Where to begin? Let’s go back 5
years....
Ed O had the lead at TSWNSNBS in the
4th quarter. The Rebs were 0-7 in the SEC, but on the
verge of saving a coach’s job and getting ready for next year with
veteran recruits and a new QB in transfer Jevan Snead. Then O went
for it on 4th down up 13 on his half of the field. What
the *&$^? 14 points later he was fired. Houston Nutt was
brought in, fans were excited. The next year saw a 9-4 Rebels team
smash TSWNSNBS 45-0, defeat defending National Champ LSU, eventual
National Champ UF, and smoke 11-1 Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.
Life was good. Most starters returned. We were over the hump.
Not so much.
Poor use of personal had a loss to USCe
early and the season was a flop. A regular season finale loss to
TSWNSBS cost the Rebs a trip to the Capital One Bowl. Although there
were some nice wins, LSU, a 2nd straight Cotton Bowl, the
season still had a bad taste. That team should have won 10 games
easily. As we headed into that off season, questions abounded. No
more Dexter McCluster, no more Snead, no more stupid good D Line.
Then things really got bad...player attrition went crazy. A
desperate Nutt brought in the infamous Masoli. I feel, at that
point, the team lost all respect for Nutt.
An opening loss to FCS Jacksonville
State pretty much set the tone for the year, and in fact, the rest of
Nutt’s tenure at Ole Miss. A lone win against UK prevented a
win-less SEC slate. Although the Rebels were pretty competitive in
most games, 4-8 is still 4-8. Fans were not pleased.
A “re-dedication” in the summer had
us fooled that this year would be better. A great incoming freshman
class was exciting. None of us expected miracles mind you, but 6-7
wins was the goal. Here we are with 2 games left sitting at 2 wins.
And the 2 left on the slate? LSU and a Dan Mullen team that owns our
ass. We will be 2-10, 0-8. Nutt is fired, so that helps a little.
Pete Boone, the worst AD in the nation is also on the way out, again
that helps. But we are in so much more trouble than just needing a
new coach.
Three players, including our starting
QB and our #1 rusher and scorer are out for LSU and probably the rest
of the year for violating team rules. Nick Brasell, a stud freshman
playing both ways, was suspended last week for the La Tech beating
(yes I said La Tech beating) due to breaking rules. Senior Brandon
Bolden, a model player, was suspended earlier for skipping practice.
There is zero control and zero accountability on this team. We have
a lame duck coach finishing the season for some dumb reason, and it
absolutely shows.
During the latest ass kicking we took,
again at the hands of La Tech, it was discovered (rumored) that we
hold up signs for plays with our damn player’s initials!!
Honestly? That is beyond belief. More rumors abound now that some
of our touted freshman have basically quit going to school so even
more attrition is coming after the season.
Houston Nutt has effectively screwed
Ole Miss for years.
So what now? A great coach is not the
answer, at least not the only answer. The guy that comes in has a
lot more problems than schemes and upgrading the talent. He has to
fix a culture of losing, no accountability, no discipline, and basic
chaos. And he has to do it at a school that has fewer resources than
most other SEC schools and a fan base that has dreams (delusions) of
ATL in 2 years.
This is literally a cross roads for the
future of Ole Miss football. I bleed Red and Blue, I played
basketball there, I love Ole Miss more than I can express in an
article. But if we screw the pooch on this hire, I don’t know...I
am not sure how much more I can take. The scary part is, I am not
alone. Lot’s of 30-somethings feel the same way and if they lose
us, it will be a 10 year disaster.
So take note Archie and FedEx guy, you
better make the right hire. You can’t afford a mistake. This man
has to be our coach for 10+ years. He needs to run a program the
right way, he needs to be dynamic and exciting, he needs to be hungry
to win, he needs to be committed to Ole Miss and equally important,
the Admin needs to be committed to him. This is not a 2 year fix,
everyone must know that going in and give the man the time and
resources to stop this sinking ship.
I beg of you, get this right.