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Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork and head coach Hugh Freeze probably never dreamed they'd spend the first Sunday in December of their first football season at Ole Miss trying to think of something exciting to say in an official statement about a bowl game, but that's exactly what they did today, and they did a good job at it:
“We are excited to continue our great bowl tradition and accept an invitation to the BBVA Compass Bowl,” Bjork said. “Congratulations to Coach Freeze and his staff for the fantastic turnaround in one year. I especially want to congratulate our seniors and the rest of the team for their hard work and for buying into the cultural change for our program.”
The guys from Pitt are excited, too. LINK.
Freeze, who promised 60 minutes of passion each week and nothing more, now has a bowl game in his first season as head coach to sell recruits. Freeze certainly proved his metal this season as a coach capable of winning in the SEC, and recruits have noticed.
“I am so happy for our players, staff and Rebel Nation to be a part of the BBVA Compass Bowl,” Freeze said. “This accomplishment is a credit to our team’s hard work and dedication, and we are very appreciative of the opportunity. We have one of the richest bowl traditions in college football, and I’m proud of our staff for returning this program to the postseason in our first season. I’m so grateful to Rebel Nation for the amazing support this year, and I can’t wait to see The Grove recreated in Birmingham.”
It's worth repeating to all those who were hoping against hope for the Music City Bowl that this team is BOWL ELIGIBLE! That's an incredibly special thing for a team from which so little was expected this season. Remember that SEC losing streak? A bowl game is a big deal, and a match-up against Pitt will be interesting to watch, no matter the venue. Ole Miss has never faced the Panthers, but Pitt is a traditional team with some solid football history. Dan Marino played at Pitt, as did former Saint great Craig "Ironhead" Heyward. Jackie Sherrill coached at Pitt. Need I say more?
This will be Ole Miss' 34th all-time bowl appearance, which is tied for 19th on the NCAA Division I list of all-time bowl berths. The Rebels are 21-12 in bowl games, with the 21 wins 13th-most in college football.
Ole Miss is 8-1 in its last nine bowl games dating back to a 13-0 win over Air Force in the 1992 Liberty Bowl. The Rebels’ only loss during that span came during the 2000 Music City Bowl, falling 49-38 to West Virginia. Each of the Rebels’ last three bowl appearances were in the Cotton Bowl with wins over Oklahoma State (2004 and 2010) and Texas Tech (2009).