DM Photo | Tyler Jackson Andrew Ritter takes a deep breath before kicking the game-winning field goal against LSU last season.
Being an Ole Miss football fan has to be one of the hardest roles in sports. My father introduced me to Ole Miss football when I was less than 2 years old, and it has been a roller coaster ride ever since. It takes a lot to be an Ole Miss football fan. It definitely takes a special type of person to endure both the heart-stopping wins and heartbreaking losses.
When I think of the high points, I think of storming the field after knocking off sixth-ranked Florida in 2002. I think of Andrew Ritter nailing a field goal to beat sixth-ranked LSU just last year.
The low points include blowing a fourteen point lead in the 2007 Egg Bowl to allow Mississippi State to become bowl eligible. I think of losing a record-setting seven-overtime game to Arkansas in 2001.
Ole Miss football has been on the cusp of making the jump from good to great several times. In 2003, I watched an Ole Miss team, undefeated in SEC play and led by Eli Manning, square off against LSU with the winner set to go to the SEC Championship. Three missed field goals later by Ole Miss and LSU wins the game 17-14. Six years later in 2009, I watched the Rebels carry a top-five ranking into South Carolina and lose a difficult Thursday night road test 16-10. In 2013, I was in attendance when the Rebels went into Tuscaloosa with a 3-0 season and ranked in the AP top 25, but got out-manned by a talented Alabama team.
Ole Miss has been close many times, but come up just short. That could all change beginning this Saturday.
Ever since Hugh Freeze stepped onto this campus in January of 2012 after inheriting a program that had hit rock bottom, he has preached about changing the culture. Freeze has done just that in a remarkably short amount of time.
His philosophy from the start has been to focus on each day and “Win the Day.” Freeze has led this program in a complete turn around in under three years. Now the Rebels sit 4-0 just outside of a top ten national ranking. The excitement for Ole Miss football has never been higher than now and an unbelievable opportunity is before us.
The culture has changed.
People are beginning to believe in greatness instead of dreaming of it. People are expecting great things instead of hoping for them. Freeze refers to his time at Ole Miss as “The Journey.” This journey now sits in front of not only its toughest challenge, but also its greatest opportunity yet. The Rebels are about to embark on a five-game stretch that includes five conference games, four of which come against teams ranked in the top fifteen nationally. It all begins Saturday against arguably the best team in the country: Alabama.
The time to make the jump from good to great is now. The talent is definitely there, the depth is developing and the experience at quarterback is greater than any other team in the SEC.
College GameDay will be making its first ever visit to Oxford. The game will be broadcast in primetime coverage on CBS. The national spotlight is on.
At the beginning of this season, Freeze asked his players to “buy in,” to go “all in,” to do anything and everything necessary to make each day successful. Since day one, every member of the Ole Miss football program has bought in and has been rewarded with this amazing opportunity. The Rebels have a wonderful opportunity to put this program in elite conversation. The journey is about to reach its peak. The Rebels have a chance to make history.
The stage is set.
Saturday will be an incredible scene in Oxford. GameDay will be here and there will be more people in the Grove than this campus has ever seen. These are the games that remind people why they love being a fan. The passion and love for Ole Miss football is because of moments like this. Saturday has all the makings for a historic day for Ole Miss football.
The time is now.
