Tag: Ole Miss

Former Lions RB Kevin Smith shows off basketball skills at Ole Miss team meeting

Former Lions RB Kevin Smith shows off basketball skills at Ole Miss team meeting

Former Lions running back Kevin Smith was a pretty good football player during his time in the NFL. Turns out he’s also pretty good in basketball as well.

Smith, who spent five seasons with the Lions from 2008-2012, is now the running backs coach for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. He is in his second stint at Ole Miss and fourth season overall with the Rebels — Smith coached in 2020 and 2021, went to Miami in 2022 and came back to Ole Miss in 2023.

During a recent team meeting, Smith was able to showcase some of his basketball skills and now we are all able to see some of those skills thanks to Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who shared the video.

Smith has the Rebels fired up heading into a season in which they are ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP Poll. Will the Rebels crack the new 12-team playoff this season? Time will tell. Smith and Ole Miss open the season Saturday, August 31 against Furman.

247Sports projects Notre Dame-Ole Miss for College Football Playoff

The Irish don’t host in this projection.

Until the 2024 season begins, we’re left to make our own predictions for the newly expanded College Football Playoff. The only certainty is that Notre Dame can’t have higher than a fifth seed since the top four seeds are reserved for conference champions.

Most people think the Irish will host a first-round game, but Brad Crawford of 247Sports says not so fast. Crawford released his bowl projections for the season. While he does have the Irish in the No. 5 vs. No. 11 game, he has them as the 11th seed, traveling to Ole Miss.

The Irish and Rebels haven’t played each other much, and it’s been a long time. The Rebels were the only team the Irish lost to during their 1977 championship season, and the Irish won their only other meeting in 1985 in South Bend. Historically, this isn’t anything close to a rivalry.

Still, the Irish could use this as bulletin-board material. They know they’re good enough to host a first-round game at Notre Dame Stadium, and this should give them extra motivation to have a season that guarantees them that honor.

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Chargers training camp: Safety AJ Finley making case for roster spot

AJ Finley has been playing exceptionally well with the first-team defense.

The Chargers have an open competition for the third safety spot, and second-year AJ Finley has been making a strong case to seize it.

Finley has mixed in with the first-team defense in certain packages when Derwin James moves around to different positions.

He also played with the starters on Monday and Tuesday while Alohi Gilman was absent to be present for the arrival of his new baby.

But not only has he mixed in with the 1s, Finley has made the most of his opportunities, most recently nabbing an interception and pass defended on Wednesday.

 

“AJ is guy that guys have confidence in,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “He’s a guy who has made some plays in practice, communicates really well. He has a comfort out there.”

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, Finley primarily served as a special teamer in his rookie season. He forced a fumble against the Bills.

Over the course of his collegiate career, Finley recorded 245 total tackles, 13 passed defended, eight interceptions, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

USC women’s basketball to open 2024-2025 season in Paris vs Ole Miss

USC versus Ole Miss in women’s hoops, not football … and the game will be in France.

The USC women’s basketball team is heading to France, but not for the 2024 Olympic Games. The Trojans will go to Paris a few months later, opening the 2024-2025 college basketball season in the French capital against the Ole Miss Rebels on Nov. 4.

Ole Miss is a tough, hard-nosed, tenacious team coached by Yolett McCuin. Ole Miss knocked Stanford out of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, winning on the road in Maples Pavilion in the second round. The reputation Ole Miss has established for elite defense makes the season opener a great test for USC and its halfcourt offense. USC is clearly demonstrating that it wants to be challenged by everyone. The Trojans’ regular-season schedule includes big-time showdowns against UConn and Notre Dame, two schools favored to make the 2025 Women’s Final Four.

This game in Paris is not a new thing in women’s college basketball, either. Notre Dame and South Carolina played in Paris last year in an early-season game.

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Lane Kiffin savagely dunked on Paul Finebaum at SEC Media Day

This is ROUGH.

Paul Finebaum has been talking about college football for a long, long time. Through it all, he has never held his tongue about anything.

He’s going to say whatever comes to mind about a person, player or team. That’s how Finebaum has always been. Sometimes, it makes for good television. It can also create a bit of, uh, let’s call it animosity between Paul and the people he’s covering. Like Nick Saban said, Finebaum made his life hard for 17 years.

He’s got some coaches who’ve got beef with him. We can throw Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin into that category. He sat down with Finebaum for SEC Media Day and savagely dunked on him.

Kiffin also told a story about how Finebaum actually got him fired from USC with something he said on College Gameday.

“College gameday, you had to make your big splash. They were watching it because I know the other person in the room that was watching it with them. And you said what a joke I was and I’m the Miley Cyrus of college football. They looked at each other and later that night I was fired.” 

The exchange was ROUGH. Finebaum tried to laugh it off by pointing out how Miley Cyrus has blown up since then, but Kiffin wasn’t having it. He showed no mercy.

The entire exchange got so awkward.

“So you were wrong about that. So, really, I don’t know what you’re good at. You predicted coach Saban was done. That didn’t happen,” he said. “You basically said Miley Cyrus stinks and she’s still going.”

SHEESH. Finebaum’s face there says it all.

But hey, man. This is what happens when you talk the way Finebaum talks. It’s great for TV! But, clearly, it’s not the best for working relationships.

The Sporting News has Ducks in a rematch with Ohio State in Pasadena

According to a scenario The Sporting News laid out, Oregon and Ohio State would meet in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl.

As if one game with Ohio State inside Autzen Stadium isn’t enough of a season highlight for the Oregon football team, The Sporting News has the two teams facing off again in the Rose Bowl.

According to the long time publication, the Ducks and Buckeyes will play in Pasadena in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal for the chance at the semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.

Unfortunately for Oregon, TSN has the Buckeyes moving on to play Notre Dame, the No. 6 seed in their projections.

In the earlier round, The Sporting News has the No. 7-seeded Ducks hosting the No. 10-seed Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin in what they describe as a “shootout.” Oregon’s defense might differ with that particular assessment of how that matchup would go down, however.

If the Ducks and Buckeyes were to meet in the playoffs, it could very well be the third time these two teams play in one season as both are favorites to reach the Big Ten title game. It would be unprecedented for a three-time matchup, but college football is in unprecedented times and it would create quite the rivalry.

Ole Miss transfer Liam Doyle commits to Tennessee baseball

Ole Miss transfer Liam Doyle commits to Tennessee baseball.

Ole Miss transfer pitcher Liam Doyle committed to Tennessee on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound left-handed pitcher appeared in 14 games, including nine starts, as a sophomore in 2024 at Ole Miss. He recorded 72 strikeouts and a 6.35 ERA.

Doyle transferred to Ole Miss from Coastal Carolina. He appeared in 23 games, including seven starts, as a freshman for the Chanticleers in 2023. Doyle totaled 69 strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA.

He is the second Ole Miss player to commit to Tennessee, joining infielder Andrew Fischer.

2025 will be the eighth season for Tennessee under head coach Tony Vitello. The Vols won the national championship in 2024.

PHOTOS: Tennessee baseball wins series against Ole Miss in 2024

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Andrew Fischer commits to Tennessee baseball

Ole Miss transfer Andrew Fischer commits to Tennessee baseball.

Ole Miss sophomore infielder Andrew Fischer committed to Tennessee baseball on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Fischer played at Ole Miss in 2024. He appeared in 49 games, including 49 starts, and recorded a .282 batting average for the Rebels. Fischer totaled 17 home runs, 44 RBIs, 42 runs, seven doubles, two triples, 35 walks and one stolen base.

He transferred to Ole Miss from Duke. In 2023, Fischer appeared in 47 games, including 45 starts for the Blue Devils. He recorded a .289 batting average, 11 home runs, 33 RBIs, 38 runs, 29 walks and one stolen base as a freshman at Duke.

2025 will be the eighth season for Tennessee under head coach Tony Vitello. The Vols won the national championship in 2024.

PHOTOS: Tennessee baseball wins series against Ole Miss in 2024

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Ole Miss AD confirms that football series cancellation with USC was ‘mutual’

Ole Miss’s athletic director shot down the idea that it was only USC’s idea to scrap the home and home football series.

Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter cast doubt on the viability of the Rebels’ football series with the USC Trojans at a fan event last week, saying that he expects the SEC to move to nine conference games. A lot of people think Lincoln Riley initiated this move, but this was a mutual effort by Ole Miss and USC. The Trojans didn’t take a lead role here; this was a joint effort with both sides agreeing they needed to scrap this home-and-home football arrangement.

“I think that’s going to happen,” Carter stated recently at a public event. “I think you’re seeing some of these more marquee matchups maybe coming off the books because of that. If you look at USC, they’re going into the Big Ten and they’re playing nine conference games now. I think that’s probably in our future, too.”

Some conspiracy theorists said the cancellation of the home and home series with Ole Miss is why USC lost out on 2025 commits Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson, when in reality, the Trojans were hardly the only party to participate in the removal of these games from future football schedules.

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Fighting Irish Wire understands why Ole Miss and USC backed out of home-and-home

Notre Dame folks can readily understand why the USC-Ole Miss series got called off.

There is an acute understanding of the pressures and limitations facing USC football at Fighting Irish Wire. Our partner website within the College Wire network knows that ambitious nonconference scheduling must be balanced by a few manageable games to give a team a breather during the college football season. This is why Ole Miss and USC backed out of their home-and-home series.

Irish Wire wrote:

“It was mentioned last month that USC head football coach Lincoln Riley was trying to get out of the Trojans 2024 season-opener against LSU this fall.  Although he wasn’t able to do that, he and USC were able to get out of a home-and-home they were set to play in 2025-26. USC and Ole Miss will no longer meet for that home-and-home as cancelling the two games was something both programs mutually agreed on doing.

“Although the decision isn’t overly difficult to understand it still stinks for college football fans.  lane kiffin returning to USC where he called plays for years and was their one-time head coach (who ended their winning streak against Notre Dame in 2010).”

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