Rebels bowl picture more clear

Sports

December 3, 2008

Anonymous Picayune Item Wed Dec 03, 2008, 01:50 AM CST

By CHRIS TALBOTT

Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Houston Nutt was right — it was a November to remember for Mississippi.

The No. 22 Rebels put themselves in prime position for a January bowl with four straight wins down the stretch.

“You always want to finish the way we finished,” Nutt said. “There’s nothing like winning in the end because your stock rises.”

The question now is where will Ole Miss land? There are still several scenarios to be decided on the field, but the group can be safely whittled down to two: the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla., and the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

To Nutt, there are no disappointments in that group.

“There’s no way you can’t have a good time in Orlando because of Disney World, MGM, Universal Studios, the weather. It’s just awesome,” Nutt said. “Those people do an excellent job.

“I’ve been to the Cotton Bowl three times. The work that (chairman) Rick Baker and their staff do is unbelievable. They are so thorough, so detailed, so committed to the players, to their families, from the luncheon to the banquet to all the activities, it’s just a very good place.”

Conventional wisdom says top-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Florida will go to BCS bowls with the loser of the Southeastern Conference championship game going to the Sugar.

That would leave Georgia (9-3) and Ole Miss (8-4) next in the pecking order. The Capital One Bowl has first shot after the BCS selections and must take the team with the next best record overall or a team within one win. So Ole Miss is in the picture there.

If the Capital One goes to Georgia, the Cotton Bowl and Outback bowls pick next but are limited in their choices. The Cotton Bowl must take an SEC West team and the Outback must take a team from the East. The Outback could take a team from the West once the Cotton chooses, but there’s no way the Rebels make it past the Jan. 2 bowl.

Baker did not return phone messages left by The Associated Press, but told several reporters this week that its choice will be Ole Miss.

The Rebels win in either scenario, however.

The chance to travel to a bowl after four straight losing seasons has energized a program that was winless in the SEC last year and thoroughly demoralized when Nutt took over from fired coach Ed Orgeron. Most don’t know what to expect, but they know it will be something good.

“I’ve never experienced a bowl game,” senior defensive lineman Peria Jerry said. “I can’t explain it. I’m just waiting to see what happens.”

The bowl appearance also brings boosters and fans who may have let Ole Miss drop on their priorities list back into the fold. What is more important, though, both the Capital One and Cotton bowls are in prime recruiting country. Florida and Texas have an overflow of talent each year and the Rebels will have a chance to make their case to a number of prospects.

Nutt and his staff got off to a slow start in recruiting, barely registering among the top 250 recruits of several scouting services. But the coaches got calls from prospects after the 45-0 Egg Bowl win who are considering changing their commitments and are taking a hard look at the Rebels.

“It’s so much different because of the success and winning,” Nutt said. “Everybody loves a winner. It’s easier to sell now. It is harder to get people to jump into your wagon when you haven’t been winning the last three or four years and haven’t been to a bowl game. That’s tough to sell.”

Text Only

Sports

Tide teams advance
Both Picayune basketball teams will be playing for Region 8-5A championships Friday night. The Lady Tide returned to the Class 5A South State playoffs for the first time in two years, thanks to a 47-40 win over West Harrison.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Season ends for PRC teams
The season came to an end for both Pearl River Central teams in the opening round of the Region 8-4A Tournament Tuesday night. The Blue Devils fought hard against top-seeded West Harrison, before coming up short in a 47-43 loss to the Hurricanes.

February 8, 2012
League tourneys set
With regular season play wrapping up over the weekend, local prep basketball teams now look forward to their respective district tournaments which begin this week.
All area teams will begin postseason play on Tuesday night, with two local teams hosting tournaments.

February 4, 2012
Super Bowl today
MVP quarterbacks on marquee franchises. A rematch of a nail-biter from four years ago, featuring many of the same key characters. Madonna and plenty of Manning — Eli, and Peyton, too.
This Super Bowl certainly has all the makings of another thriller, the perfect finish to a season that began in turmoil and wound up the most successful in league history.

February 4, 2012
Picayune sweeps Pearl River Central
Shemar Williams hit four of six free throws in the final minute and his Picayune teammates completed the task at hand as the Maroon Tide turned back Pearl River Central 70-62 on Friday night.

January 28, 2012
Green County beats Lady Hornets
A small sign in green and gold hung on the fence at the Poplarville High Stadium, reading, “We believe! Go Hornets!.”
And certainly, while a little belief can go a long way, it simply wasn’t enough for the Lady Hornets in Saturday afternoon’s semifinals of the Class 4A South State girls soccer playoffs.

January 28, 2012
Blue Devils face forfeitures
Pearl River Central’s Boys basketball team is in the midst of one of its best seasons on the hardwood in a decade. The Blue Devils, however, face the possibility of having to forfeit many, if not all of their 15 wins.

January 24, 2012
Local teams split hoops games
The struggles continued for both Poplarville High teams Friday night.
Homestanding Ocean Springs swept a pair of games from Poplarville, as the Hornets fell 83-35 and the Lady Hornets dropped a 48-36 decision.

January 21, 2012 1 Photo
River splits
Pearl River Community College splits with Hinds in women’s and men’s MACJC South Division basketball action here Thursday with the Lady Wildcats pulling off a 66-53 victory, while the Wildcats fell 62-59.

January 21, 2012
Moultrie’s big numbers lead MSU
When Arnett Moultrie and his Mississippi State teammates watch basketball highlights on television, the conversation often evolves into a discussion about the lack of respect the 18th-ranked Bulldogs feel they get on the national level.

January 19, 2012
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Rebels bowl picture more clear

Site Map

Contact Us