Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, Don’t Give Up Rebel Nation
This Grove Grinder is dedicated to some Ole Miss football fans who are already disappointed with the 2018 football season.
It isn’t easy being a Ole Miss football fan and you’ll certainly agree at times it can be quite a daunting task to maintain enthusiasm. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been around the Ole Miss football program you have likely seen your fair share of both good and bad times. Many of us have seen some great games which were huge wins and we’ve also fell on the losing side countless times.
While many of us expect great things from each season there always seems to an unusual amount of disappointment involved. I know there are many diehard Rebels out there who have stuck with Ole Miss thru very tough times and they may get tougher. What the Ole Miss football program has been thru over the past six years hasn’t been an easy thing for anyone who calls themselves a Ole Miss Rebel.
Unexpected Disappointments
Ole Miss Rebels
I picked the Rebels to finish 2018 with a 9-3 record. Am I disappointed in this season? Not entirely but there have been some pretty disappointing moments in the 2018 Ole Miss season for me and thousands of other Rebels.
There have been games we should have won and games where we never really showed up. There has been a very strong critique of the coaching staff and there have been some moments where there have been bad or no adjustments made and it has been costly.
There have also been some season-ending injuries which have been very disappointing and have had a major effect on the depth of the Rebels defensively. Oh and the defense which was expected to be much better this season in Wesley McGriff‘s second year but sadly more disappointment.
Could Be Worse
When I say things could be much worse than they already are I’m not trying to upset Rebels fans by minimizing the situation. As cliché and corny as it may sound it is true. While none of us wanted the serious of events which have led us to where we are, it happened and now we can begin to develop from the damage done.
The athletics department at Ole Miss has had a lot to deal with when it comes to Ole Miss football but has also had to deal with issues with other programs as well. A lot of us have been pretty hard on AD Ross Bjork but when you consider all he has been required to deal with he has actually done a pretty good job.
Three new head coaches and new staffs for three major programs in just a few months is a tough gig for any AD. While some Rebels fans have been critical of Bjork’s hires they have all been pretty good considering. There are still questions which many of us have regarding the football program but there are still games left to be played before we get some answers.
Things Will Get Better
As bad as things may seem for some of us it will get better. Ole Miss has been thru tougher times than these and things did get better and they will again. Some of you younger Ole Miss Rebels may not remember the NCAA hack-job which struck Ole Miss under the watch of Billy Brewer. It was tough on the Ole Miss program and was a huge disappointment for many of us. Ole Miss rose back from the effects of that experience and got much better.
For us older fans to see it happen again is very disappointing but we have to believe it will get better than it is. We can also see where it truly could be much worse than it really is at this point. In this day and age recruiting has changed with the advent of social media and the internet. Its far easier to recover from recruiting sanctions with the exposure created for both recruits and coaching staffs. Coach Matt Luke will be ok and we know he can recruit now without the dark cloud of the NCAA hanging over the Rebels program.
Fan-bases can be a fickle mistress but college football can be as well. Our Ole Miss family has been thru a lot over the past 6 years and disappointment is part of not just being a Ole Miss football fan but its part of every fan-base in college football. Even the years we have beaten Bama we had highs and lows and that is a part of football. We’ve done some great things at the University of Mississippi and it is destined to get better if we hang in there.
Next. The GOATs Of Ole Miss. dark
Right now may not be the best of times but they aren’t bad times to be a Ole Miss football fan. It’s also not a bad time to be a Ole Miss basketball fan or fan of any Ole Miss sports program. While many of us grade the success of Ole Miss based on football performance there are other programs which have thrived and football will again. Just don’t give up Rebel Nation. Hotty Toddy!