OLE MISS REBELS FOOTBALL

Well, that was more like it. Finally, an impressive game for Ole Miss today, beating Tennessee 42-17. Next up is LSU next week at home. A win in that game would vault the Rebs into 2d place in the SEC West and land them a nice bowl bid. Maybe the Cotton?

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The Ole Miss Rebels are coming off a tremendous 2008 season that has allowed Rebel fans to feel, for the first time in a while, like the idea of an SEC championship is no longer a pipe dream. And while it is probably not something that can be counted on, continued steps in the right direction this season could, in fact, make it quite possible.

2008 was a special season in which a lot of things went right for the Ole Miss rebels. First, the team picked the right head coach prior to the 2008 season, when it hired Houston Nutt, who has long been a good coach over the course of his career, and brought that success to Ole Miss. The team also got tremendous performances across the board from a number of players, ranging from Jevan Snead, a QB who really seemed to find his stride last season, to guys on the other side of the ball such as safety Kendrick Lewis, who seemed to be flying all over the field at all times. There is reason for continued optimism entering the 2009 season, as many of these key players are in fact returning.

On offense, Jevan Snead will be leading the rebels into battle. While Snead did experience some speed bumps over the course of his early times at Ole Miss, he really was worked hard to improve his game, and now is viewed by most a good, solid quarterback. He won’t lose a lot of games with mistakes, and occasionally, pulls out the big play. It doesn’t hurt that he has a deep cast of talent around him. The team’s most valuable player on offense has to be Dexter McCluster. McCluster was tied for the team lead in receptions with 44 in 2008, and he also was the team leader in rushing yards with 655. Shay Hodge is another weapon of note for Snead to go to. As far as the guys that are joining Snead in the backfield, running backs Cordera Eason and Brandon Bolden will return, and are counted upon to make a bigger impact this season to take some of the pressure off of Snead.

Defensively, Ole Miss is going to be stronger up front than they are in the defensive backfield. Now, admitte4dly, the single most important player on defense is indeed a member of the team’s secondary, that being, safety Kendrick Lewis. Lewis led the team in tackles with 85, and also pulled down 4 interceptions. However, aside from the talented Lewis, there are a lot of question marks in the defensive backfield, and this is a unit that may need to have an eye kept on. Things are, however, less unpredictable up front. The defensive line, featuring players such as Marcus Tillman, Kentrell Lockett, and Greg Hardy, should be in good shape. And the linebacking corps, featuring Jonathan Cornell, should also be a fairly solid unit.

When you look back at the Rebels 2008 season, one in which the team went 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC, you have to feel optimistic in that there still seems to be some real room for improvement. 5-3 in the SEC was a good season, yet still leaves a little bit of room for the team to get better. Can Ole Miss go 7-1 or 6-2 this season? Possibly. Clearly though, a few specific things need to happen. First, Snead needs to elevate his game further. Second, the defensive backfield needs to show up. Lewis cannot be left on an island. And lastly, the team needs to develop a cohesive running game in which an actual running back leads the team in rushing yardage.

Thanks to flickr.com/photos/lordsutch for the photos above. Some rights are reserved for these photos.

If you are looking for our 2008 Ole Miss Rebels Football page, check out 2008 Ole Miss Rebels Football.

Other Ole Miss Football Pages

2007 Ole Miss Football

Ole Miss Rebels Football History

Ed Orgeron Biography (former Ole Miss coach)

Houston Nutt Biography (current Ole Miss coach)

University of Mississippi Oxford Trip

SEC Football Predictions

Rebels Tickets

Ole Miss Rebels Apparel

Ole Miss Rebels Merchandise

Ole Miss Rebels Tailgate Party Shop

Ole Miss Rebels Fathead

Ole Miss Rebels Fan Store

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