BeeDee
05-17-2005, 12:03 PM
From http://www.collegefootballnews.com/sec/2005_Previews/Mississippi_Preview.htm
Memories are very short in Oxford. A solid program for years under head coach David Cutcliffe, Ole Miss was just this close to playing for the SEC title in 2003 finishing 10-3 with a Cotton Bowl win. One 4-7 season later and it's the start of the Ed Orgeron era.
A surprise hire, Coach O will make things very interesting in Oxford with his excitement and passion ready to wake everyone up. The former USC defensive line coach goes 100 miles per hour all the time with an infectious enthusiasm that should help turn the Rebels from a polite also-ran to a tremendous pain in the butt for the traditional SEC powers.
The experience is there for a big turnaround campaign led by a defense that could become a killer under Orgeron with a big, strong line, a decent secondary and a potentially great linebacking corps. The offense can't be much worse after only averaging 19.55 points per game and with the improvement of the quarterbacks, the attack won't be a liability anymore.
But can Ole Miss really become a yearly player in a division with Alabama, Auburn and LSU? Coach O is demanding nothing less, but it's going to take him a while to get the hang of being the boss. Expect his raw fire to make up for early mistakes with no excuses being if things go wrong. Look for the team to match the coach's personality and always play full tilt.
The Schedule: It's an interesting first month with revenge games against Memphis and Wyoming wrapped around the SEC opener at Vanderbilt. As far as road dates go in the SEC, you can't ask for anything more than playing the Commodores. The first three games are must wins with a trip to Tennessee to kick off October. If the Rebels can win at home over Alabama, they'll have a nice midseason three-game winning streak (sure to beat The Citadel and Kentucky) before the finishing kick starting off at Auburn.
Best Offensive Player: Senior OT Tre Stallings. While he's not the player former Rebel stars Chris Spencer, Doug Buckles and Marcus Johnson were, he's a big, strong lineman who could end up moving to guard if needed.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB Patrick Willis. About to be the breakout star of 2005, the 230-pound man in the middle has great range and tremendous instincts. He'll be a top tackler from the word go.
Key player to a successful season: Senior QB Micheal Spurlock. He has a slight edge for the starting quarterback (http://www.collegefootballnews.com/sec/2005_Previews/Mississippi_Preview.htm#) job over Ethan Flatt and Robert Lane after looking far more confident than he was last year. If there's a quarterback rotation again, the offense isn't going to be much better.
The season will be a success if ... Ole Miss wins eight games. There's only one sure loss on the slate (at Tennessee) and one other more-than-likely loss (at Auburn). LSU and Alabama have to travel to Oxford where Coach O is sure to have the home crowd more than a little jacked up for the showdowns. A winning season would be nice, but a seven-plus win campaign is a reasonable goal.
Key game: Oct. 15 vs. Alabama. The Rebels have to make Vaught-Hemingway an intimidating bear trap. A win over the Tide would do just the trick. A win could mean a 6-1, or at worst, a 5-2 start.
Memories are very short in Oxford. A solid program for years under head coach David Cutcliffe, Ole Miss was just this close to playing for the SEC title in 2003 finishing 10-3 with a Cotton Bowl win. One 4-7 season later and it's the start of the Ed Orgeron era.
A surprise hire, Coach O will make things very interesting in Oxford with his excitement and passion ready to wake everyone up. The former USC defensive line coach goes 100 miles per hour all the time with an infectious enthusiasm that should help turn the Rebels from a polite also-ran to a tremendous pain in the butt for the traditional SEC powers.
The experience is there for a big turnaround campaign led by a defense that could become a killer under Orgeron with a big, strong line, a decent secondary and a potentially great linebacking corps. The offense can't be much worse after only averaging 19.55 points per game and with the improvement of the quarterbacks, the attack won't be a liability anymore.
But can Ole Miss really become a yearly player in a division with Alabama, Auburn and LSU? Coach O is demanding nothing less, but it's going to take him a while to get the hang of being the boss. Expect his raw fire to make up for early mistakes with no excuses being if things go wrong. Look for the team to match the coach's personality and always play full tilt.
The Schedule: It's an interesting first month with revenge games against Memphis and Wyoming wrapped around the SEC opener at Vanderbilt. As far as road dates go in the SEC, you can't ask for anything more than playing the Commodores. The first three games are must wins with a trip to Tennessee to kick off October. If the Rebels can win at home over Alabama, they'll have a nice midseason three-game winning streak (sure to beat The Citadel and Kentucky) before the finishing kick starting off at Auburn.
Best Offensive Player: Senior OT Tre Stallings. While he's not the player former Rebel stars Chris Spencer, Doug Buckles and Marcus Johnson were, he's a big, strong lineman who could end up moving to guard if needed.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB Patrick Willis. About to be the breakout star of 2005, the 230-pound man in the middle has great range and tremendous instincts. He'll be a top tackler from the word go.
Key player to a successful season: Senior QB Micheal Spurlock. He has a slight edge for the starting quarterback (http://www.collegefootballnews.com/sec/2005_Previews/Mississippi_Preview.htm#) job over Ethan Flatt and Robert Lane after looking far more confident than he was last year. If there's a quarterback rotation again, the offense isn't going to be much better.
The season will be a success if ... Ole Miss wins eight games. There's only one sure loss on the slate (at Tennessee) and one other more-than-likely loss (at Auburn). LSU and Alabama have to travel to Oxford where Coach O is sure to have the home crowd more than a little jacked up for the showdowns. A winning season would be nice, but a seven-plus win campaign is a reasonable goal.
Key game: Oct. 15 vs. Alabama. The Rebels have to make Vaught-Hemingway an intimidating bear trap. A win over the Tide would do just the trick. A win could mean a 6-1, or at worst, a 5-2 start.