Ole Miss AD Keith Carter talks A&M postponement, plans for rest of season and bowl game
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter spoke with media Monday during a Zoom with reporters and discussed the postponement of the game with A&M, the schedule for the remainder of the season, and plans for a bowl game.
While their game with A&M this Saturday is officially postponed, the Rebels are still scheduled to play Mississippi State at home on November 28 and LSU in Baton Rouge on December 5.
Carter is hopeful the game with the Aggies will be re-scheduled, although the situation is more complicated since A&M also postponed its game with Tennessee this past Saturday and will be looking to make that one up, too.
“I think we’re going to make every effort to make up the game,” Carter said. “We’ll see how the dates play out.”
Tennessee and Texas A&M are set to play on the first proposed makeup date, which would leave December 19 as a possible date for A&M and Ole Miss to reschedule.
“I think we want to play the game. I think that’s important,” Carter said.
“Our league has talked a lot about that, finding ways to get the games played. I think our players want to play. Everyone wants to play. It will just all come down to do you have the dates. Obviously that 19th has been opened up. We’ll see how it all plays out.“
Ole Miss AD Keith Carter
“I think the interesting is that in the last four weeks here or so are going to be very, very fluid. There are are going to be some games that get moved around potentially, based on COVID. I think the thought is we don’t want to have two teams that are sitting at home with healthy players that we can somehow go ahead and play that game. We want to try and do that, so stay tuned,” Carter added.
Update on where things stand for the Rebels this weekend following the postponement of the game against A&M, due to number of Aggies affected by COVID protocols. We could play LSU or State if their opponents couldn’t play. We can’t play someone not scheduled or already played. pic.twitter.com/CkqRw2ajlG
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) November 16, 2020
Could the Rebels play someone else this weekend?
Carter was asked if one of the remaining two games (State and LSU) on the Rebels’ schedule could be moved up to this coming Saturday, November 21, and the AD said there is a small chance that could happen.
“Yeah, I think it’s a possibility,” said Carter. “We’ve got two remaining opponents, LSU and Mississippi State, and I think if either of their opponents ended up with COVID-related issues and could not play this weekend, you might see us either hosting Mississippi State or traveling to LSU. The percentages are probably pretty small on that, but again, that’s just kind of a real-life example of what the league is talking about potentially doing. So, we’ll wait. We have to know that by 8 p.m. (CT) tonight. Coach (Lane) Kiffin is aware of that, obviously, so we’ll adjust and do what we need to do.”
Carter anticipates the Rebels in a bowl game
Although there are a lot of things that remain uncertain or confusing about this college football season, Carter’s plans for the Rebels are not — he believes Ole Miss will be headed to a bowl game.
“We anticipate going to a bowl,” Carter said.
“We’re planning to go to a bowl. That’s what we want to do. We want to continue to allow our young people opportunities to play and compete. Obviously, we’d love to win a couple of more games and bolster that resume, but we’ve got a committee right now that’s already planning to go to a bowl. That’s our hope.“
Ole Miss AD Keith Carter
Typically, a team must reach six wins on the season to be eligible for a bowl game; however, the NCAA has removed that requirement due to all the disruptions caused by COVID. Currently, the Rebels are 3-4 on the season with the remaining games against State and LSU, along with the potential rescheduling of the A&M game.
Here’s the full press conference with Keith Carter:
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
