Bo Wallace won't be easy to replace.
Listening to some Rebel fans over the past few years might cause you to think Wallace was the worst quarterback to ever put on the Ole Miss uniform, but that's obviously not the case. Still, only Johnny Manziel had more expletives connected to the utterance of his name in the Vaught Hemingway student section than Bo.
A lot of that frustration stems from unrealized potential. We always knew Bo was better than his mistakes. The Bo Wallace who led the Rebels 61 yards to put Andrew Ritter in position to kick the game-winning field goal in last year's unlikely win against LSU is the same Bo Wallace who threw a game-ending interception in this year's matchup with the Tigers. He threw 5 touchdowns against Mississippi State his first season, and he fumbled away the the potential game-tying score against the Bulldogs the very next year. The list of ups and downs goes on and on.
It has been a mixed bag with Bo, but he'll be more appreciated as time goes by. His accomplishments were many.
Listening to some Rebel fans over the past few years might cause you to think Wallace was the worst quarterback to ever put on the Ole Miss uniform, but that's obviously not the case. Still, only Johnny Manziel had more expletives connected to the utterance of his name in the Vaught Hemingway student section than Bo.
A lot of that frustration stems from unrealized potential. We always knew Bo was better than his mistakes. The Bo Wallace who led the Rebels 61 yards to put Andrew Ritter in position to kick the game-winning field goal in last year's unlikely win against LSU is the same Bo Wallace who threw a game-ending interception in this year's matchup with the Tigers. He threw 5 touchdowns against Mississippi State his first season, and he fumbled away the the potential game-tying score against the Bulldogs the very next year. The list of ups and downs goes on and on.
It has been a mixed bag with Bo, but he'll be more appreciated as time goes by. His accomplishments were many.
Wallace never missed a game. He beat 8 out of the 11 SEC teams he played, beat every team in the SEC West at least once and won 2 of 3 Egg Bowls. He won both bowl games, with the biggest one of all still remaining. And don't forget the individual statistics:
Kelly will probably be the guy next season. There will be a competition, but it seems unlikely that the coaching staff will keep him on the bench to start guys who have taken only a handful of snaps in live games. The matchup against Alabama in Tuscaloosa is scheduled for September 19th. That's the 3rd week of the season. Games against UT Martin and Fresno State probably won't be sufficient to give Buchanan or Kincade the experience they need. Freeze's new guy, regardless of who he is, will have to adapt quickly.
The next quarterback for Ole Miss has the potential to be great, but he won't be Bo Wallace. He won't be a part of bringing the team back from two terrible seasons, breaking a long SEC winless streak or beating Alabama for the first time in 11 years. Bo, despite the ups and downs, leaves some big shoes to fill.
Bo Wallace passes Eli Manning as Ole Miss' all-time leader in total yards. He's 1st Rebel to eclipse 10,000 in career pic.twitter.com/AUVP6ezVR8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 29, 2014
All of this was accomplished during a rebuild after 4-8 and 2-10 seasons prior to his arrival. Chad Kelly, Ryan Buchanan or DeVante Kincade will start off working with much more talent around them than Bo had upon his arrival.Kelly will probably be the guy next season. There will be a competition, but it seems unlikely that the coaching staff will keep him on the bench to start guys who have taken only a handful of snaps in live games. The matchup against Alabama in Tuscaloosa is scheduled for September 19th. That's the 3rd week of the season. Games against UT Martin and Fresno State probably won't be sufficient to give Buchanan or Kincade the experience they need. Freeze's new guy, regardless of who he is, will have to adapt quickly.
The next quarterback for Ole Miss has the potential to be great, but he won't be Bo Wallace. He won't be a part of bringing the team back from two terrible seasons, breaking a long SEC winless streak or beating Alabama for the first time in 11 years. Bo, despite the ups and downs, leaves some big shoes to fill.