 |
| Donte Moncrief |
Bo "Sunshine" Wallace, Feed Moncrief, Tasmanian Denzel are just a few of the Ole Miss players who rose up, played beyond their expectations, and helped the Rebels rise beyond all the preseason predictions to a 6-6 record, an Egg Bowl win and bowl eligibility. Good football teams have good players and the Rebels had several this season. Here's a look at the top performers from 2012:
Bo Wallace. Wallace threw for 2,843 yards, 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also ran for 8 touchdowns. Four or five months ago, we didn't know what the Hugh Freeze offense would look like, and we had even less of an idea of what Wallace, who started the season in a battle with Barry Brunetti for the starting position, would look like running it. Since then an entire season has gone by, and there's no doubt this is Wallace's offense. They call him "Sunshine" because of the long blonde hair he sported until he cut it off late in the season under pressure from Freeze. The hair may be gone, but the name stuck.
Donte Moncrief. He was the best receiver returning in 2012, but it was hard to measure his potential as a true freshman in David Lee's floundering offense. Now we know. Under Freeze, Moncrief doubled his catches and touchdowns, finishing with 60 receptions for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns. Moncrief has all the ingredients for becoming a star wide receiver at the next level - size, speed, hands and most important of all, the physical ability to out-maneuver coverage to snatch the football. Moncrief started the season on a tear, catching a touchdown pass in each of several games, before fading just a bit midway through the season. He re-appeared with a vengeance against LSU and Mississippi State and is on his way to becoming one of the most beloved Rebels ever thanks to his propensity for catching touchdowns, his pleasant demeanor and a little rap song called "Feed Moncrief."
Jeff Scott. In August he was a giant question mark. Some were even dismissing Scott in favor of converted quarterback Randall Mackey and a couple incoming freshmen because Scott was missing pre-season drills with one injury after another. He even temporarily lost the starting job to Mackey and missed the opener, but once Scott got on the field in the 2nd game it didn't take him long to show Freeze his burst was too good to stay on the bench. Scott quickly reclaimed his status as the No. 1 running back, and became the primary ball carrier. He finished the regular season with 828 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. His 2nd half touchdown run against Auburn where he rolled off the body of a tackler, back to his feet for a touchdown will be on Ole Miss highlight reels for years to come, and after lasting an entire SEC season as the primary running back nobody should question of this 5' 7", 170-pound lightening bolt. With a senior year still to play, Scott could end up being one of the great Ole Miss running backs before he leaves.
[TO BE CONTINUED...MORE PLAYERS TO COME]