5 Questions about Ole Miss

RedCupRebellion.com and GamecockIllustrated.com have been in communication over the last week or so for some good-natured fun pointing to this weekend's game with Jacksonville State and Ole Miss. Earlier in the week, they asked us 5 questions about JSU, and in turn, offered to answer 5 questions about Ole Miss.

You can see their questions and our answers by clicking this link.

Our questions and their answers about Ole Miss are below.

1) JSU certainly got blasted for taking Perrilloux- what percentage of the Ole Miss fan base do you believe was in favor of taking Masoli? Do you think he will be rusty if he does play against JSU?

I’d guess that 90% of our fan base was in favor of taking Masoli. We recently lost a backup quarterback and saw a need there. The coaches looked to Masoli to fill that void, and he appeared to do so. He was really coming along in practice, challenging Nathan Stanley for the starting job. Then… then the NCAA messed everything up. It infuriated the fan base when they denied Masoli’s waiver out of the blue. It’s just a shame that they’ve figured out a way to suspend players, something they were never designed to do.
No… I don’t think he’ll play against Jacksonville State.

2) Was the decision to dismiss Tig from Nutt or the University? Do you think he will have any extra motivation running the ball against his old teammates?

Nutt decided it was better for Tig to not play football at Ole Miss. I guess he could have stayed at Ole Miss as a student, but he didn’t have a scholarship to do so.
Tig was a fantastic high school player. He helped South Panola, recently ranked the #1 high school program nationally by Rivals.com, to three state championships and only one loss in four years. Our fans were very excited when he signed with us. Then he went to Hargrave. Then he was suspended for a year. Basically, we all lost hope that he would ever contribute. It’s great that he has found a spot at Jacksonville State. He may have extra motivation, but he wasn’t dominant at Ole Miss. I don’t think our defense is that concerned with him.
Recently, one of you said he was the best running back in Ole Miss history. That’s not even close to the case. He was fifth string at Ole Miss during his short time here.

3) What do you believe is the weakest area on Ole Miss' team (we promise not to tell the JSU coaches)?

The interior of the offensive line could be quite bad. We graduated all three interior starters last year and aren’t replacing them with much experience. RG Rishaw Johnson has started a decent number of games and looks good again this year. At center, we’re constantly flipping between two freshmen, both of whom have struggled with snaps. At left guard, we start Alex Washington, a player who hasn’t done much during his three years at Ole Miss. He’s a big body though, and we hope that with his size comes strength.
If any of our starters on the OL (outside of center) get hurt, we’re in real, real trouble.

4) Ole Miss has had a lot of success in recent years. Any chance that they will be overlooking the Gamecocks?

I guess that it’s possible, but I don’t see it happening. This team has spent eight months hearing about how bad they’ll be this year. I don’t think they have it in their minds that they can overlook anyone. Our defense is really strong, and they get pumped up regardless of their opponent.
The only two things I could see happening that would affect our psyche as the recent denial of Masoli’s waiver and the potential health issues of all-SEC DE Kentrell Lockett. If the team is downtrodden after those two pieces of news, they might not be fired up for the game.

5) We have a lot of fans coming over to the game. What are some of the sights and sounds in Oxford that they should be sure to catch.
The entirety of Oxford centers around “The Square.” There is a litany of restaurants and bars all over the area. I personally enjoy Parrish’s Pub right off the square, but a favorite of our blog is City Grocery. They have great food and a good bar scene.
William Faulkner’s home, Rowan Oak, is a nice place to go during the day, but I would assume you’ll spend the day in the Grove on campus, our world-famous tailgating area. If you decide to go to the Nobel prize winner’s home, be sure to have time to really walk around the grounds and take it all in.
As for the grove, if you approach a tent with humility and grace, I can assure you that you will probably be met with free food and maybe a drink or two.