They could have been giving away adult beverages on 6th Street and Darrell Royal Stadium still would have been a hostile environment in the second half of last Saturday’s game as Ole Miss dared take on the Longhorns of Texas.
The tiny school from kind, little Oxford, Miss., rolled into Austin, the capitol of the Lone Star State, and never slowed down.
It doesn’t matter that Texas is somewhat in disarray. It has been for years. What mattered was that the Rebels rocked and socked the Longhorns en route to a 44-23 victory, and suddenly the SEC West Division doesn’t look like a mortal lock for Alabama, which made it an SEC sweep in the state of Texas on Saturday by beating Texas A&M.
What should be even more of a concern for the defending national champion Crimson Tide is that LSU is looking better every week.
Yes, the Tigers must visit Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 9 but the last time that happened they won. Granted, LSU changed absolutely nothing for the BCS Championship Game and lost to Alabama, which added offensive wrinkles.
LSU is averaging 488 yards per game, 218.66 on the ground and a surprising 269.33 through the air. The Mad Hatter, Les Miles, also appears to be staying away from the offensive play-calling.
After three victories Zach Mettenberger has completed 45 of 69 passes for 797 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has zero interceptions.
The Tigers have depth at running back, so a suspension or two won’t really matter.
LSU does have a tough schedule. It has to go to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi State and Oxford, but the Tigers are more than a hurdle in Alabama’s path. They are a real challenge.
The Rebels may be, too.
Put this writer down as one of those who thought quarterback Bo Wallace was too inconsistent, the team was young and the defense had holes.
After beating Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., to open the season, the Rebs rolled over Southeast Missouri and then took a big chunk out of the Longhorns.
The Rebels took a 14-0 lead before falling behind 23-17 going into halftime, but instead of accepting a morale victory they came out with their teeth bared and snarling Hotty Toddy.
Ole Miss held Texas on the first possession of the second half, then drove 80 yards on 12 plays with Wallace scrambling for the final 15 yards as the Rebels took the lead for good. And, as long as they had the Longhorns down, they went ahead and branded them a few more times.
The Rebels defense held Texas to 4 yards and the offense celebrated by driving 81 yards on 11 plays. This time the touchdown was a 17-yard pass to Evan Engram.
Then the defense held the Horns to 3 yards, and just for good measure Jeff Scott returned the punt 73 yards for another touchdown. At that point, even those wearing those T-shirts that said Keep Mack - Texas Coach Mack Brown is probably going to retire or be reassigned after this season - started to feel the dye running down their backs.
The Rebels added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, and while scoring 27 unanswered points in the second half was impressive - even against a defense that should be much better - the most important stat of the second half was that the Ole Miss defense held Texas to 90 total yards.
Now the Rebels get a week off, a critical week off, before they go on the road to Tuscaloosa and encounter a truly hostile environment where they get a chance to prove, once again, that they are a contender and not a pretender.
Their chances are looking better.
Ole Miss may not win at Tuscaloosa, but it is obvious that in just his second year as head coach Hugh Freeze is not afraid, and neither are his Rebels.
Sports, Pages 19 on 09/18/2013