Ole Miss Invests in Coaching Staff, to Announce Stadium Expansion Plans

Article posted by Mississippi Gazette Photo by Joshua McCoy

OXFORD, Miss. - After becoming the first Rebel coach to open his tenure with three straight bowl appearances, Ole Miss has finalized salary increases for head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff, as announced Friday by Athletics Director Ross Bjork. 

Ole Miss is also investing in its football program with an expansion of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as part of the Forward Together campaign. Those plans, including visuals and timelines, will be unveiled Monday at 10 a.m. CT in a public announcement at the Burns Team Room in the Manning Center. A press conference for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will follow. 

"This continued investment in Ole Miss Football, Hugh Freeze and our football staff shows that we want to excel at the highest level in the SEC and college football," Bjork said. "I personally look forward to working with Hugh Freeze as we continue to build Ole Miss each and every day. We are grateful that his leadership of our program will be in place for the long term." 

"Coach Freeze has done an extraordinary job on the football field, but just as important is his role as mentor and leader for our student-athletes and role model for all of us," said Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones. "I am grateful to Athletic Director Ross Bjork for his leadership in this important relationship and to Coach Freeze for his long-term commitment to Ole Miss." 

After guiding the Rebels to a 9-3 regular season and a "New Year's Six" bowl, Freeze's contract has been extended by one year to the maximum four years allowed by the state of Mississippi, and his base salary will rise from $3.15 million to $4.3 million. His base salary will increase by $100,000 per year or 50 percent of the annual bonuses earned in the previous season, whichever is greater. 

Freeze' base salary increases to $5 million if the Rebels advance to the SEC Championship game. Other incentives are based on APR, playoff rankings, postseason participation and coaching honors. 

In addition, the salary pool for the Ole Miss football staff will increase by at least 25 percent. 

"I'm grateful to call Oxford my home, and I'm excited to continue our journey for championships at Ole Miss," Freeze said. "From day one, I have admired and appreciated the leadership and support that Dr. Jones, Ross and our administration provide this program. Our staff has done a tremendous job, and I'm particularly excited about their salary increases." 

"Coach Freeze and his family are a perfect fit for Ole Miss and our football program, and we are excited he will continue to be our head football coach for a long time," Bjork said. "In three short years, his value-added leadership style has brought newfound energy to our entire university, because he cares about the young men in our program beyond the football field. He also gives back to the greater Ole Miss community in so many ways, and he is a teacher of life lessons each and every day." 

The salary commitments and stadium expansion come on the heels of an $11.25 million renovation and expansion of the Manning Center. Projects included the Grill at 1810 (a full-service dining facility), the Williams-Reed Football Foyer, Burns team meeting room, VanDevender Family locker room, weight room, player lounge and visuals throughout the complex. 

Rebels Drop Home Battle to Horned Frogs

Article posted by Mississippi Gazette

OXFORD, Miss. - Junior guard Stefan Moody led Ole Miss with 12 points, as the Rebels fell to TCU 66-54 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday.

TCU (8-0) held Ole Miss (5-2) to a season-low 29.8 percent from the field, including a 7:11 scoring drought in the second half, during which the Horned Frogs turned a five-point lead into a decisive 18-point lead.

“We didn’t have any rhythm,” head coach Andy Kennedy said. “We’re searching for options offensively. Defensively, we were locked in early. It’s hard to maintain a certain intensity on the defensive side when you’re so inefficient offensively, and it just spreads throughout.”

Moody was the lone Rebel in double figures, his team-leading fifth game in double figures this season, scoring seven of his 12 points in the second half. Sophomore forward Sebastian Saiz was second on the team with nine points, followed by senior guard Jarvis Summers with eight. Senior forward M.J. Rhett led the Rebels with seven rebounds.

In a back-and-forth first half that featured three ties and 10 lead changes, TCU took a 27-24 lead into the locker room. It was a defensive battle for much of the half, as the teams combined to go 16-of-53 from the field.

TCU did its damage from 3-point range, where they went 4-of-8, while Ole Miss remained close by going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, despite going 7-of-28 from the field and 0-of-6 from 3-point range.

Ole Miss scored the first points of the second half, drawing to within one, before TCU answered with a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to seven. The Rebels battled back to within five, 42-37, with 13:06 left, before the Horned Frogs went on a 13-0 run and took their lead out to 55-37 with 5:55 left.

“It’s a two or three-possession game, and then they get second, third and fourth-chance opportunities and they ended up getting separation,” Kennedy said. “With our inability to score consistently, we were running uphill all night.”

TCU led wire-to-wire in the second half, leading by as many as 19, behind 43.3 percent shooting and a 27-12 rebounding advantage in the half, including 11-3 on the offensive glass.

“I’m trying to play a bunch of guys a bunch of minutes because I’m just trying to find some consistency, somebody that wants to play and somebody wants to separate themselves and earn minutes,” Kennedy said. "We’re trying everything we can, especially on our frontline to get somebody to snatch a hard rebound that maybe would allow us get out in the open floor and try make a play and get a little momentum, and we just couldn’t do that.”

Ole Miss returns to action, traveling to Oregon on Sunday for their second true road game of the season. Tip-off between the Rebels and the Ducks is set for 3 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.

“It’s a hard trip, across the country against a quality Pac-12 opponent,” Kennedy said. “After we built some momentum, winning five in a row and playing well down in Florida, I’m not pushing the right buttons and I have to figure out a way to get this team to play the way I saw them play for two games against Creighton and Cincinnati.”

Cavorting in a wake and staying shipshape

Article posted by Mississippi Gazette. Photo by Amanda Nalley
Gulfport-Even though these dolphins look like they are close to the very large ship, they frequently ‘bow-ride’ or ‘surf’ the bow wakes of vessels both large and small. Scientists say they may be using the propulsion to get where they are going faster. Dolphins show a high degree of intelligence and have a wide range of vocalizations. They often hunt together and will even take care of an injured pod-member. Scientists say two males of the same age often form a lifelong bond and will spend the majority of their time together, helping each other to find food and mates? Inshore dolphins live in small social groups of around 10 individuals; while offshore dolphins form larger groups of 10-100. Wildlife Experts say, "When on the water, please try to observe them from a distance of at least 50 yards."