Ole Miss’ progress gets ‘tall test’ at UGA
ATHENS – Ole Miss, one of two teams standing between Georgia and the SEC Championship game, shouldn’t be judged by its recent 16-game conference losing streak, according to UGA coach Mark Richt.
“What I see is a team that has a brand new head coach that’s brought a lot of energy to the program,” Richt said. “A lot of times, you just never know how close you are to winning and breaking through and having success.”
Ole Miss lost its final six SEC games in 2010 and went 0-8 in the league last season, resulting in a coaching change that saw Hugh Freeze replace Houston Nutt. The conference losing streak reached 16 when Ole Miss lost its first two SEC games this season to Alabama and Texas A&M.
But the Rebels broke through with a 41-20 win over Auburn on Oct. 13 and followed that with a 30-27 win at Arkansas, enabling them to bring a two-game winning streak into Saturday’s game at Georgia.
“I know it’s going to be a heck of a ballgame,” Richt said.
Even before the back-to-back wins, Ole Miss showed signs of progress.
The Rebels played Alabama “pretty darn good” — Richt’s words — in a 33-14 loss in Tuscaloosa. They held the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide to fewer points than any other team has done this season.
“When you watch that film,” Richt said, “you know they can run and play with the big boys.”
Then “they came very close to beating Texas A&M,” Richt said. The Rebels led the No. 16 Aggies by 10 points in the fourth quarter before losing 30-27.
Ole Miss (5-3, 2-2 SEC) has a balanced, up-tempo offense that ranks sixth in the SEC, averaging 430 yards per game, and a young defense that ranks ninth in the league, giving up 369.5 yards per game. The defense was at its worst in a 66-31 non-conference loss to Texas on Sept. 15.
“That game was so long ago, it’s not the same Ole Miss defense, in my opinion,” Richt said.
Ole Miss has lost its past nine games against Georgia and has an all-time record of 4-17-1 in Athens.
“To go to their place with our limited number of scholarship kids and the lack of depth we have at places, it’s a tall task,” Freeze said. “But we’ve been that way in most games we’ve played. Our kids are going to compete, I know that, and I think we need a few breaks here and there. And we’ve got to play probably a near-perfect game to go in and pull it off.
“Our kids are going to be very excited to play in this type of atmosphere, and coming off two wins certainly gives us some confidence. But it is a tall task.”
A Georgia victory would put the Bulldogs in position to reach the SEC Championship game by winning at Auburn on Nov. 10.
– Staff writer Michael Carvell contributed to this article.
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82 comments Add your comment
7576DAWG
November 2nd, 2012
12:53 pm
I like Freeze a lot and wish him the best but he can’t get much credit for Auburn or Arkansas. Auburn has the worst team chemistry I have ever seen and need a coaching change real bad and Arkansas has a very crazy coach.
GwinnettDawg
November 2nd, 2012
12:54 pm
First?
Gary
November 2nd, 2012
1:03 pm
Its hard to get excited about wins over Arkansas and Auburn this year, though in years past that would have turned heads. This may be an above average Ole Miss team, but they do not have Georgia’s talent, size, or speed. That being said, there is no way Georgia can resume the sloppy and uninspired play they had against Kentucky and SC if they want to repeat as SEC east champs.
GTBob
November 2nd, 2012
1:03 pm
“I know it’s going to be a heck of a ballgame,” Richt said.
Already making excuses for UGA’s poor performance against a bad team.
dmr
November 2nd, 2012
1:08 pm
Georgia’s at that point. Nothing else matters. Georgia lost to the number #6 team in the land solidly. They beat the number #2 team in the land. It doesn’t matter how they win these last games sans maybe GA SOUTHERN. Al Davis’ “JUST WIN BABY!” should be all the rage. Beat Ole Miss by 10 or by 1. Play a solid game against Auburn. Handle your business outside the conference. And hope for only one thing. BAMA GOES UNDEFEATED UNTIL ATLANTA.
Beyond that don’t worry. Handle your business and let the chips fall where they may. You might be surprised by the outcome.
RCB
November 2nd, 2012
1:08 pm
Has GT found an athletic director yet?
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
1:12 pm
How about black jersey’s an Red helmets for Homecoming??? Silver britches…
flo-ri-duh
November 2nd, 2012
1:13 pm
Ole Miss did not back down to the Bama hype …… they are well coached and determined. UGA needs to bring their “A” game. As for Bummer. they are good but not unbeatable. A balanced offense and a solid defense can beat them. Bummer has yet to play any teams that are in the top 10 in talent but they will saturday. Unfortunately LSU is sticking with Mettenbubba at QB. Big advantage for Bummer. Look for a switch at QB for LSU by half time if Bubba continues his erratic ways.
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
1:13 pm
GT Bob for AD…
beachside BULLDAWG
November 2nd, 2012
1:14 pm
This coach is doing very well at Ole Miss. He has brought out the best in his players and forged an interesting “team chemistry.” The work that these young men put in at the SEC level is commendable. Not this year, but the Rebs are maybe one or two recruiting classes away from being a threat in this league. I hope Ole Miss can keep this guy, he is a credit to the SEC. Very similar to coach Richt, loyal to his beliefs and a very hard worker. Good luck, after Saturday.
beachside BULLDAWG
November 2nd, 2012
1:16 pm
Hey RCB, what the heck is a GT
flo-ri-duh
November 2nd, 2012
1:19 pm
DAWGS to survive. As long as they get a “W” I am satisfied. LSU in Death Valley will give Bummer all they want. Got to get the running game going and throw mid range passes. Forget the bomb until the 4th quarter. Bummer has one weakness….. WR. Crowd the line and stop their run game. Cover the Wr’s one on one and put heat on the QB. Bummer won’t score over 17 in this game unless Bubba coughs up turnovers.
flo-ri-duh
November 2nd, 2012
1:20 pm
GT will have a complete house cleaning at season’s end. Get out your check book and hire a competitive head coach.
Ole Miss’ progress gets ‘tall test’ at UGA – Georgia – Dawg News
November 2nd, 2012
1:23 pm
[...] post: Ole Miss’ progress gets ‘tall test’ at UGA ← Back to Home Tags: alabama, coach, dawgs, houston nutt, miss, reached, richt, win [...]
RedandBlackDAWG
November 2nd, 2012
1:27 pm
The same key actions apply as they did for the Florida game. Get a good job from your OL, run the ball, be aggessive on the DL, and have the linebackers stick to their assgnments and not get out of position. If they do that, they will get a “W”, with very little problem.
joe jenkins
November 2nd, 2012
1:42 pm
I would like to see us wear black jerseys and red pants……I know most of yall would not agree with that uniform combination….but red and black is our school colors!!! Ole miss is small….and this is time of the year when teams really small on defense start to wear down from the pounding they take from teams with big running backs….come on gurley…….I will be surprised if we dont win this game by 10-28 points…..I think we roll baby!! dawgs 37 rebs 14
The Ballad of Poor Joe Cox
November 2nd, 2012
1:43 pm
“GT Bob for AD” hahahaha
Biff
November 2nd, 2012
1:52 pm
Limited scholarships at Ole Miss? Tell Coach Freeze to check out the number at UGA.
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
2:01 pm
Poor Joe
He couldn’t do any worse than Radajcoughskiverton…
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
2:04 pm
I never thought I’d ever say this, but pray for the New Yorkers. It is going to get much worse…
Just Thinking
November 2nd, 2012
2:08 pm
If Auburn or GT gets rid of their coaches, how about Bobo for HC?
7576DAWG
November 2nd, 2012
2:12 pm
I know that the rest of the country is tired of seeing the SEC win it all but you lose your credibility if the two best teams don’t get into the Championship. If Alabama loses a game and Notre Dame and Kansas State finish undefeated , it will be terrible to see the Championship without at least one SEC team because every SEC team has at least one lost.The only Quality win Notre Dame has is against a rebuilding Oklahoma team. The problem in the SEC is most teams have to play 3 to 6 top 12 teams in a season. At the end of week eight the SEC has 5 of the top 10 BCS positions should say everything about what should happen and to put TWO teams in the Championship who don’t have to even play a Conference Championship would kill any respect for the BCS.
Does anyone really think that Notre Dame or Kansas State would be undefeated with an SEC schedule.
DIT
November 2nd, 2012
2:16 pm
Guys, please don’t give “Sponge Bob” any air time by commenting on his mindless drivel!
DirtyDawg
November 2nd, 2012
2:19 pm
Looking forward to how that ‘crack’ CBS broadcasting crew – including cameramen, director and announcers – handles this game. I mean they seemed to do everything possible to take Florida’s side on last week’s game…the endless delight the announcers seemed to derive from Georgia’s failings – regardless that both teams had their share, plus Florida’s were, seemingly to them, self inflicted rather than good Georgia play…even though Georgia was the ‘home’ team, cameras were always trained on UF – cheerleaders, band/flag-wavers, etc., whereas the Georgia fan-shots were from cameras on the opposite side of the field, and never did they show the UGA cheerleaders, or even UGA hisself – what’s up with that? You can count on Danielson being on Murray’s case from the get go…if for no other reason to validate his observations from this one. The only thing he seemed to acknowledge was that Mr Jones played great and that Murray redeemed himself a bit on that late TD drive – with all the gifts from UF of course, since they never failed to remind us just how ‘fortunate’ we were. So maybe since we’re actually playing in Athens, perhaps we’ll be given a little more benefit of the doubt – care to bet on that?
NCDawg
November 2nd, 2012
2:23 pm
CMR needs to put the pedal to the metal and not left off the gas until the season is over. Coach, style points DO matter and it is not unsportsmanlike to let your team play their hardest through the whole game. The old days of “not running up the score” are dead. If I were a head coach my first news conference would contain a statement like this… “an offense’s job is to score points and my team will score points from start to finish. It is not an insult to the opposition to do what you are supposed to do. It is an insult to ask your team to stop doing their job. My team will play all out from start to finish. The score does not matter.”
GTslob
November 2nd, 2012
2:25 pm
We love our coach. He will beats de crappy out of you bullpups. No chance for the pups at all. And remember to vote for O-Bama. Me needs my food stamps and all the government assistance I can get. He is the best prez we have ever had. Go Tech! Go O-Bama!
gomdawg
November 2nd, 2012
2:25 pm
I DON’T LIKE DANIELSON AT ALL ( TWO FACE )
GO DAWGS
FussDawg
November 2nd, 2012
2:28 pm
NCDawg – I could not agree any more – unless it is time for the victory formation keep the pedal to the metal – Go Dawgs!
Blue Ridge Dawg
November 2nd, 2012
2:30 pm
DirtyDawg- Other than Vern calling out the wrong player’s names (which is very often because he is 200 years old) I thought the commentary was very fair. I didnt notice the camera shots showing FL more, but I thought Gary Danielson was very thorough and called a good game. He was very complimentary for Murray during the second half.
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
2:32 pm
How about this…
Take the top 3 SEC teams, and play against Oregon, Kansas St. & ND. That will never happen. They want a Champion from another conference this year.
How about this…
Let’s play less conference games and more meaningful out of conference games against teams like Oregon, KSt., ND…
JB
November 2nd, 2012
2:33 pm
If Shawn Williams doesn’t speak up soon this week, all bets are off, just say’n.
JB
November 2nd, 2012
2:35 pm
That CBS crew was apologizing for Florida for most of the game
DIT
November 2nd, 2012
2:37 pm
Not a big fan of Danielson either. Man, I really miss the days when you turned on your TV, turned down the volume, and turn Munson way up!
JB
November 2nd, 2012
2:37 pm
Pat Dye out of Birmingham on the radio said this morning that Georgia was not man enough to beat Ole Miss…………………………….( No, but tell the that)
JB
November 2nd, 2012
2:38 pm
whoops, tell the TEAM that
NCDawg
November 2nd, 2012
2:46 pm
KB… I thought about that too!
kmarshall4
November 2nd, 2012
2:57 pm
danielson and lundquist will be in baton rouge just a lil fyi we will get the backups
DIT
November 2nd, 2012
2:59 pm
Thanks for the good news kmarshall4!! Back ups are probably an upgrade
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
3:05 pm
I’ll take the backups or radio…
GT Bobby Booo Booo loves a coke, hot dog, and 4 ticket combo
November 2nd, 2012
3:07 pm
Stating that it will be a good game and being respectful of your opponent before the game to the press doesn’t equal excuses but thanks for playing Bobby Boooo Boooo.
Why don’t we try and find something that GT Bobby Boooo Boooo can’t criticize. Nah there isn’t anything.
Let’s just make fun of his pathetic program. His coach is a complete jerk off to the press and can’t back up his cheap talk with any victories because they don’t win. Also, here is something all Tech fans can brag about. “Our coach doesn’t take crap and said to punch Georgia fans in the mouth”. “He is great and just because we don’t win doesn’t mean we can’t talk a big game to the press”! Go Jackets YAY!
TopDawg
November 2nd, 2012
3:10 pm
GTBOB
Excuses? You and the trade school are tops on excuses and ideas. You could run for President with all the knowledge you possess.
Ole Miss would win the ACC.
Birddawg
November 2nd, 2012
3:12 pm
Pretty sure Vern and Danielson are calling the AL/LSU game, which is also on CBS Saturday night – not sure who is calling the GA/Ole Miss game – anybody heard?
JB
November 2nd, 2012
3:18 pm
They will butcher it whoever it is.
Black-N-Red
November 2nd, 2012
3:27 pm
Not a big fan of Danielson either. Man, I really miss the days when you turned on your TV, turned down the volume, and turn Munson way up!
Oh how I miss listening to Larry! Great Call DIT.
ARdawg
November 2nd, 2012
3:42 pm
Prolly, Sean McDonough
I hope not
ARdawg
November 2nd, 2012
3:54 pm
Bumbling alkie Vern I could do without but I like Danielson, IMHO probably the best analyst on the air today
fencedawg
November 2nd, 2012
3:56 pm
GTBob,
This is not the ACC.
Rick James
November 2nd, 2012
4:03 pm
@GTBob
Already making excuses for UGA’s poor performance against a bad team.
————————————————————————————————–
You mean the way Paul Johnson has made excuses for losing all year..What is Richt supposed to say Bob? We’re going to blow Ole Miss out by 40 points? Funny how we didnt see much of you in the Georgia blogs after the Florida game.
Black-N-Red
November 2nd, 2012
4:06 pm
I just read the “FoxSports” fearless predictions page and they are dissing UGA (no surprise there) and have Ole Miss winning by 3 – Please somebody let Dawgs know they are being called out and last week was an abboration and they think the Dawgs are still soft… Pound them back to Mississippi!
Stiffneck
November 2nd, 2012
4:08 pm
Vern and Danielson dancing in the booth….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS3ky9SSMF4
Franko
November 2nd, 2012
4:10 pm
I think Brando mentioned he would be calling the game.
MA English 75
November 2nd, 2012
4:28 pm
I miss Larry Munson, but I still listen to game on radio, anyway, while watching it.
Where is "Reality" ????
November 2nd, 2012
4:29 pm
I am still looking for the “very special gator team” you blogged about last week Reality. Can’t seem to find them. I think Jarvis just forced another fumble and oh look there goes Malcom!
ha ha ha ha ha!
GTBob
November 2nd, 2012
4:52 pm
GT Bob for AD…
I would take the job, fire every head coach in every program, spend crazy amounts of money on stupid stuff like filtered water in the aquatic center and gucci tennis grips, and then I would quit.
GTBob
November 2nd, 2012
4:55 pm
You mean the way Paul Johnson has made excuses for losing all year.
What excuses has he made? He said we played bad. Seems pretty straight forward to me.
Hunker down
November 2nd, 2012
5:05 pm
I feel good things will happen at Ole Miss with CHF at the helm. Just don’t want it to start tomorrow. Go Dawgs!
Vampire Bill
November 2nd, 2012
5:07 pm
Dawgs have fooled me more than once but you gotta think they will pull this one out at home. Like to see a Vandy time game. 42-7
Neutral
November 2nd, 2012
5:25 pm
Geeeeeeeez I miss my buddy Thomas Brown!!! Remember last week when he had all those long winded rambling blogs……blasting the Dawgs with total negativity. I bet Mr Brown that UGa would win and TN would beat the line and possibly win against SC. Of course I was met with laughs and Thomas’ comments about me drinking the “Koolaid”!!! We probably won’t hear back from Thomas until UGa slips…..so I beg the Dawgs to never lose again! P.S. He may show up again before the Bama game so he can predict Bama will play us tough and possibly win…..he’ll also have some brilliant comment like,”Murray won’t throw for more than 300 yards”. He always feels good about himself when he makes big time predictions and constantly rips the Dawgs with non-stop negativity. I’m just so sick and tired of negativity by all the “fair weather fans” and Techies trying to fake being UGa alumni. Go Dawgs!
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
5:34 pm
Neut…
Think he’s on Schultzies blog singing a new tune. I don’t want to jinx it by bringing it up to him and I hope everybody will just let him be a good Dawggie for awhile. The Fla win gave him religion and I like it. He is even attacking trolls. Don’t stop him, let him go. It’s very interesting. Fascinating really…
John T.
November 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
To all you nuts calling Ole Miss a bad team and not giving credit for wins over Ark. and Auburn…Screw You!!! Ole Miss isn’t about being good or bad this year…it’s about how far Hugh Freeze has brought them along from last year. Ga is the deeper and more talented team but that doesn’t mean you’ll be winners. Freeze has these boys playing for a full 60 mins. and if its close in the 4th quarter, it’s anybody’s game! HOTTY TODDY!!!!
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
6:56 pm
JOhn T.
Try not to go all postal on us bro. Do we come into your Reb-blog causing mayhem and major blog floggage? I think not. Now take a deep breath and get a grip. Tell kingdaddy who said you suc and I’ll have a talk with them. I’m sure we can come to an understanding. Try not to be so sensitive. I know y’all haven’t been relevant in a while and you want some long due respect. As soon as you beat someone, you will get it, but until then, please stay off the Dawg blogs. We got nothing against you personally, but it’s HOMECOMING AND YOU’RE GOING DOWN HARD! Hope you understand…
Lifetime Dawg
November 2nd, 2012
7:01 pm
@ GTBob
“Already making excuses for UGA’s poor performance against a bad team.”
Riiiiigghhtt.
And what if Coach Richt had told the truth, and said : “ They’re an SEC team…they’ll play tough…but if we execute, we will win.” ?
I’ll tell you what if — THEN you’d have said “Way to go, Richt. Very smart to give your opponent bulletin board material…What an arrogant idiot!”
Your screen name says it all — GT = GallopingTroll. As for the Bob….it’s nice to know what Smiling Bob is doing now — since you lost your gig in the Enzyte commercials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SixWIIKN23k
david
November 2nd, 2012
7:14 pm
Isnt LSU/Bama on ESPN?
david
November 2nd, 2012
7:16 pm
my bad– it is on CBS
DawgNole
November 2nd, 2012
8:10 pm
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
2:32 pm
How about this…
Let’s play less conference games and more meaningful out of conference games against teams like Oregon, KSt., ND…
________________
How bout we play MORE conference games–AND more meaningful OOC games; i.e., DUMP THE CUPCAKES!
Niceville Dawg
November 2nd, 2012
8:16 pm
Tim Brando is doing the game.
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
8:17 pm
DawgNole
I ain’t scairt. Would love to see more inter-conference games, no french-pastries…
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
8:19 pm
After this year, does the SOS count more on the polls???
Buzz 2011
November 2nd, 2012
8:20 pm
Dawgs should bow to Old Miss and proably will.
Look for The little QB to throw at least 4 picks as
he forces with no Dawg ground game..Ole Miss
is like Kentucky and Dawgs will face a hungry team..
DawgNole
November 2nd, 2012
8:20 pm
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
5:34 pm
Neut…
Think he’s on Schultzies blog singing a new tune. I don’t want to jinx it by bringing it up to him and I hope everybody will just let him be a good Dawggie for awhile. The Fla win gave him religion and I like it. He is even attacking trolls. Don’t stop him, let him go. It’s very interesting. Fascinating really…
______________________
It has been an amazing transformation, KD. Like you, I’m walking on eggshells hoping it lasts.
DawgNole
November 2nd, 2012
8:22 pm
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
8:19 pm
After this year, does the SOS count more on the polls???
________________________
I sure as hell hope so. It actually did a few years ago–but not for long. Soon as they allowed 12 games, the big boys started loading up on marshmallows. Sickening.
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
8:29 pm
That’s why going undefeated isn’t a big deal. Let ND, K St. & Oregon play 9 games in the SEC and see if they make it undefeated. Doubt it…Got to go, back later…
B'dawg
November 2nd, 2012
8:31 pm
When ws the last time UGA started out 8-0?
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
8:32 pm
That’s why Alabama is #1. Don’t know if they will make it through the rest of the year though…
kingdaddy
November 2nd, 2012
8:33 pm
Buzzz2011
Idiot…
Habersham Dawg
November 2nd, 2012
8:42 pm
When big-time college football goes to a true play-off format, then we’ll see the kid-gloves come off and the top programs will scramble to play meaningful OOC games.
Neutral
November 2nd, 2012
8:46 pm
Hey Kingdaddy,
I just got back and read your comments at 5:34. I’ll quit “calling out” TB now that he has found religion and has repented!!! The one thing I love is how so much of the negativity has vanished from this site in just 6 beautiful days. I feel great about our Dawgs and sincerely believe in them. if we all focus on the positives instead of the negatives I believe we could finish with a very special season. Let’s take it one game at a time and send nothing but “positive” vibes. By the way, did anyone see the Sagarin computer rankings in USA Today? It was interesting that the # 81, 82 and 83 ranked teams out of about 245 were GT, Ga Southern and Auburn…….how the heck did that happen? Go Dawgs!
Neutral
November 2nd, 2012
8:58 pm
Ditto the 8:33 comment, but that is an upper case “IDIOT”. Hasn’t that “little QB” lit Tech up a few times recently? Just asking Mr Buzz 2011 just in case I’m confused. It’s probably time for you to “buzz-off” before you stick your other foot in your mouth!!!
Neutral
November 2nd, 2012
9:06 pm
B’dawg,
This could be a classic year proving that it is better to lose a game early vs. later in the season. Any team ahead of UGa in the BCS that loses (with the exception of Bama) will drop behind the Dawgs…..guarantee. The Dawgs are lucky they lost in week 4 (?) rather than weeks 8-12. Things are starting to get interesting. I believe we will move up to #4 in the BCS Sunday night. Go Dawgs!
Buzz Fan
November 2nd, 2012
10:15 pm
I would gladly endure 4 more years of Obama for a couple of wins over UGa
Neutral
November 3rd, 2012
6:51 am
Buzz-off Techie……ain’t gonna happen!
papadawg
November 3rd, 2012
8:28 am
DAWGS aren’t good enough to take ANY team lightly. The defense looked very good last week but Ole Miss has a much better offense than the Gators and our O line still hasn’t played very good for the whole game..