Last Saturday in Oxford, the Ole Miss Rebels pulled off what might be the upset of the year. The unranked Rebels beat the 8th ranked Florida Gators in a battle of two defenses. Florida’s Rex Grossman threw 4 interceptions, and Ole Miss’ Eli Manning threw no touchdowns in what was pegged as a battle of two quarterbacks. While this is a big win for the Rebels, for this writer it serves only to bring back memories of Sept. 30, 2000. On September 30, 2000, The 2nd ranked Florida Gators rolled into Starkville with National Championship hopes gleaming in their eyes. They left with the gleam of a tear, as the Bulldogs dominated the Gators 47-35. The Gators, then coached by Steve Spurrier, were believed to be unbeatable. That is, until they ran into a brick wall of maroon.
So like every other notable sporting event involving Mississippi State or Ole Miss, the question is who was better? Was it the Dawgs’ dominance or the Rebels’ resolution? I had the distinct pleasure of being present at both these historic games, and there is no doubt in my mind that Sept. 30 was a much bigger day than Oct. 5. The evidence speaks for itself. There are five simple reasons why, try as they might, the Rebels still play second fiddle in the battle of the upsets.
1. Offense–For the Bulldogs, the offense was clicking. The Dawgs gained 517 total yards of offense, 351 of which came from the balanced ground attack. Junior Dicenzo Miller rushed for 172 yards, with sophomore Dontae Walker rushing for a career high 156 as well. The Rebels however, netted only 191 yards total offense, 37 of which was rushing. The Bulldog offense scored five touchdowns on the Gator defense. The Rebels scored one.
2. Defense–The Ole Miss defensive unit palyed one of its greatest games in history last Saturday, holding the Florida offense to 300 total yards, only 95 of which were rushing. As great of a feat as this is, the Bulldogs put on a proverbial clinic back in 2000, pounding the Gators into a negative 78 yard rushing total, the worst in school history.
3. Crowd–While Ole Miss holds a 15,000 seat advantage in the number of stadium seats, Rebel fans cheer nowhere near as loud as Mississippi State fans. Throughout the entire first half the Ole Miss crowd relied on a somber golf clap to give its team the encouragement it needed. Bulldog fans show up to the stadium ready to yell with a pom-pom in one hand, and a cowbell in their back pocket. No way will 61,000 clapping hands ever top 45,000 clanging bells and screaming voices. 4. Ranking–While Ole Miss did upset a top 10 team, they did not upset a championship calibur team. When Florida came to Starkville, they were undefeated. They were ranked second in the nation. They had the Orange Bowl clear in their view. This year’s Florida team had already been soundly beaten by the University of Miami.
5. Coach–This is the biggest reason why Ole Miss’ win doesn’t live up to the greatness of Mississippi State’s upset. When the Bulldogs hammered Florida, they did so with one of the greatest offensive strategists of our time on the opposing sideline, Steve Spurrier. For 12 seasons, Spurrier ran the football program at the University of Florida. They were perennial favorites to win the SEC and national titles. Once Spurrier bolted for the NFL, some of that Gator pride left with him. Ole Miss beat the Gators during a transition time. They beat a team still trying to find an identity without Steve Spurrier.
So was the Rebels’ win last Saturday a great one? Yes. The Rebels amazed a nation with that win, and should be able to use it as a motivational tool for years to come. However, for a least one team, there is nothing special about it. It’s simply been done before. A shining moment wrapped in maroon and white on a clear afternoon in September.