Locked on Ole Miss Pregame Live: Is Jaxson Dart Ready to Break Out? Furman vs. Ole Miss Preview

[Music] [Music] I am about to squeeze the last little bit of preseason hype that we can on the 2024 alus Rebels this this is the lock on Old Miss live pregame show with John Mak Gillespie join me stay tuned you are locked on Old myths your daily podcast on the Old Miss Rebels part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome Rebel fans I am Steven Willis a 10year veteran member of the national media and a former staff member you know we're doing the Miss versus Ferman pregame show with John Mak Gillespie from Miss on SI he will be on the screen in just a little bit we're going to be talking transfers Jackson Dart and expectations this morning and we are also going to squeeze that last little bit of preseason hype that we can about this team this is the locked onas podcast your daily podcast on theas Rebels part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day we're free and available in all the podcast apps and on YouTube thanks for making lockon miss your first listen every day and a special hello to the every dayers and insiders who make the show what it is by the way this SE this game will be the debut of our insiders program game day program we'll be doing like three takes in between quarters we're going to be doing some stuff newsworthy in there and we're going to be talking about other games during the day if you want to be notified about that the link is down in the description we're free and available in all the podcast apps and on YouTube thanks for making lock on on miss your first listen every day and a special hello to the every dayers who make the show what it is and don't forget to find a second listen on the network Chris Gordy at locked on SEC or even Corey Burton at locked on Vandy they provide other perspectives on college football the SEC and yes even Old Miss so check it out so welcome to the football season we have willed this moment to happen ever since the clock hit zero against the Penn State Nittany Lions Penn States in West Virginia they are about to kick off as we s speak everybody has their quad boxes on whichever games they want to see and we are joined by John Mak Gillespie John from Miss on SI man it is finally here miss fans have willed this moment to happen but kickoff is just hours away yeah it's it's a really it's like a holiday right I mean uh I think we've all kind of been in that waiting game since uh the end of the season last year whether you're an Miss fan or not I mean you know once once your team's final regular season game or bowl game hit all zeros you're looking ahead to next year wondering what next year is going to hold and next year is finally here for us and so it's really exciting I mean I'm I'm thrilled to be uh back in the Press Box in Oxford today it's it's GNA be it's GNA be a lot of fun yeah and um I could get his name wrong I'm just doing this off the top of the head the the new Clarion Ledger beat Rider will be in attendance as well I think his name's Sam Hutchin what uh believe that's right I this will be my first time meeting him in person today um but he comes very highly recommended by David eer who's a really good friend of mine um you know obviously he and I have have gotten close uh during his time at the at the Clarion Ledger and I'm going to miss him but he's he's got a really good opportunity going to to uh Austin for for his next gig yeah and a special thank you to David eard for everything he did for this podcast and this channel over time his time at the clar and Ledger and we look forward to having a similar type relationship with h Sam as well so this game is interesting okay and it's interesting not in the part that anybody can expect um a real Challenge from the Ferman paladins if you look at this oh miss is a 42 and a half Point favorite the over under at 60 and a half points but if the goal is the playoff and that's what we were told this whole year the goal was the playoff this game is important for om Miss and I think it's important because honestly of the Kinder gentler spring and fall camp that L kein put the team through what is the team going to look like how sharp are they going to be are they going to miss miss tackles are they're going to operationally be sound I think these are the most important questions because how good om Miss is going to be in 2024 is likely very relative to how quickly those issues get loned out in the beginning of the season yeah and this that that's a really big Advantage Miss has with the opening part of its schedule uh here in 2024 starting with Ferman I mean you don't you don't want to view games as throwaway games or you know games that don't matter that much but the way the schedule lines up gives miss an opportunity to iron out some of those wrinkles before SEC play opens in late September against Kentucky um yeah but it is it is going to be important uh I do think that the way Miss approaches this game um a game that you're expected to win by like six touchdowns uh is is going to be kind a little indicative of kind of where that where that mindset is where they are physically after uh kind of like you said a a less than physically demanding spring and fall um it'll be interesting to see how they how they handle that and going into next week against Middle Tennessee and then Wake Forest after that you know kind of seeing how they stand against teams that they should beat on paper yeah if you look at the keys to this game and I I do Keys every Tuesday on this lockon podcast for people who listen to it or want to listen to it the keys that I put to Victory versus Ferman and they weren't necessarily keys to Victory versus Ferman but it's more about progressing toward that playoff goal I think this game is going to be about ground and pound um with ulyses Bentley Henry parish and Rashad Amos being the key and they were real quick to tell that they hey they wanted to run the ball because they do want Ferman to be aware that they want to run the ball because that is going to provide a test one of the questions that old misses going to face this year with the loss of quinon Judkins is can ues Bentley Can Henry parish and can Rashad Amos run the ball when others know it's coming so I do think they were very I don't know they meant to do it essentially to let firman know what was going on so they could get them to Bow up because if we're going to be honest fman had to replace their whole SE secondary and if Miss wanted to score 100 points they could throw the ball and probably score 100 points but that wouldn't get them ready for the playoffs that would just win this game and I think the playoffs is the ultimate goal yeah and that has to be kind of the mindset in in this early part of the season I think I mean um yeah I mean Miss can blow out your Ferman your middle tennesses um probably even your wake forests of the world uh but the way that you approach these games you know getting getting some of those Kinks ironed out and you know learning a little bit more about yourself uh is going to be key when the games in October and November that that are really Grind Time when those hit uh it's it's going to be key to winning those and keeping that playoff push alive um I I think that that does make a lot of sense you know how how they approach this game probably has more of the college football playoff in mind than it does beating Ferman because they're going to beat Ferman I mean unless some kind of cataclysm happens they're going to beat Ferman so which means the flamethrower coming out after the show just everybody get ready for that if it happens my goodness I'm gonna burn this place down yeah uh so I mean that but that that's that's got to be how they're approaching it is you know preparation for the playoff in mind as opposed to just week one and because of that the second key is get these starters out of the game and everybody's going to talk about Jackson Dart maybe padding stats and things like that but in this era to where old Miss is preparing for potentially 16 games in a season they need to take as much wear and tear off the body as possible yeah I do think that's a big one um you know they're already dealing with some injuries at wide receiver uh that that's really to me one of the biggest goals of today is getting out of this thing healthy because games against Ferman or or or teams like Ferman um you know they they don't provide a competitive angle really for for an Old Miss like team um so I mean you you you use them as a tuneup type type game but uh the big thing is getting out of it healthy for when you need a lot of those ones uh later in the year you know where where they're still fresh and that's that's going to be huge for for games like this and the last one of course my last key is for Miss to play clean as clean as possible especially with the Kinder gentler fall camp that Miss put it team through in the spring and in the fall Miss needs to avoid penalties they need to avoid turnovers they need to have 11 on the field they need to do all the stuff that they normally do quite well that is going to be important over the next four weeks yeah absolutely um again that that injury thing ties into the to getting the starters out of the game as quickly as possible and and playing clean is always important because uh you know there may be penalty against a team like Ferman is you know may not cost you the game necessarily but it will against your South Carolinas your LSUS your georgas uh if you have 10 15 penalties in a game I mean that that's going to be a massive difference so um getting in the habit of playing clean here in week one is is going to be really really big all right you're getting ready to head out of the house to the Press Box for your job in Oxford what have you heard about the commute have you heard anything about traffic I know you've probably looked up that to prepare for it what's going on uh I haven't heard much about um traffic but I always I kind of have a system in place that like when I'm when I'm heading up to the stadium um try to get there about an hour and a half ahead of time uh that's my goal to kind of give me a little bit of leeway um I don't expect I I haven't even really been outside today but I don't expect uh traffic to be ridiculous I mean it'll be like a game day but I don't expect it to be just like insane you know um although I do think there will be days this season that it's that it's like that for sure yeah I think um we'll talk about the games that have already happened this week um I was both impressed and not impressed with Oklahoma um and I think that the Arkansas Arkansas Pine Bluff game is just a travesty that that game happened um but we'll talk about that in the second part of the schedule what are the things that you want to see that maybe we haven't talked about over the last eight months I assume we've talked about everything but what are you looking for today well uh specifically today with the with L kein having talked on Monday about some of the wide receiver injuries I'm curious to see what some of those younger receivers do uh today I I think that will be big obviously the Run game to me kind of like kind of like you is is the biggest part today um but if you know we see a lot of reps from a Caden Lee or an Aiden Williams or something like that I'm curious to see what they look like today um you know obviously we we know kind of what they're capable of but you know if they get more reps today than what we're used to seeing I'm I'm interested to see because they've gotten a lot of Praise this offseason from from some of the veterans in the room so yeah it should be really interesting to see Georgia just absolutely killed C club and it come like the second play of the game oh my goodness he is lucky he did not fumble that football but it be very it will be very interesting to see what happens um in this football game and I'm excited about that coming up after the break we are going to talk about the games that have already happened some of the other games that are on the schedule and we'll probably check in a little bit on what's going on in Nashville and over in Atlanta as well he's John Mak Gillespie I'm step Willis this is the locked on Miss pregame show so coming up next we will look at all of that good stuff but until then all right eBay Motors nope it's not eBay Motors this time sorry that's a glitch it's Factor Mills is the first read of the day hello Rebel fans if you're like me balancing a busy schedule with staying healthy can be a challenge that's why I'm excited to tell you about Factor Mills it's your go-to for quick nutritious and delicious meals that fit perfectly into your day Factor meals are Chef craft crafted and dietition improved with options like calorie smart Protein Plus and ketto they're fresh never Frozen and they ready are ready to eat in just two minutes whether you're into making a rushing between work the gym or even 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locked on podcast Network your team every day so John I am very excited about the games that are going on today and what's going to be the first weekend of college football because there are some very interesting games like for instance you know we talk about the Vandy Virginia Tech game Vandy is getting ready to punt the ball away they hold the ball for seven minutes on their first drive it's a no they're getting ready to kick a field goal held the ball for seven minutes Bandy is going to play slow and I I genuinely think that Vandy has a chance to have a much better team than we even know yeah that's kind of been one of your talking points uh throughout the offseason is you know the the pieces they add what what do you call them again now the Vandy State agidor yeah that's right yeah uh and I think that's fitting right and it'll be interesting to see because you know we've grown accustomed to Vanderbilt being this doormat over the last 10 years or so however long it's been um but you know with with these new pieces that they've added I mean I'm not I'm not saying they're going to come out and be World beaters or anything like that but it is possible that they they look a lot better uh and did you tell me that Lee Coro picked Vanderbilt to beat Virginia Tech today apparently that's what came over my Twitter headline is um Lee Corso picked Vandy to win outright vandy's up three to nothing they made the field goal well you know we'll we'll see and it's it'll be interesting for sure because um you know Old Miss doesn't play V built this year so that's a little bit of a change but watching them from afar will will be interesting yeah it it's just a situation to where basically you take a 10 a 10- win G5 team you get all the good players from that team these coaching staff that made that team and built that team and you import them to other SEC level athletes and you just their mindset they're going to get a little bit better just logically yeah I I think so um it it it is is kind of like a a transplant type deal almost right I mean from uh from from one place to another so uh it'll be it'll be fun to see and it's um you know I I think that for for Old Miss fans it it will be um kind of a fun exercise because you're not having to sit back and look at the schedule and say okay is something weird going to happen when ol Miss plays Vanderbilt this year because they don't play so uh that that will be that'll be a bonus you know Old Miss Old Miss fans can kind of sit back and and watch it from afar and see you know what what this opponent they're used to seeing um looks looks like this year yeah and like I said nobody's saying that they're probably even going to win six games although Cory Burton's probably saying that and locked on Vandy but they are going to be better than people expect I think the over under on wins for Vandy this year is 2.5 there's a chance they hit that before October hits yeah yeah that's that's true um and it'll be it'll be interesting for sure and I uh that that over there on on their win total to me sounds very appealing so really interesting stuff let's talk about this real quick start off with the Arkansas Pine Bluff they had no business playing Arkansas whoever scheduled that game Arkansas or Arkansas fine Bluff they should be ashamed of themselves and yes I understand what a buy game is and what a rent a win is um Arkansas Pine Bluff had no business scheduling that football game it looked like a situation the Pine Bluff it was like Prime Bishop Sycamore in that ball game yeah it was rough I I didn't watch that one very closely uh on on Thursday but I did kind of keep up with it as you know as the night went on and uh it was it was rough for sure I mean you know and it's you see these these power five FCS games kind of get like that sometimes but I mean this one was pretty embarrassing I mean for to to put it lightly uh it was you know not not very competitive football to say the least and uh even even less entertaining yeah and the Murray State missou everybody knew about that they wanted about as expected Oklahoma Jackson Arnold looked good the offense did not they were one of 13 against a really putrid Temple football team um Oklahoma has some stuff to get finished but fixed but they did cover that game Clemson and George is on right now Georg is favored by 13 and a half points Virginia Tech's favored by 13 and a half points against Vandy they're down currently three to nothing to the doors um those are the early games right now yeah um I think it's a it's a pretty cool early slate right of Clemson and Georgia uh Virginia Tech and Vandy and then you've even got West Virginia and Penn State too um you know something to kind of keep keep an eye on but uh I am I am a little curious to see what Clemson looks like this year because I think they've gotten some off season hype a little bit and I'm not 100% sure I'm completely bought into that uh but it will be interesting to see how they handle the dogs today yeah and it's a situation um the last time that Georgia went up against Garrett Riley at offensive coordinator he put they put beat him 65 to7 when he was at TCU so yeah this isn't a situation where Georg is going to have a trouble hard time matching up a little bit now obviously om Miss is favored by that that Alabama A&M at Auburn line um I just take Auburn to um cover them but that Notre Dame Texas A&M game is interesting it is very interesting um I think that I I've gone back and forth thinking about this game uh all week really and I I don't really buy into either Notre Dame or Texas A&M uh but part of me as we sit here talking today has started leaning more towards Notre Dame that may change as the day goes on but um part of me is is almost tempted to pick Notre Dame to take this thing out right uh I'm not 100% sure why but it being it being in College Station is is obviously a a factor but um you know I do I do think that Mike elco's first game at A&M is you know going against Notre Dame is going to be a little difficult task you know one thing that's really interesting that USC versus LSU game LSU is favored by four and a half half but the closer this game goes to kickoff that Line's going down a little bit yeah and that that's going to be is that one on Sunday or Monday it's on Sunday the Monday game is FSU they FSU gets to lose to Boston College on Monday that's right um yeah it'll be that that one will be fun too I I did catch a little bit of the conversation about that on college game um honestly part of me likes USC in that one a little bit uh and I may be proven wrong LSU may prove me wrong this year but I'm not 100% sold on the Tigers uh just yet either so that one is going to be fun I do like the Labor Day weekend Sunday night and Monday games that we have each year and that one will be an entertaining one yeah it should be a lot of fun so before you head off to the stadium in Oxford um what what's on your mind what's your last what is your last preseason height thoughts of the Year oh that's a good one um I think this team can be pretty special uh I really do I think that um and I hate to say things like this because a lot of times they come back to bite me but I think that this team can be really special uh the caveat I always throw in is that they have to stay healthy um you know they they have to be healthy throughout the year I do think they have some depth to make up for some of that um but something about this team feels like it can be special you know the mood that's around the building and on the roster uh kind of lends me to think that and just the talent they have too U and I'm really excited to see the season get under way yeah and the the red flags the these are the things that I think that om Miss has to overcome the season for them to accomplish their ultimate goal and I do not think beating Georgia is one of those things that they have to accomplish but they need to not have the spring practice and fall Camp backfire over the first six weeks of the season if you can make it to the LSU game undefeated the spring practice and fall Camp it did everything it was supposed to do the next thing is beat LSU win that game in Tiger stadium Old Miss has gone down to Tiger Stadium undefeated twice in roughly the last 10 years they've lost both times win that game it's going to be a night game in Tiger stadium it's going to be an absolute Zoo down there with how crazy it is win that game so you have to figure out a way to survive that Oklahoma do not have a let down against Oklahoma because they are good enough one of the most talented teams if you look at roster talent in the entire SEC do not Overlook them despite they might have they might have troubles on the offensive line they might have went one for 13 on third down against the temple owls do not Overlook that and avoid the traps at Florida who has talent wise one of the better teams in the Southeastern Conference with like 17 draft eligible senior B watch list players and the Arkansas Razer backs in fville because that always always has a chance to get weird for Old Miss fans if you can avoid those things you will at least be hosting a playoff game in mid December against a Michigan or Penn State or a Notre Dame for what would be the biggest game in the history of the state of Mississippi that is there and the thing about it is there's a good chance that you're going to be favored in every single one of those games so it's on the table for the taking and because of that I think this season like you said has a chance to be one of the most special football seasons in the history of football yeah and and obviously things can change things can happen uh you know I'm not going to sit here and say that it's a guarantee any of that happens but I do think like you said it is on the table for sure I think that uh it's it would be it would be foolish to not acknowledge that it's on the table it would also be foolish to guarantee that any of that happens but looking at the way the roster is looking at how um the mood in the building is uh things like that the the Stars seem to be somewhat aligned for that to happen and you know we'll have to see we'll have to see over the next 12 13 weeks or so however many you know few months it is um as to whether or not that comes to pass but I I am really excited to see all right You' be safe heading to Oxford Mississippi and everybody I do want to let you know we have exciting news you can now become a locked on Miss Insider this the best in the easiest way to stay up toate on all things om Miss Sports it's a texting program that sends you notifications on everything relevant without the hassle of message boards filled with trols not a good sign when 30 minutes into my first show today um I'm having trouble with my voice enjoy a 14-day free trial experience the future of college sports coverage we are adding new perks as we go like during the game we're going to give three takes in between every quarter we're going to give anything newsworthy that comes up as well we're going to try and do that in game day to try and make that experience very good and of course as always you'll have one-onone contact with the lockon Miss podcast group as well the link is down in the description if you want to sign up there's a 14-day free trial after the game tune in to the postgame show where I am going to overreact to everything that happened that's just to be expected and tomorrow night at 7 o'clock Central time we're also going to live stream with our reaction Roundtable where your favorite locked on almost regulars and guests share their thoughts on the football game on Saturday John Mak what is your plan for Old Miss on SAA um for the game today uh we're going to have some live updates on the site uh kind of like we've done in years past uh going to have some obviously tweeting during the game we're going to be doing some breaking news type stuff if anything happens during the game um then I'll be handling a quick hit gamer uh there at the at the final buzzer and then we'll have some some postgame pieces from the staff and myself uh tonight and going into tomorrow as well so we're going to hit it hard we're going to hit it running today and I'm really looking forward to it should be really good and thank you for stopping by John and we will talk to you probably on the are you going to be on the live stream Sunday night uh that is the current plan we'll see how everything unfolds but yes okay should be a lot of fun and I'll see you then buddy all right thank you Stephen all right all right John Mak gaspie from um om Miss on SI does a really fantastic job on that site as well I hope everybody is ready college football time is here be safe going to Oxford and to my knowledge seems to be pretty smooth sailing right now there's limited tickets available and of course you can catch the game on SEC network Plus or ESPN Plus or theas radio network and all the Avenues that they have as well I hope everybody has a good time has a lot of fun and insiders it's going to get really fun I think over the course of the um game so we'll handle that and of course in the postgame all of you join up in the chat and we are going to overreact to everything we saw so take care have fun and we will talk to you later hotti totty everyone and it is finally here