…and things could be going better for the Gamecocks. They’ve played six conference games so far, and have won only one, against Alabama. They’ve dropped contests against Kentucky, Vandy, Florida, Auburn, and tonight, Ole Miss.

The Cocks came out strong in the second half against Ole Miss and actually had a chance to win, but they just couldn’t quite pull it off. Even though the outcome was disappointing, it does suggest that maybe, just maybe, this team is finally going to turn a corner. They got off to a slow start and were plagued by turnovers, but USC played a decent game and never let themselves get too far out of it.

Murphy Holloway, the Rebel-turned-Gamecock-turned-Rebel-again, reminded us tonight that he would have been a quality asset to the garnet and black. Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be. He led Ole Miss with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Carolina was led by Malik Cooke, who has certainly proved his worth more than once this season. Cooke had 17 points and seven rebounds tonight.

After another loss, the question is still, “can they turn things around?” After beating the Crimson Tide on Wednesday night, it would have been great for USC to keep the positive momentum and establish a two-game winning streak. That didn’t happen, obviously, and now the team must avoid getting too discouraged and instead find a way to put more games, especially the close ones, in the win column.

Any hopes of a postseason berth are long gone, but if the Gamecocks can manage to find ways to win and finish the season with a winning record, some of the frustration with the program might cool down a little. If the Cocks finish under .500 again, though, Darrin Horn’s seat might just combust.

USC faces a tough challenge in their next game, Thursday against No. 13 Florida. The game will tip off at 9 ET and be televised on ESPN2.

In this post, Arkansas State grad and fellow Aerys writer Miranda Remaklus weighs in on the Hugh Freeze situation from a different perspective.

Arkansas State. It’s basically one of the red-headed step children of the state of Arkansas.

Freeze will no longer wear scarlet and black on the sidelines.

But, it is in the town I grew up in. It’s the school I have grown to love. I have my bachelor’s degree from there and I am working on a master’s degree from there now. I have gone to sporting events there. I have endured some of the crappiest seasons ever.

But over the past couple of seasons, there has been a slight change. While the 2010 season wasn’t great, we had Coach Hugh Freeze as our offensive coordinator.

You may know that name. Remember the wiry coach that was the high school coach to Michael Oher in the Blindside? That guy is based on Coach Freeze! Thanks to Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, who are Ole Miss alums, Freeze was helped along to get an assistant coaching job at the university. He was passed over for the job when Houston Nutt was selected. Freeze went on to coach at a small university in Tennessee and then got the job at Arkansas State.

At the end of the 2010 season, Coach Steve Roberts was let go after several losing seasons. Freeze was almost immediately considered the front runner for the position. After an impressive speech before members of the Little Rock Touchdown Club, it was known that Freeze was the man for the job.

» Continue reading “Guest Post: Freeze Ditches ASU For Ole Miss”

Yes, that’s right, the disaster that currently is Ole Miss’ football team now has a new leader – one who Rebels fans everywhere hope can right the rapidly sinking ship.

Freeze comes from Arkansas State, who he led to a 10-2 record and the Sun Belt championship. His last year at ASU was also his first, and the first time he’d ever served as an FBS (Division I-A) head coach. He was previously an assistant for the Rebels, and is also a Mississippi native. At his introduction today, Freeze told a full house:

“This is a destination place for me, not a stopping point along the path. This is where I want to live, this is where I want to retire. This is home for me.”

Though he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who really worries about how much money he makes, he will make much more now:

Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones said Freeze has a four-year contract that pays a base salary of about $1.5 million per season. Jones said incentives could raise that salary to as much as $2.5 million per year.

Freeze made just $202,160 last season, according to USA Today, which made him the lowest paid coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

After the debacle that was the Houston Nutt Era, there is virtually no way that Hugh Freeze could be any worse. At all. Really. As a Mississippi man, I’m sure the desire to fix what is broken is especially strong within Freeze, and his background as an inspirational leader may be just what the proverbial doctor ordered for the Rebs.

He will not coach Arkansas State in their bowl game, but will take some of his current coaching staff with him to Oxford and begin his duties there immediately.

Welcome to one of the last installments of Cocky Country’s weekly summary of SEC football action. This was rivalry week, so winning was that much sweeter, and losing hurt that much more. Now that all is said and done, there will only be two SEC teams playing next weekend – No. 1 LSU and No. 13. UGA. They’ll meet at the Atlanta Dome to decide the SEC championship Saturday night. Six teams finished with overall winning records, while only five finished with winning conference records. Only four SEC teams will not go bowling, while two will almost certainly play for the national championship.

(3) Arkansas at (1) LSU

Had Arkansas pulled off a win Friday in Baton Rouge, the BCS would have been sent into chaos. Luckily for the BCS, that didn’t happen. After getting off to a slow start, LSU rallied to soundly defeat the Razorbacks 41-17. The Hogs got off to a good start, taking a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, and one of those TDs came from a Tigers fumble. They couldn’t keep up with a resilient and powerful LSU team, though, who had taken the lead by halftime. Arkansas scored only once more, a third quarter field goal, pulling them within four points of tying the game. The Tigers went on to score 20 answered points, though, completing their perfect regular season and almost certainly knocking the Razorbacks out of BCS bowl contention. The Tigers’ Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu, had a great game, highlighted by his 92-yard punt return for a touchdown. LSU QB Jordan Jefferson was 18 of 29 for 208 yards on the day. He threw his first interception of the year, but also threw for a touchdown and ran for one. The five Tigers TDs were scored by five different players. LSU had 26 first downs to Arkansas’ 11, and had 286 yards on the ground, compared to the Hogs’ 47. The non-football storyline from this game was Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino’s apparent disrespect of Tigers coach Les Miles. Petrino pointed at Miles from across the field and appeared to have a few choice words for his opposition. He then pretty much blew off the post-game handshake at midfield. I’m no Miles fan, but that’s just not appropriate. Stay classy, Bobby.

Arkansas falls to 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the SEC. They will await a bid, potentially from the Cotton Bowl . LSU improves to 12-0 on the season and 8-0 in conference play. They’ll travel to Atlanta to take on SEC East champ Georgia in the SEC title game, then will either play for the national championship or, should they lose to UGA, possibly be selected for another bowl.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Thirteen”

Welcome to the Week Twelve breakdown of what went on in SEC football this weekend. There’s only one week left in the regular season, and a few teams are still battling to become bowl eligible. LSU remains the only unbeaten team (in and out of the conference), while Ole Miss is the only team without an SEC victory. There are seven bowl eligible teams (South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn), three teams still hoping for eligibility (Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Mississippi State), and two teams who will not go bowling (Kentucky and Ole Miss). As the regular seasons comes to an end, it’s now rivalry week for many schools. Read on for recaps on commentary on this weekend’s SEC action. 

Kentucky at (14) Georgia

This game was for all the marbles, at least in Georgia’s case. A win would send them to the SEC title game, a loss would send South Carolina. Lucky for the Dawgs, they were playing the Wildcats, who have only one conference win. The 19-10 score was a lot closer than I thought it would be, but UGA certainly didn’t care, as they punched their ticket to Atlanta and ensured Mark Richt’s time in Athens will last at least one more year. UK took an early lead and Georgia wasn’t even all that sharp offensively, but their defense and kicker Blair Walsh, combined with Kentucky’s general ineptitude, was enough to secure a victory. The only bad news for the Bulldogs was that they lost RB Isaiah Crowell to an ankle injury. He sat out most of the game and his status for the future is unknown. Turnovers plagues both teams (each had four), but the Wildcats also couldn’t develop any sort of ground game (23 yards total) and had almost no first downs in the second half. QB Maxwell Smith was also left the game but was able to return.

Georgia improves to 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the SEC. They’ll travel to take on Georgia Tech in the rivalry game to end the regular season. Kentucky falls to 4-7 on the season and 1-6 in conference play. They will play their final game of the season at home against Tennessee.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Twelve”

Welcome to Cocky Country’s SEC summary for Week Eleven. The college football season is rapidly coming to an end, and now’s the time when teams are more likely to be facing must-win situations. Somewhat unbelievably, there are still two SEC teams that are winless in the conference – Tennessee and Ole Miss. There’s also still on undefeated team – LSU. Most other teams are either trying to stay alive in the division race or trying to win and get bowl-eligible. Six teams from the conference are in the BCS Top-25, and three of them are also in the Top-10. Read on for recaps and commentary about what went on in the SEC this weekend.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt

Not to take anything away from Vandy, but Kentucky is incredibly bad. Their one conference victory this season came against an even worse Ole Miss team (more on them later), and they’ve been hapless in almost all of their other games. Yesterday was no different, as the Commodores rolled to a 38-8 victory at home. UK didn’t even score until the third quarter, when they managed a touchdown and two-point conversion. Prior to that score, they were down 31-0. Jordan Rodgers completed 12 of 22 passes for over 200 yards, two TDs, and a pick. RB Zac Stacy added three touchdowns and had 28 carries for 135 yards. Kentucky’s leading rushers, Jonathan George and CoShik Williams, had less than half that many yards combined, and Vandy outgained UK in rushing yards 203-32. The Wildcats also had only nine first downs to the Commodores’ 28 and were flagged 10 times. This was the biggest margin of victory has had in an SEC game since they beat Mississippi State 49-19 in 1971, and they are now one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time in three years.

Vanderbilt improves to 5-5 overall and 2-5 in the conference. They’ll be in Knoxville next weekend to take on a struggling Tennessee team. Kentucky drops to 4-6 on the season and 1-5 in the SEC. They’ll travel to Georgia next weekend to try and spoil the Bulldogs’ SEC championship bid (and help South Carolina’s).

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Eleven”

…and that problem is unemployment.

This might be the face Rebels fans made when learning Nutt will be gone.

Ole Miss announced today that current head coach Houston Nutt will not be on the sidelines next year. He will coach the Rebels in the remaining three games this season.

Nutt began at Ole Miss in 2008, after coaching at fellow SEC West school Arkansas for 10 seasons. Nutt was brought in to replace Ed Orgeron and to right the ship, so to speak, in Oxford. The first year went well, with a 9-4 record, including a win in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Nutt’s second season ended in a 9-4 record and Cotton Bowl Classic victory too, but also had the then-No. 4 Rebs losing on the road to unranked South Carolina (that was a great game, by the way).

Things really started to spiral downward in 2010, when Ole Miss lost their season opener in overtime to I-AA Jacksonville State (another team of Gamecocks) and finished the season 4-8 overall with only one conference victory. 2011 so far has been another year of disappointment, and the Rebels are currently 2-7 overall and 0-6 in the conference. If that doesn’t tell you how bad they are, this might: they lost 30-13 to a hapless Kentucky team quarterbacked by their second-stringer in his first start ever this weekend.

» Continue reading “Houston (Nutt), You Have A New Problem…”

Welcome to your one-stop shop for what went down in SEC football this weekend. Week Ten (can you believe how far along we are?) saw some non-conference games as well as the so-called “Game of the Century”, though it didn’t quite live up to its billing. Auburn was off this week, but everyone will play next weekend, and most will be conference games. There is now only one team that’s still winless in conference play – Ole Miss, who actually may stay winless in the SEC. Keep reading for recaps of, stats from, and commentary on each of this weekend’s games.

Vanderbilt at Florida

Thanks to Jeff Demps’ career day, the Gators snapped their four game losing streak and beat Vandy 26-21 Saturday in Gainesville. Demps ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns and was the best thing UF had going all day. QB John Brantley was 16 of 24 for 173 yards, no scores, and no picks, but he injured his shoulder late in the game and was replaced by Jacoby Brissett. The Gators are the most penalized team in the country, but they were only flagged three times yesterday, while the Commodores were called for 12 penalties. Those errors might not have cost Vanderbilt the game entirely, but they certainly didn’t help. Florida did miss a field goal and fumble on the goal line, or they might have won by more. After a scoreless first quarter on both sides, the Gators put up three scores and took a 17-0 lead into halftime. The Dores rallied in the second half, but it was never enough to take the lead. While UF got their run game going, the Commodores couldn’t do the same, and had only 80 total rushing yards. They also had only 18 first downs to Florida’s 27. After starting out 3-0, Vanderbilt has lost five of their last six games. There is one bright spot for Vandy, though – their QB play. Jordan Rodgers (yes, the brother of Aaron) has improved over the past few weeks and seems to have settled in as the starter. He completed 19 of 28 passes for almost 300 yards and two TDs in the loss Saturday.

Vanderbilt drops to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the SEC. They’ll be home next weekend to take on Kentucky, who also has only one conference win (more on that later). Florida improves to 5-4 on the season and 3-4 in conference play. They’ll travel to Columbia to face off against South Carolina.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Ten”

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already through the ninth week of the college football season. The top two teams in the country and the conference, LSU and Alabama had byes, and were likely busy preparing for next weekend’s huge showdown. Every other SEC team played a conference game, and the annual game between Georgia and Florida, also known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, took place this weekend on the neutral field in Jacksonville. Mississippi State got their first conference win this weekend, against struggling Kentucky, but UK, Ole Miss, and Tennessee remain winless in the SEC. Read on for your Week Nine recaps, stats, and commentary.

(10) Arkansas at Vanderbilt

The WLOCP would traditionally be the biggest game of the week on paper, but this one was almost bigger in real life. Vandy came close to pulling off a big upset, but missed what would have been the game-tying field goal with only 12 seconds left, giving the Razorbacks a 31-28 win. Arkansas was down by as many as 14 points in the first half, but they found a way to rally, tie the game more than once, and finally take a lead. The Commodores had an opportunity to put points on the board early in the fourth quarter, but running back Zac Stacy fumbled at the UA 5-yard line, and the Hogs not only recovered, but returned the ball all the way to the endzone and completed a two-point conversion, to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Arkansas managed only 72 yards on the ground, but they had 388 total yards and 22 first downs. Vandy had more total yardage (462) and much more of a balance between the running and passing games, but fewer first downs (19).  Razorbacks QB Tyler Wilson was 27 of 43 for 316 yards, a TD, and no picks, and backup QB Brandon Mitchell ran for a touchdown. Dores QB Jordan Rodgers, younger brother of the Packers’ Aaron, was 15 of 27 for 240 yards, a TD, and no interceptions. Both teams did turn the ball over more than once, but it was impressive to see the lack of interceptions. Even though they won the game, the Razorbacks lost special teams player Marquel Wade, who was ejected from the game after a dirty hit on Jonathan Krause. Wade leveled Krause, who had called for a fair catch, and then seemed to celebrate the hit. Watch the video here. Side note: Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler were both at the game cheering for Vandy, Aaron for his brother and Jay for his alma mater. I’m sure it’s the only time they’ll ever cheer for the same team.

Arkansas improves to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. They’ll be home next weekend to face South Carolina. Vanderbilt falls to 4-4 on the season and 1-4 in conference play. They’ll travel to Gainesville next weekend to play Florida.(

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Nine”

Welcome to the Week Eight edition of Cocky Country’s recap of what happened in the SEC this weekend. Four teams, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi State had byes, and two teams, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, played non-conference games. The SEC still has two undefeated teams, LSU and Alabama, who are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the country, respectively. The conference is also home to four teams who still haven’t won an SEC game: Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Read on for your Week Eight recaps, stats, and commentary.

Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State

The last time the Wildcats took on a Gamecocks team, they got crushed. Not this time, though, as UK rolled over the JSU Gamecocks 38-14 this afternoon in Lexington. With 445 yards of total offense, 340 of which came on the ground, the Wildcats finally snapped their four game losing streak, and maybe got a little bit of confidence back. CoShik Williams was responsible for 145 of the rushing yards Kentucky had, setting a career high for the junior. It wasn’t smooth sailing for UK to start, though, and their first three drives looked like more of the same issues that have plagued them for the entire season. They got it together as the game went on, though, and led 24-7 at the half. QB Morgan Newton had his best outing in a while, and was 10 of 16 for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Both teams turned the ball over multiple times, but Jacksonville State also had difficulty converting third downs, completing only two of their 11 tries. While Williams led UK in rushing, Washaun Ealey, who formerly played for the University of Georgia, led the Gamecocks with 16 carries for 120 yards. While this was a good win for the Wildcats, it came against an out of conference team who was obviously not on the same level as SEC teams. A win is a win, though, and I’m sure UK is more than happy to have another one under their belt.

Kentucky improves to 3-4 on the season, but is still 0-3 in the SEC. They’ll be home next weekend against Mississippi State.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Week Eight”