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Best individual performance of the day (so far) belongs to Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster, who rushed for 324 yards in a 42-17 win over Tennessee.
(With apologies to our beloved United Auto Workers)
Highlight of his day was this amazing scamper, which featured a sweet sideline-to-sideline cutback that punctuated a 71-yard run.
Video after the jump, courtesy Matt Hinton at Yahoo Sports’ Dr. Saturday. Read more…
For those of you with no qualms about waving the stars and bars on your front porch or applying it to the bumper of your car, today is a sad day; the Ole Miss Rebels’ famous “From Dixie With Love” fight song has been banned after fans refused to disassociate it with the - ahem - controversial “The South Will Rise Again” chant.
(You see, guys? This is an angry, bloody skeleton taking up your cause. Some people might balk at sentiments like these. We can’t help it.)
The final blow came after Mississippi chancellor Dan Jones asked fans not to chant it during the fight song; as noted above, that didn’t sit well with fans, whose inner persecution radars went berserk and told them to just chant louder. Moreover, as Jones notes, some outside fans still associate the chant with the worst elements of the South’s past - and want it to stay that way.
By now, you’re no doubt well aware that Ole Miss brought their #4 ranking into Columbia, South Carolina, and promptly crapped the bed in front of a nationwide audience. 16-10 against a team that had never beaten a top 5 team at home - ever - and thanks for playing kids, back to the line for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
(”Glad we got this out of the way, right guys? Hello?”)
Prime suspect #1 for the felony charge of “aggravated playing like ass, resulting in conference loss”? That would be Jevan Snead, quarterback wunderkind who lit the SEC on fire last year and was generally considered the best quarterback in the SEC not named Tebow. His numbers from the night? 7-21, 107 yards, 1 TD, about 10 passes that should have been intercepted (none actually were). So let’s all join Snead in a great big “WHEW.” Wait, what?
Because no battle is ever won, he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools. - William Faulker, “The Sound and the Fury”
That was written by Mississippi’s “greatest author,” who I also thought was kind of overrated. Which, it turns out, could easily apply on multiple levels to the Ole Miss football team. On a national stage and with a No. 4 ranking, the Rebels completely imploded, falling 16-10 at South Carolina last night. It may or may not be true that no battle is ever won, but for Ole Miss, this one was certainly lost.
Mainly it was lost for two reasons: QB Jevan Snead had a miserable game, going 7 for 21 for 107 yards while being pressured by the Gamecocks’ defense all night. And Houston Nutt’s game plan reminded you of why he was barely a .500 coach with a backfield of Felix Jones and Darren McFadden at Arkansas. Nutt seemed unable to accept that the passing game just wasn’t working, and waited until the fourth quarter to turn to running back Dexter McLuster. He ran for 68 yards in the final quarter, but by then it was too little, too late. Read more…
Not much to say on this one, from our friends at the Univ. of Memphis marketing department and FOTP:
(Why do I think this just gave UK hoops fans an idea for U of L game?)
Except that it gives whole new meaning to Frosted Flakes.
• The career route of Troy O’Leary’s ex-wife Annette: From elementary school assistant principal to escort-for-hire?
• Maurice Clarett decides he needs to spend more time in prison.
• A Rays fan takes a 40-foot drop at the Trop from an escalator.
• Hey, you Ole Miss Rebels - Mississippi State’s got two words for ya.
• The Titans will wear a special helmet decal in honor of the late Steve McNair. But some Tennessee fans aren’t so touched by the tribute.
On Tuesday, we brought you the story of Tennessee’s shirtless “Wild Boyz,” which sounds like the name of an “alternative” adult movie - and which looks like one, too. But despite the overwhelming shirtlessness of it all, it was still a bit, well, passive. It’s not an orgy if everyone’s just standing around; you need some action.
(But what if I don’t want to suck it?)
Fortunately, as you can see above, Mississippi State is upping the ante in the SEC. Sure, most people would balk at encouraging your rival to perform oral sex on you, especially since said rival has won 7 of the last 9 games and just got done ending your season with a 45-0 ass-kicking, but you know what? Mississippi State’s just going for it, man.
I think we know by this point that nothing good ever happens in a college town at 2:30 a.m. The best that you’re going to find is some engineering student desperately cramming for a test the next morning, and more likely than not there’s nothing but high jinx, tomfoolery, insipidity and God knows what else going on.
So when a trouble magnet like former Florida football player Jamar Hornsby - kicked off the Gators after stealing a dead student’s credit card - is out at 2:30 a.m., all bets are definitely off. The STARKSVILLE DAILY NEWS reports that Hornsby’s blown the second chance offered to him by Ole Miss, as Houston Nutt booted him on Friday following his indictment on charges stemming from a March 1 fight at a McDonald’s parking lot.
• The Chicago Bears are concerned about Jay Cutler’s late-night carousing.
(”Aw, man - I need a drink!”)
• You would think home plate umpires deal with enough abuse without having to take a broken bat to the face.
• A couple of Texas Tech football players find relief along the stadium wall.
• Time to get Mist-y eyed, Seattle - here comes your lingerie football team!
• One-time one-legged sports sensation Carl Joseph finally gets some recognition, as he’s elected to the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Here’s a hint to any college football hopefuls. If you’ve been dogged by questions about your academics, specifically your ability to read, it’s probably not the best idea to tell a police officer that you “can’t read.” It doesn’t reflect well on the program.
Reinforcing the worst stereotypes about Ole Miss was DT Jerrell Powe, who was ticketed by police for noise violations during a party at his apartment. When told to read the citation and sign it, Powe reportedly told the cop he couldn’t read. He says he was joking, but Houston Nutt is not amused.
