Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Billed as the first really competitive game of the 2013 College Football season, the SEC opener between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Ole Miss Rebels did not disappoint.
It seemed as if the game was over when Vanderbilt went up inside two minutes to play after a 42-yard pass to star receiver Jordan Matthews followed by a 34-yard touchdown throw to Steven Scheu, but Ole Miss scored again with Jeff Scott rushing for 75 yards to the end zone.
The hype surrounding this game was focused around two up-and-coming NCAA programs that had had good recruiting classes and a solid foundation for a team. The win was just further proof that the Rebels are doing a better job than the Commodores.
Quarterback Bo Wallace for Ole Miss is a wild card. He has the type of football smarts to know when to run and when to take a sack that you can’t teach a player, along with an excellent passing ability. He showed his poise in tough situations with several gutsy runs for first downs late in the game.
Freshman receiver Laquon Treadwell is the next big thing in the SEC. He looked like the Tennessee Volunteers and now Tennessee Titans receiver Justin Hunter used to before his injury. He will be a top-five NFL pick in the future. As if their offense didn’t look scary enough, the defense came up with crucial stops. Robert Nkemdiche looks to be a future NFL player as well.
Don’t sleep on Ole Miss in the SEC. They aren’t going to win it all or anything crazy like that, but the Rebels are exactly the type of young team that could pull off an upset over Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M and crush those teams’ chances at going to the National Championship.
Taylor Sturm is an SEC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS or add him to your network on Google.
