Ole Miss fans vote with their feet.

[Jay1]

"Well, uhhhhh, it's a win I guess.....

I'm not sure I've ever covered a victory that felt more like a loss than today's 38-31 Ole Miss victory over Northwestern State. The crowd was pretty much dead and Ed Orgeron was subdued after the Rebels gave up 31 second-half points to a below average Division 1-AA team.

Quarterbacks: I'm not sure if this is fixable this season.

Defense: Bottom line, it was pretty darn bad.

The crowd: I trust C-L columnist Rick Cleveland's opinion and he said the Ole Miss crowd might have been a low point over the past decade or so. This place was DEAD."
--Clarion Ledger

There were about 23,300 tickets sold and 20,000 or so brave souls who showed up to see the debacle. The stadium was less than half full. Since tickets were sold for $5.00 and Ole Miss paid Northwestern State $325,000 to play the game it was a losing situation for Ole Miss. We lost our money and our pride. In short, it was a very expensive day.

The question is: How many more games like this does it take to open Khayat's eyes to the true situation he is in. As the team continues to lose the hype coming from Khayat-Boone-Orgeron will be less effective at quieting the masses. This is not the end of the revolt, it's the beginning.

[oxfordreb]

"Well, uhhhhh, it's a win I guess.....

I'm not sure I've ever covered a victory that felt more like a loss than today's 38-31 Ole Miss victory over Northwestern State. The crowd was pretty much dead and Ed Orgeron was subdued after the Rebels gave up 31 second-half points to a below average Division 1-AA team.

Quarterbacks: I'm not sure if this is fixable this season.

Defense: Bottom line, it was pretty darn bad.

The crowd: I trust C-L columnist Rick Cleveland's opinion and he said the Ole Miss crowd might have been a low point over the past decade or so. This place was DEAD."
--Clarion Ledger

There were about 23,300 tickets sold and 20,000 or so brave souls who showed up to see the debacle. The stadium was less than half full. Since tickets were sold for $5.00 and Ole Miss paid Northwestern State $325,000 to play the game it was a losing situation for Ole Miss. We lost our money and our pride. In short, it was a very expensive day.

The question is: How many more games like this does it take to open Khayat's eyes to the true situation he is in. As the team continues to lose the hype coming from Khayat-Boone-Orgeron will be less effective at quieting the masses. This is not the end of the revolt, it's the beginning.


Jay, I honestly don't think that Khayat will be around much longer. He may stick it out till next fb season b/c pretty soon the pressure is going to be off of him with baseball and basketball seasons coming up. If we have a season even remotely close to this one next year, he'll be gone for sure. He isn't going to want to be the man in charge when the bank goes bust.

UM should make there money back with the next game in Oxford, it wouldn't matter if we hadn't won a game, the LSU game is going to always be a sellout, although the stadium will probably be close to 40/60 LSU/UM. I am already hearing that their crowd is gonna be enormous this year. I have hung up fb already, it's time to get primed for hopefully a good season of BB.

[olemsdave76]

When you compare what Khayat has done for the betterment of the university as a university to what he has allegedly had his hand in doing to the FB program, then there is no reason he should move on. Much to the disbelief of many, the school gets a heck of a lot more money for academics than it does for athletics.
That said, I think he will step down as well in a year or two as well, not because of FB, but because it will be time.
Just so we are clear, I am as P'oed about the whole mess as everyone else, but I find it insane to suggest that the most successful Chancellor the university has had should step down because of a sport.

[Rebel Chuck]

When you compare what Khayat has done for the betterment of the university as a university to what he has allegedly had his hand in doing to the FB program, then there is no reason he should move on. Much to the disbelief of many, the school gets a heck of a lot more money for academics than it does for athletics.
That said, I think he will step down as well in a year or two as well, not because of FB, but because it will be time.
Just so we are clear, I am as P'oed about the whole mess as everyone else, but I find it insane to suggest that the most successful Chancellor the university has had should step down because of a sport.
I agree completly. He has done some huge things for our university

[Jay1]

Boone and Orgeron aren't two of them.

[SaveCol.Reb]

He's done some great things but football can get anyone fired in the SEC no matter what.

[FloridaReb7]

I have to agree, the game was simply dead. Sitting in the student section, you would never expect a dull moment, but there were students sitting and facing backwards in the stands more intersted in conversation than football! It was pathetic. Growing up as a gator, and switching colors last year as I enrolled, I've never seen anything like it. I went home feeling like I lost a game, when in fact we actually pulled one out. Coach O reminds me of Ron Zook for the gators a few years back in the ways that he's a great recruiter and a great discipliarian, yet he can't close out games to save his life. Every game we have to sit and bite our nails until the end. (I.E. Alabama and Florida for starters) Why? The talent is there...I think the pointer has to go to Coach O. He needs to go.

[SaveCol.Reb]

Whats up FloridaReb? Im a Sunshine State Rebel too. Anyway, despite what Khayat may say I think something is gonna happen regardless of if he likes it or not. As If the Northwestern State Game wasn't bad enough can you imagine the embarrassment and the economic strain that a whole season with attendance like last weekend would bring to Oxford.

Rebel Fans will not have it. End of story. And next time we get a coach we might wanna throw out some bucks instead of picking up a coach from Discount Bargain Coaching Depot. You get what you pay for and that is painfully evident in programs like Alabama, Florida, Auburn, etc.

[Jay1]

My vote for most successful chancellor would have to go to John Davis Williams, 1946-1968, 22 years. He oversaw the building of the Medical Center and the School of Nursing, reorganized the administrative structure of Ole Miss, and, of course, there is Ole Miss football, the glory days. It was second to none. Much of what Ole Miss is goes back to Dr. William's period at Ole Miss.

[FloridaReb7]

SaveCol.Reb, what part you from? You a student?
Anyways, I can only hope what you commented is true. Something...I'm not really sure what, but something has to be done. I'd like to see Khayat, Boone, and Coach O hit the door. Coach O is a good recruiter and disciplinarian, but winning games is what matters. I've never cared for the other two. Khayat has done some great things, but there's alot I wouldn't have liked to see around this campus.

[SaveCol.Reb]

I'm from the Pensacola area and I'm a junior. And yeh, Khayat and Boone are little to liberal for my personal liking.

[Jay1]

Rebel Fans will not have it. End of story. And next time we get a coach we might wanna throw out some bucks instead of picking up a coach from Discount Bargain Coaching Depot. You get what you pay for and that is painfully evident in programs like Alabama, Florida, Auburn, etc.

To be competitive these days requires the spending of big bucks. It takes about 1 3/4- 2 million dollars to get an experienced (winning) coach to listen. Plus we would have to add at least 50% more cash to the recruiting budget to get the better recruits from around the country. This is a lot of cash for a small SEC school, but, it's that or become Vanderbilt.

I know that academics at a school is more important than football, or any sport for that matter, but, it has been shown that winning puts more people in the stands (more ticket sales) more (drinks and dogs / burgers sold), larger donations from the wealthy alumni. I believe we could fund the larger budget if the effort is successful in the win / lose column.

I think the Greens and the Administration have to sit down and decide if they are serious about returning to winning ways or if something less is what they can or will fund.

My belief is this: Spend up to 2 million for an experienced head coach who has built a program from scratch to something good. Next: Kick in about 50% more for a nationwide recruiting network. Do what it takes to win and then check the books. If we lose too much money (I don't think we would) then drop back the spending and do what we can, but at least give it a real shot. Right now we are spending at a loser poor level and it shows.

Every weekend half the teams playing lose, and believe me they don't want to. But, they are unwilling to do enough, spend enough, work hard enough, in order to win. Bear Bryant at Alabama and Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss were always willing to do what was necessary, no matter how much work or how much time was required and the administrations would spend enough to back those efforts. Nothing less will win today. Someone has to lose at every single game. I want it to be them !!

[Jay1]

It is harder than ever to win these days. Everyone is willing to spend more and do more in order to win. Vanderbilt, Kentucky are stepping up the effort and doing more and spending more. Miss State may be waking up. At one time you could play Northwestern State or La Tech and they would oblige by losing 50-7, but they are not willing to do that now. THEY want to win too.

Are we willing to work harder than them? Are we willing to spend more than Vanderbilt-Kentucky-Miss State? Now that is the question? And in the end that will determine who wins and doesn't.

Winning at Ole Miss will require that:
We work harder.
Work smarter.
Have better coaching.
Better players.
Spend a lot more money to get all of the above.

Do we have the stomach for this? It means we do a lot more, not just a little more. Winning ain't cheap any more. Bama is spending money by the bushel and so far it's not doing what they want. Remember the smarter part, it counts too. You have to throw the money at the right places and at the right time. Maybe we could get Archie and Kent Austin, maybe Billy Brewer to come have a look at the old car and tell us what it would take to get it running again. I think an outside athletic committee will be needed to sort this mess out and come up with a solution to the unacceptable position we are in, or, we admit our day in the sun is over and we move on allowing Vaught and the Glory years of Ole Miss Football to fade away and become history.

[SaveCol.Reb]

I sincerely hope that Khayat makes football a priority. I love the SEC and I love Ole Miss. We have too much history to let it fall by the way side because our administration is delusional and refuses to evolve with the ever changing face of College Football.

Jay1-everything you said was spot on. Ole Miss is at a crossroads and we will have to act soon or we will see years of mediocrity.

[SAJones1]

It is time to clean house from the top of the athletic department on down in Oxford. Today's game management by Coach O was a disgrace. He showed once again that he is in way over his head. It is not his fault that he lacks the skills and judgement to be a head coach, but it is Pete Boone's fault that he was hired in the first place. Ole Miss needs to fire Boone and Orgeron on Monday and begin a national search for a new AD. The eventual winner of the job should be predicated up on whom that candidate can bring in as the new head football coach.

Ole Miss is not in danger of becoming Vanderbilt (ie the worst in the SEC). It is official, at 0-8, the Rebels ARE the worst in the conference.

If you were a recruit, would you want to come to Ole Miss to play for a coach whose situation is so shaky? And if so why?