Ole Miss Live Blog - Second Half

What's going on: I'm glued to the radio like a Brooklyn Dodgers fan circa early 1900s, so I'm going to do my best to do some live blogging without any visual element here whatsoever... Feel free to drop in, refresh constantly, and interact via comments at the bottom. All times below are Central Daylight Time. The first half live blog can be found one post below.

-- 6:57: And we're back... Maclin takes return to MU 29-yard line.

-- 6:59: Touchdown to Greg Bracey. Once again, Daniel finds a receiver who burned Terrell Jackson. Chase now has five touchdowns - and this isn't Murray State.

UPSET DENIED: Fresno State failed to convert on a 2-point conversion in overtime; Aggies win 47-45. Does Texas A&M's showing against Fresno cost them votes? Does that open the door for Missouri, looking that much more impressive up 4 TDs on the road in the SEC?

-- 7:04: Well that was quick. Hardy Ricks gets beat for a 68-yard TD pass.

-- 7:05: Poor snap on the extra point costs Ole Miss the PAT. MU 35, Ole Miss 13.

-- 7:08: ESPN GameCast is beginning to get behind. I'm not liking this.

-- 7:10: Mizzou tries Coffman on the bubble screen WR pass. Personally, I'm not sure I like the call.

-- 7:13: Ole Miss finally able to pressure Daniel, forcing him into intentional grounding penalty. Mizzou stil in the red zone.

-- 7:15: Wolfert tacks on three points. Mizzou leads 38-13 with nine and a half minutes remaining in the quarter.

-- 7:21: My browser shuts down and I lose my radio connection. Upon my return, Ole Miss is in the redzone.

-- 7:24: Face-guarding pass interference penalty on Darnell Terrell gives Ole Miss another set of downs to work with.

-- 7:26: Little to no pressure on Seth Adams (according to radio), leading to Shay Hardy's second TD reception of the day. Hardy makes catch over true freshman Carl Gettis. Two-point conversion attempt is broken up by Darnell Terrell, MU leads 38-19.

-- 7:30: Ole Miss squib kicks. Are they avoiding Maclin?

-- 7:31: Coffman out route gets MU a first down. Temple follows with an 11-yard run to put him over 100 yards. I am elated at this news, now realizing my immense love-hate relationship with Tony Temple.

-- 7:34: Wolfert from 43, no good. Suddenly Wolfert doesn't seem as infallible as he did last year.

-- 7:36: I can't find a gametracker that is actually caught up. The MU defense is being carved up. I'm prepared to stab something.

-- 7:37: Green-Ellis is down to the Mizzou 2 as the third quarter ends. Points by Ole Miss here could make the final 15 minutes extremely interesting. MU leads 38-19 headed to the fourth quarter.

-- 7:40: ESPN's RealTime scoreboard says Ole Miss has scored. My radio is still behind/in commercial. This can't be good...

-- 7:41: My impeccable intuition/common sense was right: Green-Ellis rushes for a touchdown and now has 185 yards on the ground. The two-point conversion is incomplete, and Mizzou leads by 13. That sound you hear is the Mizzou run defense imploding.

-- 7:43: This next drive is HUGE. The Tigers must get points here to swing momentum back towards Mizzou, even if it's only three from Wolfert.

-- 7:45: Chase Daniel rushes to Ole Miss 48 for a first down. Marcus Tillman, ETS' trendy pick for Ole Miss Unsung Hero, lost containment.

-- 7:48: I scan the tube for other games. I notice that FSN Midwest elects to show the Cardinals rather than TCU-Texas. As both a Texan and a diehard college football fan, this pisses me off.

-- 7:49: Rucker run stops short of first down. Mizzou can't pick up first on 3rd-and-1. Crossett on to punt.

-- 7:51: Coffman downs the ball at the Ole Miss 9. Ole Miss has the ball and the momentum. I have a major anxiety attack.

-- 7:53: Kelly reports that Ole Miss and Missouri have combined for 978 yards of offense thus far. Somewhere, defensive enthusiasts are bawling.

-- 7:57: Double blow for MU: Shay Hodge reception gives Ole Miss a first down -AND- Pig Brown is shaken up on the play.

-- 7:58: Del Howard in to replace Pig Brown. To my knowledge, Howard has never won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. I miss Pig already.

-- 8:00: Green-Ellis breaks tackles to move the ball down inside the Mizzou 40. He now has 200-plus yards with that run.

-- 8:02: Ole Miss threatening at the Mizzou 25.

-- 8:03: Adams in shotgun on 3rd-and-6, throws bubble screen and Hardy Ricks snuffs out the play.

-- 8:04: Ole Miss goes for it on 4th down, and Adams throws incomplete. Pig Brown returns, and delivers "a lick" (according to Mike Kelly) to Shay Hodge. It's official. ETS has a man crush on Pig Brown. Mizzou takes over after a stalled 66-yard drive.

-- 8:06: Pistol formation iso play to Temple for a few yards. Brings up third down.

-- 8:07: Rucker in at QB, runs left and is stuffed. Offensive line blown up "by huge surge." Kelly calls it "a collapse." Crossett punt upcoming.

-- 8:09: TigerBoard is lighting up. Pinkel is being called out for being conservative and typical MU second half anxiety is running high.

-- 8:10: I'm told Mizzou Arena is proud to host Elton John. I'm too exasperated with this game to make a smartass or witty remark.

-- 8:14: MU gets the ball back after an Ole Miss three-and-out. I have little else to add, as I was on the phone updating a friend on the game at this point.

-- 8:15: Crowd begins to head for exits with 1:38 remaining in game. Mizzou punt upcoming after yet another three-and-out following a playaction draw by Daniel.

-- 8:17: Kelly: "You didn't expect it to be easy, but it is disconcerting the way Missouri lets teams back into things."

-- 8:19: Ole Miss driving. The game is no longer in doubt, but somewhere a gambling addict is pulling for Ole Miss to throw into the end zone and pull within 5-6 to cover the spread.

-- 8:20: Kelly says MU is now 17-7-1 against the SEC all-time. No comment from Les Miles yet about the SEC's supremacy.

-- 8:21: Justin Garrett intercepts a Seth Adams pass to put Mizzou in the win column. The Tigers will return home next week for the home opener against Western Michigan.

-- 8:22: I look over and see Virginia Tech and LSU are just about to kick off. I love college football Saturdays. I proclaim this out loud to no one in particular.

Ole Miss Live Blog - First Half

I'm glued to the radio like a Brooklyn Dodgers fan circa early 1900s, so I'm going to do my best to do some live blogging without any visual element here whatsoever... Feel free to drop in, refresh constantly, and interact via comments at the bottom. All times below are Central Daylight Time.

-- 5:00: Missouri loses coin toss. Ole Miss elects to receive. Mizzou without the ball on first possession.

-- 5:04: BenJarvus Green-Ellis already has two carries for 23 yards. Two first downs already for the Rebels.

-- 5:07: Mizzou forces Seth Adams to scramble on 3rd and long. Maclin fair catches punt a MU 9-yard line. Mizzou takes over for first drive.

-- 5:09: Just heard the first instance of two different things I expect a lot of this broadcast: an MU first down, as well as an in-game promo for Budweiser.

-- 5:13: Mike Kelly at his finest [paraphrased]: "Daniel throws deep over the middle, caught by Perry and no, dropped."

-- 5:15: Mizzou fails to convert on third down. The Tigers were 2-of-3 on third down for the drive. Crossett's punt bounces into end zone. Daniel goes 6-of-9 for 38 yards on the drive.

-- 5:21: Seems like a long commercial break for a game that isn't being televised...

-- 5:23: See above.

-- 5:25: Turns out KMOX made me miss an entire Ole Miss drive. Thanks guys!

-- 5:26: And now Missouri is punting. Isn't the lack of television awesome?

-- 5:29: Mike Kelly tells me to trust a local internet provider for high-speed service. Can the service ensure that KMOX doesn't skip over two minutes of football?

-- 5:34: The new weapon emerges: Martin "Mr. T-Ruck" Rucker breaks a tackle on a first down run. Kelly says an Ole Miss defender is hurt. Rucker pities the fool.


Photo credit Columbia Tribune

-- 5:39: Jeremy "X-factor" Maclin gets the ball on a reverse, then on a short pass from Daniel. The more Maclin, the better. Mizzou is inside the 10. Can they punch/finesse it in?

-- 5:44: First quarter ends. Missouri still knocking on doorstep. Couple of thoughts:
- Love Rucker running the ball
- Maclin may be the closest thing to Percy Harvin in the Big 12
- Mizzou already has 10 first downs, Daniel has already thrown 16 passes. What are the odds Mizzou finishes with 40 first downs and 64 pass attemps?
- Scoreless first HAS to favor Ole Miss.

-- 5:46: Will Franklin scores and "The Helicopter" has arrived. Mizzou goes 55 yards in 10 plays.

-- 5:52: Seth Adams third down scramble falls short of first down. Ole Miss offense is still on field, but radio cuts away. Does Ole Miss test its luck on fourth down?

-- 5:54: Ole Miss burned a timeout to review the spot. The spot was upheld and Mizzou receives the ball a the 27 after an Ole Miss punt.

-- 5:57: Two friends of mine check in from Oxford. I'm told the student section at Ole Miss is rather impressive. I trust this perspective because one of the aforementioned friends is a diehard Notre Dame fan.

-- 5:58: Above note includes fan involvement, football knowledge, and, of course, female attractiveness.

-- 5:59: My attention is being drawn more and more to Texas A&M-Fresno State. Fresno trails the Aggies 29-22, but is inside the Aggie 5 with :24 seconds left.

-- 6:01: My attention is back. Franklin burns Ole Miss DB Terrell Jackson deep for his second TD of the day. 14-0 Tigers.

-- 6:05: Kelly makes a good point. The Mizzou lead should help force the game into Seth Adams hands and away from Green-Ellis' legs.

-- UPSET WATCH: Fresno scores on 4th-and-goal with :05 seconds left. Fresno and Texas A&M tied at 29. Would a loss to Fresno mean there's no way the Aggies are ranked when they come to Columbia? Are you Tiger fans pulling for the Big 12 in this situation?

-- 6:08: Green-Ellis has already carried 10 times for 76 yards. Ole Miss first-and-goal at the MU 9. The Rebel offense finally seems awake.

-- 6:09: Van Alexander and Brock Christopher pursue Green-Ellis, force and recover a fumble. Kelly says Terrell came up with recovery. Big stop for Mizzou, especially if the Tigers turn it into points.

-- 6:11: Tony Temple busts a big run for 33 yards. I curb my enthusiasm about halfway between "Temple vs. Illinois" and "Temple vs. Oregon State."

-- 6:14: Kelly: "Caught, dropped by Franklin."

-- 6:15: T-Rucker: 40-yard reception for a TD! Missouri is embarassing the Rebel secondary. Rucker pities those fools (don't expect this to stop). Missouri went 91 yards in six plays in only 1:54.

-- UPDATE: Texas A&M up 3 in OT, but Fresno State is first-and-goal on its possession.

-- 6:19: I look back and Ole Miss is right outside of the Missouri red zone. Already?

-- 6:20: Green-Ellis runs down to the MU 9. He's carried 15 times for 110 yards.

-- 6:21: Pig Brown with consecutive tackles on 2nd and 3rd down. While Ole Miss ponders 4th down play, Kelly says announced attendance is over 50,000.

-- UPDATE: I know I'm going to get ripped apart for straying form MU coverage, but this Fresno-Texas A&M game is absolutely nuts. The officials just overturned a play they just upheld. A recovered fumble on the play should have ended the game, but a roughing the passer penalty kept the Bulldogs alive. Consider me captivated...

-- 6:25: Ole Miss going for it on 4th down. Ole Miss converts on a reverse after a missed tackle by Stryker Sulak.

-- 6:26: Shay Hodge receives the pass from Seth Adams on a slant for an Ole Miss touchdown with 1:09 remaining in the half. 71 yards in 8 plays taking 3:07 off the clock. Remember, Mizzou gets the ball back to begin the second half.

-- 6:28: Maclin's 30-yard return puts Mizzou on their own 45. The Tigers may be able to add some points before the end of the half. As I type, MU converts for first down.

-- 6:29: Coffman down to Ole Miss 21.

-- 6:30: Tigers go five-wide and Franklin gets out of bounds after an 11-yard gain for a first down.

-- 6:31: Pass complete to Maclin, MU timeout stops clock with seven seconds left. Check that, officials reset clock to nine seconds - enough time to take a shot at the endzone.

-- 6:32: Empty backfield, fade pattern: touchdown Mizzou! Coffman scores with :04 seconds left in the half, despite defensive pass interference. 54 yards in 8 plays for a 28-7 lead. Again, MU gets the ball back in the second half.

UPDATE: Fresno scores a touchdown in second OT to lead Texas A&M. The Aggies must score to force another OT. If Texas A&M loses, do you think Mizzou vaults into the Top 25 if they win impressively in Oxford?

-- 6:35: Halftime after a 28-point 2nd quarter by Missouri, tying a record for a Gary Pinkel Missouri team. The breakdown of the defense towards the end of the half may be a concern, but otherwise, things looking (er, sounding) excellent. Not to mention, the half only took about an hour and a half. Seems like it would be early second quarter if this was the Illinois game.

ETS Note: I'll be blogging from a new post for the second half. This one got long quickly.