When Abraham Lincoln was president, he had a rule. Whenever he was upset with someone, he’d write a letter to them and store it in his desk. After three days, if he still wanted to send the letter, he would, but almost never did. With this blog I unintentionally followed the same process as Lincoln. I sat down to write on Monday night and let my anger fly. I swore off the team, called them dead in the water, and threw nearly everyone under the bus. While therapeutic, I realized this was an emotion-driven rant, and ended up deleting it. When the expectations are at an all-time high, so are the reactions. It becomes easy to allow panic to set in. The more appropriate response however, is to put our emotions in the desk drawer for a couple days allowing time for rational and productive thought. If Lincoln were here today, I like to think he would remind us of this teams potential, and the goals that remain in front of them. He'd remind us that one outcome doesn't define us, and that the only focus right now is to get out of The Palmetto state alive.
It's hard to know the true injury report, but it sounds like Gamecock starting quarterback, Lenoris Sellers, is going to give it a go. No matter which quarterback plays we know this team is going to want to run the ball. This should bode well as our run defense has been a strength of this team. South Carolina comes into this game with an elite pass rush, while the Rebel offensive line, injured or not, have questions to answer. Can they give Dart a clean pocket? Can they create lanes to get the run game in sync? If they're able to do that, do we finally get a glimpse of Ulysses Bentley IV? We know and love Trae Harris, but can we get some more playmakers involved in the receiving game? These are the questions I think we're all most excited to see answers to. Most importantly though, I want to see some fight out of this team. Georgia got embarrassed by Alabama in the first half of last weeks game and were a generational play away from winning the game. It's a metric you can't quantify, but it was visible how bad they wanted it. Those are the type of intangibles needed in the Ole Miss locker room right now. Are they there? We'll find out soon. We'll find out a lot in the next 24 hours that will determine what we can expect the rest of the season from this team. As for this game, I won’t bet it, but I think the Rebels find a way to get off the mat and survive Columbia.
Ole Miss 37
South Carolina 20
PICK 5 (10-9-1) 53%
1.) Missouri @ Texas A&M -2.5
Aggies control the game and pull away late. Mizzou hasn’t been what we thought they were, and A&M is surging in the right direction. Give me the Aggies at home.
2.) Tennessee -13.5 @ Arkansas
Yes, the Vols will have to go on the road, but I’m bought in on Tennessee, especially defensively. I think they force a couple of turnovers and take care of the Hogs. Vols by 20.
3.) ECU -8 @ Charlotte
Gimmie the Pirates. ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
4.) Michigan +1.5 @ Washington
Lane always says you pack your running game and defense on the road. Convenient for Michigan, because that’s all they’ve got. I think they sneak out with the win, but I’ll take the point and a half.
5.) Rutgers +6.5 @ Nebraska
Wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Scarlet Knights win this game outright, but I’ll gladly take 6.5 points. This will be a fun game to watch, and one I think comes down to the wire.
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