Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, Rebels Reflections From 2018

Well now we are just over a week deep into 2019 and Ole Miss football fans are trying to put 2018 behind us. It still isn’t very easy to look back.

Here is to looking ahead for Ole Miss football in 2019. So far coach Matt Luke has made two very significant hires for the Rebels and both are great in most Ole Miss fans opinions. There is no doubt 2018 was a tough season for the Rebels and for us fans. However, the direction the Ole Miss football program is taking and the steps coach Matt Luke has taken are very positive.

While some Ole Miss football fans will disagree with me on these points, 2018 was not a bad year for Ole Miss football. Could it have been better? Certainly but our season would have still ended Thanksgiving  night whether we liked it or not. Instead we were able to watch senior or draft eligible Rebels who have ignited their futures as a part of Ole Miss football. We appreciate all they have given us in their time as Rebels players.

2018 Was Rough

Ole Miss Rebels

There is no doubt the 2018 college football season didn’t end the way we wanted it to. However, we knew what was coming with the NCAA’s ban on postseason play. We all knew our season was over on Thanksgiving night. Since that time things have taken a dramatic turn for coach Matt Luke and the Rebels with the two surprising and outstanding hires for the vacant coordinators positions.

Both Mike MacIntyre and Rich Rodriguez have a vast amount of football knowledge and it is obvious if you look at their resumes. Still it doesn’t negate the problems we saw in 2018 which could have been avoided with a little more foresight on the part of Matt Luke. Most of us knew what to expect from the Rebels the moment Matt Luke was named head coach and no significant staff changes were made. Well it happened. At least now it’s behind us and 2019 promises to be much better.

Not Just Football

2018 wasn’t a very good year for a number of Ole Miss athletics programs. When you consider Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork having to make major new hires for both men’s and women’s basketball head coaching positions then you can see it was bad for Ole Miss at the time. So far it appears as both hires will ultimately be great for the Rebels and both programs.

Both coach Kermit Davis and coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin were solid hires for Ross Bjork and both programs have improved from 2018. Rebels men’s hoops are ranked No.2 in the SEC at 12-2, 2-0 to start the season. Women’s hoops are currently 6-11, 0-3 and while its been a rough SEC start the Rebels women’s hoops team is better.

Good Things Can Be Bad

Everybody knows too much of a good thing usually ends up in a bad way. My list from 2018 was long of good things, one of which was Ole Miss baseball. Like most Ole Miss Rebels I was very happy and somewhat surprised by coach Mike Bianco and Ole Miss baseball. What was there not to love? The Rebels won the SEC Tourney and a share of the SEC West Division and hosted a regional. So much good and then Tennessee Tech happened.

Now in 2019 the Rebels are ranked in the preseason at No.10 in the nation. Coach Mike Bianco and the Rebels took some hits last season between graduation and the 2018 MLB Draft. However, Bianco is bringing back the ‘meat’ of the lineup and they are set to have an outstanding season which begins in just a few weeks. Be sure to be watching for the OHT Ole Miss Baseball Preview which will be out next week.

So while we remember 2018 for the year it was we can look at 2019 and can expect something better. 2018 may not have been a good year for this or that reason but hey, at least you are here in 2019. The road is only as smooth as we make it or as rough as we take. Hotty Toddy!