Hugh Freeze’s “Schedule” and How it Impacts Perception
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Ole Miss fans have heard the phrase “ahead of schedule” in such an abundance, many of them likely mutter it in their sleep as they replay Senquez Golson’s toe tapping, game sealing interception to defeat Nick Saban’s #1 Tide. What does it actually mean? Does it mean fans should anticipate becoming stagnant? Settling for single digit win totals? Or is it a salutation to Freeze’s previous teams?
Stagnation?
“Georgia fans are crazy. Richt is always good for 9+ wins and a top 15 ranking. I’d take that in a heartbeat.” Words like these have been spoken by dozens of fan bases in the last decade as Mark Richt has become the Dean of SEC coaches. Richt stirred a hunger in fans (2008 Sugar Bowl anyone?) but has not appeased it.
Is this what “ahead of schedule” means to Coach Freeze? Ole Miss was meant to gradually rise but instead rose quickly? Are fans supposed to temper expectations because previous teams outperformed expectations? Does this mean that the Rebels are in line to become the next “Georgia,” the good team who can’t quite get over the hump?
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Settling?
Hugh Freeze has never drawn a higher approval rating than he currently has. He will also never top it without a trip to Atlanta. Between the 2013 recruiting class (littered with busts behind the studs…but we’ll save that for another time), an upset of #1 Alabama, a 2-1 record against The University of Mississippi’s arch rival in StarkVegas, a New Year’s Six Bowl, and a commitment from an elite 2016 quarterback . . . Freeze has the full support of Rebel Nation.
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According to Freeze, however, the Rebels are ahead of schedule. After taking over a 2 win team in 2012, Freeze has publicly stated his plan was to achieve bowl eligibility after year 3. A 2014-type season was a pipe dream. Should Ole Miss fans brace themselves for a fall in 2015 and beyond? A fall that would likely still land them eons ahead of where Houston Nutt left the program, but still drastically short of current expectations.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Salutation?
Expectations were kept vague in Hugh Freeze’s first years. When asked about team goals, the answer invariably involved bringing the fight to the opponent for 60 minutes and not much else. Bowl eligibility, much less SEC title talk, was never mentioned. In an interview with the SEC Network as a part of their “Summer Football Tour,” Freeze eliminated vague expectations. He acknowledged that he had never publicly stated team goals until now, while pronouncing the 2015 Rebels expect to compete for the SEC West.
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This statement changes the ahead of schedule conversation. Instead of tempering expectaions, it has served to salute the past versions of overachieving Rebel teams. Whether it was pre-shoulder Bo and opportunity Deznel in 2012, the influx of elite talent in 2013, or the rise of the Landshark D in 2014, each team has been marked by overachievers. This year, however, 9-3 (5-3 SEC) would be a gut-wrenching underachievement. Such is life in the SEC.
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