U work to keep rising and rival teams down. They do not want or like the competition. Being able to repeat the process of these successful years would be nice, but it is hard to compete when you do not have an administration that will fight or work to produce a winner.
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catfishboy wrote:
Many people around Freeze noted the change in his personality after a couple of seasons.
I noticed it. I've thought a lot about that. I've seen the type before. A ball of fire that burns hotter than normal and simply burns out faster because the energy required to maintain that level is unsustainable. Some of those types, once they've built 'it', lose interest and then seek out the next plateau to climb and they turn to 'something' else.
Or maybe it's like a sprinter that is fast out of the blocks who can only maintain max output for short distances as opposed to a distance runner who can run and run and run....Tortoise and hare syndrome.
That first 2 years was certainly a ball of fire rise.....that got more dim as time went on.