November 06, 2003
Auburn - Ole Miss Preview
Pretty good breakdown of the game from an Ole Miss perspective from Chris. I don't think that this game is about Mississippi's ability to stop Auburn. It shouldn't matter what the Tigers do on offense. I think it's just the opposite.
This game hinges on Auburn's ability to be physical on defense and give their offense a chance to outscore the Rebels. All the heat is on the Tigers to shut down Eli & the gang.
Looks like a great game coming up. I gotta think the Rebels win this one and are headed towards a huge game against LSU.
Trackback
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.fanblogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/710
You can use this specified URL in a weblogging program that supports pinging, such as Movable Type. If your blog software does not support Trackback, click here to send a manual ping.
Comments & Trackbacks
schmed says:
posted on November 6, 2003 06:03 PM — linkAfter watching the Sweet Caroline Cornish Game Hens storm back to within heart-attack distance of Ole Miss last week, I'd say the pressure is on Ole Miss to either keep scoring or shut down Auburn's offense.
You can bet everybody in Baton Rouge will be breaking down the film of this puppy.
And I like Chris' cynical perspective on the ADs voting the tiebreaker to add another BCS team - I'd say he's dead on (and they should, 'cuz this is about those LARGE dollars after all).
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 6, 2003 06:34 PM — linkIMHO, the ability of the Rebels to stop Auburn on the ground is a given (as long as they can keep the passing game contained); the questions are whether the Rebels can stop the air attack from Auburn and whether Auburn can stop Ole Miss' offense.
Kevin says:
posted on November 6, 2003 07:18 PM — linkChris is one of those guys that seems to have his finger on the correct pulse most of the time.
TigerEducated says:
posted on November 6, 2003 10:06 PM — linkKevin, methinks that at times, Mr. Lawrence has his fingers holding his Royal Blue and Rebel Gray Oakley's a tad too tightly onto his face.
I agree that Auburn was totally unable to adjust to LSU's speed at wideout. Look at the two teams that beat them and what they featured on offense: Two efficient-if not spectacular-quarterbacks who had outstanding pass-catching talent on the outsides.
What I disagree with is Ole Miss' assertion that they will just stop Auburn's rushing offense. With all due respect to Ole Miss, they haven't faced the meat of their schedule yet. Auburn and LSU are the only true problems on their schedule this year, and they are probably the two top teams in the SEC West.
Chris can whine all he wants to about that Florida win on the road, but it looks more and more like they beat a team that could be compared to a drug addict right before family and friends put them on Dr. Phil for a structured family intervention.
Florida was rank until Carthon got the team together, and Leak turned the corner in that game. It was a season defining 4th quarter for the lad, and he's been remarkably better from there on out.
Everyone knows it. Ole Missy don't wanna admit it. But, that's okay. The study hall will be this weekend for the University of Mississippi football team (I'd refer to them again as the Rebels, but I'm thinking they're going to a mid-mascot crisis at this piont, aren't they?), and then they need to make sure they get their three squares and say their prayers.
The Saturday after next is when the nightmare begins for Eli and the rest of the faithful. The jig will be up, the show will be over, and the cell grid will be jammed by Tiger fans calling their travel agents for reservations for Buckhead hotels and early flights to the ATL for the SEC Championship Game.
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 6, 2003 10:35 PM — linkDid I not say in the other thread that my confidence in the Rebels has at least a wee bit of "homerism" in it? And I'm pretty sure I've never said that the hardest part of the Rebels' schedule is behind them.
And, generally speaking, you "whine" about something that was, from your persepective, unfair. I'm not "whining" about the Florida game; Ole Miss beat them, and LSU didn't. Does that necessarily mean that I think LSU inherently can't beat Florida? No. Does that mean I think it has any bearing on the LSU visit to Vaught-Hemingway? No. Did you miss the part of the post where I said that I thought LSU had better coaching, balance, and skill at the QB position than Auburn?
Nonetheless, the Rebels have stopped every team that's tried to rely on the run. Campbell is a mediocre passer; Auburn relies on short passes and the success of its running game (which improves the play-action). They have to make the run work for their offense to be effective. Maybe they will. But Auburn isn't a team that can pass its way out of a hole.
More to the point, why does this have to be a personal thing with you?
TigerEducated says:
posted on November 6, 2003 11:42 PM — linkIt's not necessarily personal with you, nor with me...It's just that if there's one team I absolutely detest on our schedule, it's Ole Miss.
It's hard to believe you'd even feign surprise about me taking the Ole Miss fan to task at every turn, as well as trumpeting my glee at the Bengal Tigers from Baton Rouge and their success thusfar this year.
Isn't it ingrained in any real fan of either school that you might dislike Auburn, and you might get jacked up at beating Florida 2 year's running, but the real big one when either team is having success is LSU?
Please don't tell me you're looking at your big rivalry game as the Egg Bowl. Because that's exactly what MSU will lay, I promise you.
This shapes up to be another matchup in the mold of the titanic tilts that took place in the late 50's and early 60's, where LSU and Ole Miss battled not only for conference, but national supremacy.
Sorry if I grate on you, but I can't help but smile at knowing I've accomplished my goal...
One last parting shot, and a preceeding apology beforehand....but, from the bottom of this Tiger Fan's heart...
Geaux to Hell Ole Miss!
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 7, 2003 04:05 AM — linkPersonally, I don't get the obsession many of my fellow Rebel fans have with LSU. But maybe that's just me. ;-)
Sean says:
posted on November 7, 2003 09:26 AM — linkOle Miss has wallowed in mediocrity since 1969, causing the game to lose its former conference and national implications. That's why a lot of the older fans consider LSU to be a bigger rival than some other fans do, they remember how big the game used to be.
TigerEducated says:
posted on November 7, 2003 05:47 PM — linkYou seem, some people call me a throwback. Usually because I remember all the old time injustices that opponents did to LSU.
Like the cigars at Auburn. Like Tulane stealing Mike the Tiger. Like Ole Miss just being Ole Miss.
I remember those titanic tilts from the 50's and 60's, and yes, I know I'm only 24. I think in a previous life I must have taken Shirley MacLaine to a few of those big contests, and it brewed a hatred and rivalry for Ole Miss.
Deborah Clay says:
posted on November 8, 2003 09:04 PM — linkThere comes a point where even the ignorant must come forward. I have never been so proud of a team as I was today. Coming into a game that decided whether or not you appear in a championship game, being the best team on the field, and yet losing the game because of poor officiating has become a norm for out team. What does it take to ensure the officials do their jobs and earn their paycheck (as the majority of us do) put as much into the game as each young player for both teams do? I have been a football fan for 34 years and I am fed up. Young men get out on the field every fall for ten plus games, brutalizing their bodies, and yes, even risking their lives to entertain our nation. Worse, every weekend during this time many of them are brutalized, not by the fans or coaching staff, but by the men officiating the games. The time has come for us as parents of these young men to step forward and demand that the adults being paid to officiate be held responsible for their actions. I realize that everyone makes mistakes, but the NCAA needs to buckle down, admit that there is a MAJOR PROBLEM, and most importantly, do something about the PROBLEM. Not only is it not fair to these young men to watch them put their hearts and souls into something and beat them down when they do not deserve it, but it is not fair to make them believe that they have put forth the winning effort when they did not. This is not to say that they should not be recognized for the effort they have put forth, but to make people admit that many young people are MADE to feel they are losers when they are truly the winners. As an Auburn University Fan I can take it no more. The announcers on many of the television stations are so unbelievably incompetent that if had not been told otherwise, I would swear they had never been involved in any sporting event. This is not the first time that I have witnessed such poor officiating or felt the need to protest it, but the first time I've bothered to try and do something about it. Just to prove my point, I want to invite anyone who cares or thinks I may be wrong to review the Auburn vs. Ol Miss game today. Eli Manning threw a minimum of 4 (I believe 5) incomplete passes today that warranted intentional grounding calls, yet the appropriate call was not made and the television announcers (along with the paid officials) refused to acknowledged the obvious infractions. To top the injustice off, the most important non-penalty non-call of the day happened on the final play of the game. Pass interference rules must have changed sometime during my years as a college football fan and I somehow am unaware of these changes. I thought that when a quarterback threw the ball, the player defending the potential receiver, had to turn is head and look towards the ball before he could attempt to obtain the ball or keep the potential receiver from catching said pass. Is it not true that when the defender sees the ball coming by turning his head around and seeking eye to pigskin contact, they are commended for a good defense move? On the flip side when the defender virtually locks headgear with the potential receiver (i.e. staring the potential receiver in the eyes), knocks the potential receiver down and keeps the potential receiver from catching the ball, all while never even seeing the ball, he has committed an infraction (i.e. pass interference). Once again, I ask that someone please review the Auburn vs. Ol Miss game today (11-08-03), take a look at the final play of the game to ensure me that I am wrong and the officials are right. How many interceptions, intentional groundings, and pass interference infractions does it take before the yellow flag goes down? Is there a handicap issued to inferior teams in college football, as in bowling, that I am unaware of? Please would someone attempt to educate me on these matters...Oh and by the way, will you also educate Archie Manning at the same time. Biased or not, every reasonable person watching this game knew that it started on a wrong note with the first Eli Manning ignored intentional grounding and ended on the ignored pass interference, one that literally broke your ear drums. Believe me, as a parent, I ‘m sure the expression on my face would have been the same. I want to be proud of my children for the things they accomplish not the “accomplishments” that are GIVEN to them. The look of amazement on his face at the end of this game says it all...”I can't believe we won the whole thing, we shouldn’t have won it.” Can our children and young adults truly be proud of themselves by being told they are winners while the true winners stand on the sidelines? I am amazed that we bother to ask ourselves what is wrong with today’s youth.... we contradict ourselves by telling them to put forth all they have and after slapping them down remind them that there is always going to be someone to take up their slack, so hang your helmet up, have as many kids as you can (not necessarily that you want), pick up your food stamps, and “Oh yeah, be PROUD of yourselves.
D. Clay
Pete Holiday says:
posted on November 8, 2003 10:31 PM — linkSorry, I don't buy it.
The officials didn't, as far as I could tell, cost Auburn anything. Blaming the officiating for this (or any of Auburn's other losses, for that matter) is a cop-out.
There was no call on Auburn's final play of the game, and there shouldn't have been. It was a legit play on the ball.
I watched the game, and none of Eli's passes struck me as intentional grounding. He was almost out of bounds on all that I can remember, and threw the ball half-way to Atlanta.
The fact of the matter is that Yost, not the officials, botched a 32-yard field goal and Obomanu, again not the officials, dropped an easy game-winning touchdown.
There are going to be missed or bad calls in every game, and there are going to be missed or bad calls that help both teams. The fact is, though, that short of absolutely horriffic officiating, the refs can only cost you a game if you put yourself in a position to do so.
The people who cost Auburn this football game were wearing blue and orange -- not black and white.
TigerEducated says:
posted on November 9, 2003 12:13 AM — linkWell, well, well...It seems like you drank some of that Kellen Winslow Kool-Aid...
That was one rather bemusing stream of conciousness, sir. Too bad it made no real sense.
Your team had two cracks at the endzone. What were the results?
Your two receivers had passes from your incompetent quarterback hit them in the hands. Neither receiver hauled the passes in.
In crunchtime, your team looked as if it needed some more Gatorade, because it choked...
To all those Ole Miss fans, take the time to read this closely, and carefully.
LSU will not be as easy on you as Auburn was. Auburn scored 20 points on you, and honestly was able to score 28 if their inept receivers could have caught the ball. LSU allowed them to score 7 total. You better bring more than that at Vaught-Hemingway, or you're going to be annihilated. That's right, I said annihilated. Save this post, and remember what I said. Book it..
Having said that, congrats on the win, and let's hope that we take care of 'bidness on next Saturday versus Bama.
Pete Holiday says:
posted on November 9, 2003 01:24 AM — link"let's hope that we take care of 'bidness on next Saturday versus Bama."
C'mon, TE -- you're falling out of character! The 'Bama game's already a lock, isn't it? Maybe we shouldn't even play it, save some of our depth for a shot at Auburn. ;)
PS: There's an OSU fan talking trash about LSU over on the Week 3 BCS thread -- I think he'd like to meet you.
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 9, 2003 01:26 AM — linkWhat Pete said. I thought the game was well-officiated on both sides of the ball. I might argue they were a little loose on the holding no-calls, but it's the SEC, so they're not going to call holding unless you tackle someone to the ground or are impeding someone on a direct beeline to the QB. The grounding rule is exactly as Pete described; every time Eli threw the ball away, he was practically on the sideline (well outside the 5-yard "tackle box") and threw it well past the line of scrimmage (I think a few of them landed in Opelika).
As for the 4th and 2 call, Eric Oliver made a play on the ball. One arm was in between the receivers' arms, and the other was nowhere near his body. That's not pass interference by any stretch of the imagination.
Overall: the players left everything on the field; you can't expect more from either team. Lots of credit to #2 Obomanu: he played his guts out and got Auburn into a position where they could win the game. He shouldn't be the goat, that's for sure. And credit to Jason Campbell, who played much better than I expected he would under pressure.
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 9, 2003 01:32 AM — linkTE, I think you're right to be at least a wee bit worried about Alabama. I probably would have counted them out before today, and I'm not sure how meaningful their demolition of State is, but I'm not sure I'd want to face them next week.
As for LSU-Ole Miss, it's now for all the marbles. It may be the biggest game ever in Oxford. I'm stoked! You're right; the Rebs, particularly on D, are going to have to step it up on 11/22. So take care of business next Saturday so we can have those Gameday clowns down in Oxford to see some real Southern hospitality ;-)
Justin Brady says:
posted on November 9, 2003 08:38 PM — linkThere were 4 plays that would have made a difference in the game:
1.) The drop pass in the End zone by Chris Collins (Ole Miss).
2.) The tipped pass that resulted in an Auburn Touchdown (could have been an interception).
3.) The Missed Field Goal by Auburn.
4.) The dropped pass in the end zone by Auburn.
I know people say Ole Miss won because Auburn screwed up but come on, Ole Miss made a couple of mistakes too, which could have EASILY cost them the game. If auburn would have caught that pass it would have been the dropped pass by Chris Collins that cost them the game. It goes both ways.
I just also want to say that that was one of the best games I've seen in a while. I'm glad my team came out on top though.
And Chris, you wonder why we Ole Miss fans hate LSU, it's because of people like TigerEducated. Nuff Said.
Chris Lawrence says:
posted on November 9, 2003 10:22 PM — linkGood point, Justin; both teams certainly had missed opportunities--though I'd say Manning's pass to Collins was about a step too long; his long passes Saturday were a little more inconsistent than usual.
And the way I see it, the dropped pass was just karmic retribution for the lucky catch on the tip; if Hutchins hadn't gotten a finger on the ball, it would have dropped incomplete--of course Hutchins didn't know that for sure in the split second it took him to react to the ball.
TigerEducated says:
posted on November 10, 2003 11:32 AM — linkPerhaps Mr. Brady would prefer I come here and kneel at his throne and announce to the world that LSU is but a lit matchstick in comparison to the mighty forest fire that is the University of Mississippi?
I'm wondering if we shouldn't check to see if Mr. Brady really isn't a Mrs. Brady...
If you can't figure out that these teams have a long, illustrious, and tradition laden rivalry in which is to be found the very essence of college football and the passion that fans derive from it, I can't help it.
But, again, if I have elicited the feeling inside of you such as, "I can't stand LSU." or perhaps, "I can't stand that LSU fan on www.fanblogs.com named TigerEducated." then I humbly submit that my role in this rivalry has been fulfilled.
Go do some research. Find out about your team's past with LSU. It will help you figure out more about your team's present, and perhaps help you figure out why I treat Ole Miss fans the way I do.
Before I leave you with a familiar refrain, though, I'll show everyone what's REALLY the focus this week!
Roll Tide Roll!
Roll Tide Roll!
Down My Back!
Through My Crack!
(Pay)Roll Tide Role!Justin, as for you and your ilk...
Geaux To Hell Ole Miss!
diane says:
posted on November 18, 2003 01:22 PM — linkvisit http://www.tommytubervillesucks.com/ and see how the
fans really feel about their coach!!
