that if they took the game more seriously, they would win.
Romaro Miller
Columnist
I was like everybody else after the game: Upset and disappointed.
It was a major example of having holes in the roster and the huge need to continue to recruit. That's not all it was by any means, but I think that part hit home a little harder after that one than it has in most games.
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</tbody>Before the game I told my friends if we go to Starkville thinking we could win just show up we would be in for trouble. It's a different place over there. You can't explain it until you play in it once. They hate us. You have to show up every time and every play. They deserved it. We didn't do what it takes to win down there. We didn't play our game.
There was the hope at halftime that the block maybe woke the team up, but we didn't wake up. Bo Wallace had a tough game, and I know how he feels right now. It's so hard to struggle as a quarterback down there. I threw the pick that lost the game in 1999. You just have to hang in there and be ready next time.
I think we had Mississippi State on the ropes before this one, and we definitely let them off the ropes. It's become such a series about holding serve and with the way we're accumulating talent over them I think winning that game it would have been over, but now we gave them another life and we're going to have to deal with that. It's why the coaches get paid well, to go out and recruit and show that we are Ole Miss and are going to win ballgames.
As for how to handle the rivalry, it's hard because if you poll Ole Miss fans, close to half will say LSU is the rival, and the others will say MSU. At State it's all Ole Miss. It makes for a different game, and it's one we have to handle. We have to be the superior team from a talent standpoint and just go play our game and take care of it.
Coming into the season I said seven wins would be good, but on the backend looking at it once we beat Texas, I think we were in for bigger things. We just have to continue to recruit, nothing against the guys we have now at some spots, they've given great effort, but we have to play better.
With the bowl game, you want to go out a winner. Hopefully they do whatever it takes and end it on a winning note. It's not a huge deal with the overall scope of the program, but if you're out there, winning doesn't hurt.
Allen Walker
Analyst
I don't know if it's the cowbells or what, but it's become obvious that the Mississippi State program makes the Egg Bowl out to be bigger than Ole Miss does.
I think their fans actually hate Ole Miss fans. Ole Miss just don't care for Mississippi State. It's different in Starkville. It's their Super Bowl. If they get any momentum going, they have a chance to win the game. For Ole Miss, it's just another game.
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</tbody>That wasn't the issue Thursday. Instead, it was more evidence that Ole Miss has problems on the line. Ole Miss was losing one-on-ones up front against Mississippi State. Guys were just getting beat, especially in the interior. Chris Jones for Mississippi State was terrific. If he had been a sophomore or a junior, he would have won every play.
When your defensive line is dominating like that, you can basically just roam around. It's like when you have a cornerback who can cut the field in half. You basically have freedom and confidence.
Big picture, Ole Miss is still improving. I thought they could go 8-4 or 9-3. They went 7-5, but nobody picked Auburn or Missouri to do what they did. Those were two games I had marked as Ole Miss wins. I think now Hugh Freeze is coming into his third year, and now he's got to start going with his players, especially on the offensive line. He's got to play guys he recruited. It's time for position battles to come back up. It can't be a gimme. He's got to open it up and say, "All the spots are up for grabs."
Freeze has got to get his own players. He's got to get better on the offensive line and the defensive line. Ole Miss has got to get more athletic in the secondary. It needs more athleticism and more length and more speed. It needs to get more physical up front on defense. The middle linebackers have to have more speed. Ole Miss has to get faster on the defensive side. I say that after Ole Miss played a really good game on Thursday.
People are hung up on Freeze's play-calling. Nick Saban and Gus Malzahn can make a bad call or two, but they've got so much talent and you can't recognize when they call a bad play. When Freeze calls a bad game or some bad plays, it's more obvious.
I think Ole Miss' players get a good gift package from the bowl they go to. I hope they get to the Music City Bowl. Memphis is too close. Nashville is a better experience. Next year, they'll try to get to another level. That's how a program is built.
Romaro Miller
Columnist
I was like everybody else after the game: Upset and disappointed.
It was a major example of having holes in the roster and the huge need to continue to recruit. That's not all it was by any means, but I think that part hit home a little harder after that one than it has in most games.
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| University of Mississippi | |
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| Former Ole Miss quarterback Romaro Miller |
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There was the hope at halftime that the block maybe woke the team up, but we didn't wake up. Bo Wallace had a tough game, and I know how he feels right now. It's so hard to struggle as a quarterback down there. I threw the pick that lost the game in 1999. You just have to hang in there and be ready next time.
I think we had Mississippi State on the ropes before this one, and we definitely let them off the ropes. It's become such a series about holding serve and with the way we're accumulating talent over them I think winning that game it would have been over, but now we gave them another life and we're going to have to deal with that. It's why the coaches get paid well, to go out and recruit and show that we are Ole Miss and are going to win ballgames.
As for how to handle the rivalry, it's hard because if you poll Ole Miss fans, close to half will say LSU is the rival, and the others will say MSU. At State it's all Ole Miss. It makes for a different game, and it's one we have to handle. We have to be the superior team from a talent standpoint and just go play our game and take care of it.
Coming into the season I said seven wins would be good, but on the backend looking at it once we beat Texas, I think we were in for bigger things. We just have to continue to recruit, nothing against the guys we have now at some spots, they've given great effort, but we have to play better.
With the bowl game, you want to go out a winner. Hopefully they do whatever it takes and end it on a winning note. It's not a huge deal with the overall scope of the program, but if you're out there, winning doesn't hurt.
Allen Walker
Analyst
I don't know if it's the cowbells or what, but it's become obvious that the Mississippi State program makes the Egg Bowl out to be bigger than Ole Miss does.
I think their fans actually hate Ole Miss fans. Ole Miss just don't care for Mississippi State. It's different in Starkville. It's their Super Bowl. If they get any momentum going, they have a chance to win the game. For Ole Miss, it's just another game.
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| Ryan Moore | |
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| Allen Walker makes a stop in the Rebels' 2009 loss at Auburn. |
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When your defensive line is dominating like that, you can basically just roam around. It's like when you have a cornerback who can cut the field in half. You basically have freedom and confidence.
Big picture, Ole Miss is still improving. I thought they could go 8-4 or 9-3. They went 7-5, but nobody picked Auburn or Missouri to do what they did. Those were two games I had marked as Ole Miss wins. I think now Hugh Freeze is coming into his third year, and now he's got to start going with his players, especially on the offensive line. He's got to play guys he recruited. It's time for position battles to come back up. It can't be a gimme. He's got to open it up and say, "All the spots are up for grabs."
Freeze has got to get his own players. He's got to get better on the offensive line and the defensive line. Ole Miss has got to get more athletic in the secondary. It needs more athleticism and more length and more speed. It needs to get more physical up front on defense. The middle linebackers have to have more speed. Ole Miss has to get faster on the defensive side. I say that after Ole Miss played a really good game on Thursday.
People are hung up on Freeze's play-calling. Nick Saban and Gus Malzahn can make a bad call or two, but they've got so much talent and you can't recognize when they call a bad play. When Freeze calls a bad game or some bad plays, it's more obvious.
I think Ole Miss' players get a good gift package from the bowl they go to. I hope they get to the Music City Bowl. Memphis is too close. Nashville is a better experience. Next year, they'll try to get to another level. That's how a program is built.
