BARNEStorming: Thoughts around the college football world
OXFORD, Miss. – Finally, an off week for Ole Miss, which means it was an off week for me. Yes, a chance to simply flip through the channels and make some observations about college football. But I suppose if I am writing about the observations, it was not a day off.
PLEASE GET A GRAMMAR BOOK
I tuned into a few pregame shows, and each had to do a segment on who will be the next coach at Auburn. Several I saw mentioned Lane Kiffin simply because of what he has built at Ole Miss.
Please get a grammar book. The experts are using the wrong tense of the verb.
The discussion should be what Kiffin is building at Ole Miss.
There are two reasons Kiffin should stay in Oxford and the first is what he is building. If he stays, imagine what the Rebels’ offense will look like next season. Jaxson Dart will be back. So will Quinshon Judkins and Michael Trigg. So will other playmakers. As will players like J.J. Pegues on defense.
With the program trending up, why would a coach want to leave that behind especially with the recruits that can be brought in, and we all know what Kiffin can do in the transfer portal.
Secondly, Kiffin does not want to be micromanaged which seems to be the norm at Auburn. He already had a taste of that when he was named the head coach of the Oakland Raiders but owner Al Davis had his finger in every decision. The pair butted heads often and that lead to Kiffin’s NFL departure.
With what he is building and what would await at Auburn, why would he want to leave?
PLEASE CUT THEIR MICROPHONES
I had to turn the volume down on the Florida-Texas A&M game. It seems Robert Griffin III went to the Joe Theismann school of broadcasting – make everything about yourself.
Tim Tebow may have some competition on the SEC Network at some point in the future. The former Florida QB has many admirers, likely because he looks the part of the All-American boy. But there may be another one of those available one day – former Rebel and current UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee. Like Tebow, he played quarterback in the SEC, and he also played baseball in the league.
Plumlee has an equal knowledge of the game as Tebow, and a better voice and personality. He is also more entertaining. And did we mention Plumlee plays the piano?
A FUTURE HEAD COACH
TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley should be on the radar of athletic directors soon. After the Horned Frogs got past Texas Tech Saturday, Riley’s offense has TCU on the fringe of the college football playoff.
He is not a one-hit wonder either. Prior to heading to Fort Worth, he orchestrated SMU’s prolific offense. And if you get him soon, he will still be in his mid-30s.
Did I mention he is also the younger brother of USC coach Lincoln Riley?
THE ACADEMIES
Quietly, Air Force won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy Saturday as the Falcons beat Army 13-7. Earlier in the season, AFA beat Navy 13-10.
It was done quietly because the game kicked off at 10:30 a.m., in Arlington, Texas.
It is a good thing these young men wake up at 5 o’clock each morning.
A GROUP OF FIVE SURPRISE
Don’t look now, but with Tulane’s 27-13 win over Tulsa, the Green Wave is in pretty good shape to earn a New Year’s Six Bowl bid. Yes, that is the same Tulane that came to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium last season and was routed by Ole Miss 61-21.
This is a different team.
And by the way Rebel fans, Ole Miss goes to Tulane next season on Sept. 9.
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.
