BARNEStorming: Explosive debuts for the Rebels and other thoughts around the college football world

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss has many folks to thank for its season-opening win over Troy last week. Of course, the players, coaches, administrators, and fans, but they should also thank another institution – Texas Christian University.

A pair of TCU transfers shined in their first game in a Rebels’ uniform in the 28-10 victory at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Running back Zach Evans showed Ole Miss fans his ability as he rushed for a game-high 130 yards, and he also caught two passes for 22 yards. Just as impressive, linebacker Khari Coleman had eight total tackles, seven of them were solo stops. He also had five tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.

Those are explosive debuts.

GAMES ARE GREAT ON THE ATLANTIC COAST:Tobacco Road is known for having great basketball, but some of the best games took place on the gridiron in that area of the country last week.

Start with Old Dominion beating Virginia Tech, 20-17. Not that it was a huge shocker as the Monarchs also beat VT two years ago. But this one was not in Blacksburg, it was on ODU’s home field. Old Dominion had to drive downfield in the final minutes and scored the game winner with just seconds left.

North Carolina survived a scare at Appalachian State. The Heels won 63-61 as their defense stopped Ap State’s two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game to close out the win. Putting the score into context, these two schools met in basketball last season and UNC scored seven more points than its football team did Saturday while the Mountaineers scored 11 more than their hoop squad did.

If only East Carolina had a better kicking game. North Carolina State got a scare from ECU but won 21-20. The Wolfpack got the win due to a missed game-tying extra point and a missed game-winning field goal as time expired.

DO WE NEED ASTERISKS: It appears the FBS is heading to a 12-team playoff and that is a good thing. More teams will have a shot at a national championship each year and for the fans there will be more meaningful games.

Also, this might keep some players from opting out of bowl games. If a player was going to opt out of say, the Peach Bowl, to concentrate on the NFL Draft, if his team is in the playoffs, chances are he will stay with his team.

But there will be one victim – the record book. With extra games, many established records should fall. Probably not single-game records, but certainly season and career ones. If a player can play in 15 games in a season, he has a decided advantage over record holders who established the mark in 11 games.

The same goes with career records. If a player’s team goes to the playoffs and is successful during his time at the school, in four years he could have about eight more games in his career than the players that came before him.

Perhaps sports information directors around the country should think about using an asterisk for the new records.

SOME BIG TEN LOVE:Sure, the SEC got a lot of attention by missing an undefeated first week by having an LSU extra-point blocked in a one-point loss to Florida State. As of now, the SEC is 14-1 so far with Vanderbilt earning two wins.

But the Big Ten could be more impressive. That league is 13-3 this season. What makes that record stand out? All three Big Ten losses were to conference teams. The conference has not lost a game outside of beating one another yet.

UPSET ALERT: Yeah, I miss Florida’s win last week, but I did have the Seminoles, so I was 1-1 in the Sunshine State.

This week, North Carolina had better regroup as it heads to Atlanta to play Georgia State. The Panthers lost by three touchdowns to South Carolina last week, but two of the Gamecocks’ touchdowns came on blocked punts. After the emotional 63-61 at Ap State last week, UNC better not let down its guard.

Steve Barnes

Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.

He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.

A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.

Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.

He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.

Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.