For the first time since 1970 Ole Miss played in the Sugar Bowl. For the first time since 1970 Ole Miss won the Sugar Bowl.
That, however, was not the story. The story of Saturday night’s 48-20 victory over Oklahoma State in front of 72,217, most dressed in red, was less about a victory and more of a celebration of certain players that helped change the culture of Ole Miss football.
(Photo by|Cameron Brooks)
“We just won the Sugar Bowl, you know,” Ole Miss head coach Freeze said through tears. “We just thank God. He’s been so good to us through the difficult times and the good times.”
It was a celebration of players such as Laquon Treadwell and Laremy Tunsil, both projected to be first round picks in the upcoming NFL draft.
Treadwell had 71 receiving yards and three touchdowns on Saturday night and completed a 45 yard pass to Jordan Wilkins in the second quarter.
Tunsil protected Chad Kelly’s blindside, shutting down Emanuel Ogbah, and even added a two yard “rushing” touchdown on the last play of the first half.
“I think we just executed better and played at higher intensity,” Treadwell said. “The pieces fell our way.”
It was a celebration of players such as seniors Trae Elston, Channing Ward, and Mike Hilton who could have played college football elsewhere after Ole Miss’ 2-10 season in 2011, but chose to join Hugh Freeze and build something from the ground up in Oxford.
“Next year, man, I see them winning the national championship,” Ward said.
It was a celebration of players such as fifth year seniors C.J. Johnson, Aaron Morris, and Justin Bell who went 2-10 in their freshmen year and could have transferred out.
“That recruiting class, it’s like the C.J. Johnsons, Woody Hamiltons, Aaron Morris and Justin Bell all suffered some very discouraging losses before we got here,” Freeze said. “They got to go, you know, from that to winning the Magnolia Bowl and then go to the Sugar Bowl all in one season.”
It was a celebration, a celebration of what those players have done in turning Ole Miss from an afterthought in the SEC to one that competes for SEC titles.
Ole Miss is relevant now. It was relevant before Friday night’s domination in the Sugar Bowl, but it was another step in the right direction for a program that four short years ago went 2-10 (0-8)
Ole Miss is in on elite national recruits. They’re in on Rashan Gary. They’re in on Drake Davis. They’re in on Nate Craig-Myers. Those are the type players that lead programs to staying nationally relevant.
“The Ole Miss brand now is probably as strong as it has ever been,” Freeze said. “We think we have an environment that is attractive to a lot of certain type of people that want to do something new and fresh at a different place.”
They’re in on those type of players because of the efforts of the aforementioned players. Ole Miss, at this point, is a force to be reckoned with in the landscape of college football.
So it was a celebration, a sending off party of sorts. That team will never play together again, but if four years from now Ole Miss is continuing to rise in the college football world, the aforementioned players will be what started the change.
“I know these coaches and these players are going to make sure this program is still on the rise,” Hilton said. “I feel like in the next couple of years, this program is going to keep on rising.”
