Talk of Champions

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Ole Miss track and field’s Samara McConnell became a pole-vaulter by accident Nov 26, 2024

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Ole Miss shot-putter Mensi Stiff sits down with her track and field teammate, Samara McConnell, to discuss her five seasons pole-vaulting for the Rebels, Riley Gaines, the positives and negatives of social media and so much more.

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Rebel Yell Hotline: Puzzling personnel decisions and Egg Bowl week Nov 26, 2024

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Ole Miss is 8-3 (4-3 SEC) on the season following its upset loss at Florida over the weekend. The Rebels made a number of puzzling personnel decisions that seemingly contributed to the loss. However, they have no time to lick their wounds, as the annual Egg Bowl rivalry game with Mississippi State is fast-approaching on Black Friday.

We asked Kiffin (again!) about Bentley. Mystery, for now, remains unsolved. Nov 25, 2024

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Ben Garrett of the Ole Miss Spirit (OMSpirit.com) welcomes you inside an all-new edition of Talk of Champions — an Ole Miss podcast powered by RiverLand Roofing.

Text or call RiverLand for all your roofing needs: 662-644-4297. Few, if any, are doing more for Ole Miss football in the NIL (name, image and likeness) space. Visit them online at RiverLandRoofing.com.

Ole Miss is 8-3 (4-3 SEC) on the season following a crushing loss at Florida on Saturday. Results elsewhere in college football have kept the Rebels’ plummeting College Football Playoff hopes at least on life support.

Anything short of a berth for the Rebels in 2024-25 was always considered a failure.

The primary culprit, assuming Ole Miss is ultimately left out, has been offensive underperformance. Worst of all? Perplexing personnel decisions by fifth-year head coach Lane Kiffin and staff.

None is more egregious than the lack of usage for running back Ulysses Bentley, IV.

Bentley, IV, entered the year as the highest-graded returning RB in the SEC. Yet, in a playoff-deciding game, Ole Miss’ WR5 — Micah Davis, a offseason transfer from Utah State — received more carries than any other Rebel, regardless of position. He averaged 2.5 yards per carry.

Bentley, IV, had zero carries. Ole Miss has lost two of three games in which Bentley, IV, hasn't gotten a touch. His only extended run was LSU. Bentley, IV, broke off the longest run of Ole Miss’ season (50 yards).

WR/DL accounted for 48.6 percent of the carries at Florida. QB Jaxson Dart had another 40 percent. RBs got 11.4 percent. And remember: Ole Miss was playing the No. 98-ranked run defense, too.

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. We try in this edition of Talk of Champions.

ToC After Florida: Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff hopes Swamped Nov 23, 2024

Show notes

Ben Garrett of the Ole Miss Spirit (OMSpirit.com) welcomes you inside a postgame edition of ‘Talk of Champions’ — an Ole Miss podcast powered by RiverLand Roofing.

Text or call RiverLand for all your roofing needs: 662-644-4297. Few, if any, are doing more in the Ole Miss NIL (name, image and likeness) space. Visit them online at RiverLandRoofing.com.

The No. 9 Rebels fell to 8-3 (4-3 SEC) on the season with a 24-17 loss to the upstart Florida Gators (6-5, 4-4) Saturday in Gainesville. The loss was essentially a redux of one/both of the LSU and/or Kentucky losses.

And it’s likely to cost Ole Miss dearly.

The Rebels had an 84 percent chance to make the playoffs with a win. The loss dropped those odds to just four percent. Where does Lane Kiffin and the transfer-heavy Rebels go from here?

Judd U: Owen Paino put off MLB to be Ole Miss’ present and future at shortstop Nov 22, 2024

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Ole Miss veteran slugger Judd Utermark welcomes freshman Rebel shortstop Owen Paino inside ‘Judd U,’ powered by RiverLand Roofing, to discuss, among other topics, Paino’s journey to Ole Miss, his first-love sport and adjusting to his new surroundings.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Paino is from Poughkeepsie, New York, and a leading candidate to start for Ole Miss at shortstop in 2025. He posted a .532 batting average and .722 on-base percentage for Roy C. Ketcham High School as a senior last season.

Paino total 28 RBI, 37 runs and 22 stoles basses. He was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

The Flagship: Ole Miss aims to solidify CFP resume in The Swamp Nov 21, 2024

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No. 9 Ole Miss looks to silence its remaining doubters — assuming there are any — this weekend at Florida.

The Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC) take on the Gators (5-5, 3-4) Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ABC.

Zach Berry of the Ole Miss Spirit (OMSpirit.com) welcomes in his ‘Hit That Line’ crew for a football-packed edition of ‘The Flagship,’ powered by College Corner and Homefield Apparel.

We’re breaking down Week 13 from all angles and picking winners. Let’s get to it.

The Flagship: Ole Miss recruiting Q&A with latest intel and scoop Nov 20, 2024

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Ole Miss Spirit recruiting expert Zach Berry welcomes you inside an all-new edition of ‘The Flagship,’ powered by College Corner and Homefield Apparel.

Berry’s answering your pressing Ole Miss questions in this Wednesday (November 20, 2024) edition of ‘The Flagship.’ National Signing Day is around the corner. Let’s talk top targets, the transfer portal and the latest intel and scoop from the trail.

Push to NSD: Who’s next to commit for Ole Miss football? Nov 19, 2024

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Ben Garrett and Zach Berry of the Ole Miss Spirit (OMSpirit.com) set the stage for Ole Miss’ final push to the first of two National Signing Days in this edition of ‘Talk of Champions,’ powered by RiverLand Roofing.

Ole Miss flipped five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham from Alabama and four-star offensive lineman Devin Harper from LSU last week. Who’s next to commit to the Rebels? And where could Ole Miss turn first in the NCAA Transfer Portal?

“If you made me pick a name, very close to a flip, RPM pick for Tyler Miller,” Berry said. “Still waiting to talk to a couple people this week. I know there’s a lot of buzz there, a lot of momentum. But LSU’s done a hell of a job his entire recruitment. His mom has been all-in on LSU and what they have planned for him. They love the offensive line coach there.

“But Ole Miss just continues to chip away — pretty much at all of the remaining targets. But Tyler Miller, in particular, is one I think could be next. Not saying he is going to be, but if you made me choose one out of the remaining targets, I would say it’s Tyler Miller.”

‘Talk of Champions’ is always powered by RiverLand Roofing. Text or call RiverLand today for all your roofing needs: 662-644-4297. Few, if any, are doing more for Ole Miss in the NIL space. Visit them online at RiverLandRoofing.com.

Rebel Yell Hotline: Florida week with Buddy Martin and Harry Harrison Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

Buddy Martin from Gator Media and Harry Harrison of the Ole Miss Radio Network join this edition of the Rebel Yell Hotline to open Florida week for Rebel football.

Anti-Ole Miss bias is real, but CFP resume only keeps getting stronger and stronger Nov 18, 2024

Show notes

Ben Garrett of the Ole Miss Spirit (OMSpirit.com) welcomes you inside an all-new, Monday (November 18, 2024) edition of Talk of Champions, powered by our friends at RiverLand Roofing.

There’s a better chance Ole Miss hosts a College Football Playoff game than gets left out. But polls from the coaches and AP show how anti-Ole Miss bias is still very real in the rooms where all the decisions happen.

Still, the Rebels have the best win of anybody in college football. They also went into the weekend needing Arkansas over Texas, Florida over LSU, South Carolina over Missouri, Georgia over Tennessee and Kansas over BYU. They went 4 for 5.

Ole Miss is in as strong a spot as anyone with two regular season games left, no matter the outside noise. Up next for the Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC) is a tricky road trip to Florida (5-5, 3-4).

The Gators are a different team with DJ Lagaway at quarterback. They showed as much in making easy work of LSU.

Ole Miss dominated Georgia head to head. The teams have identical records. The Rebels should be ranked higher.

They’d do well to have the Big 12 become a one-bid league, sure. But Tennessee lost to Arkansas AND Georgia. Ole Miss blew both of those teams out. The Rebels also went to South Carolina and destroyed the Gamecocks by 24 — another Top 20 win that only looks better and better with each passing week.

Texas isn’t inspiring, and the Bulldogs were raced by Georgia. Yet the Longhorns are 3, Georgia is 8 and Ole Miss is 9. Make it make sense!

We try to on Talk of Champions. Text or call RiverLand for all your roofing needs (662-644-4297). Few are doing more in the Ole Miss NIL space than RiverLand Roofing. Visit them online at RiverLandRoofing.com.

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