Redemption Song OR How to get Motivated Against UL-M

I caught the second half of the MNF game this week and, like anybody else who tuned in to see that thriller, was thoroughly and pleasantly surprised that a Cardinals v. 49ers game could be that fun. I was even cheering for the Cards as Kurt Warner is the team captain of my fantasy team (the Amity Island Powe Folk). But shortly after the Cards D came up with the goal line stand as time ran out, ESPN zoomed in on Patrick Willis's face, and the guy looked like somebody had just murdered his dog. Buzzkill.


Its hard not to like the 9ers in the first place, what with all the young talent on that team and the utter likeability of Mike Singletary. But seeing how much it means to P. Willie really just endears him and that team that much more. I'm not one to lose sleep over the plight of a guy who makes millions playing a sport, but damn, Patrick deserves to be on at least one winner at some point. I got to thinking about how Ed Ogre screwed Patrick out of any semblance of a winning season, and it dawned on me how much this UL-M game should mean to the seniors on this year's Ole Miss team.


Not that guys like Mike Wallace and Dustin Mouzon and Jamarca Sanford and Jason Cook and Big Mike and the Truth (especially the Truth) ever needed any motivation in the first place. This is the same group that, it could be argued, have overachieved from the first day they stepped on campus. Say what you will about the number of wins they brought home the first three years, and how chic it is to be anti-moral victory these days. But this group of seniors consistently hung with the very best teams in the nation for the past four years, despite playing for the worst SEC coach in recent memory. I think about how they must've felt when Seth Adams hit Shay Hodge over the top last year to get within five yards of beating 'Bama. Or the way they must've felt when John Jerry came barging through the LSU line to block the extra point against LSU and take that game to overtime. Those plays weren't made because of superior talent or coaching. In fact, they were made in spite of the opposite.


That's why Florida this year felt like redemption.

And why you saw scenes like Powe getting his Great White on. These guys have come up inches short more times than they care to remember. Florida was their chance to break free from Doyle Jackson, from Jamarcus Russel, from the Ogre himself. Now they have the chance to close out - and this time they don't have to play over their heads to do it.

That's why I hope every last one of these seniors happened to see P. Willie's face on Monday night. I doubt they need reminding of just how frustrating these last three years have been, but in case they did, there it was spelled out on Patrick's face. Football (and life) is just more fun when you're winning. A win tomorrow would lock up at least a .500 season, and a bowl berth, and in light of the past three years, no one would argue that this group would go out winners if that were to happen.

It's true that they deserve a bowl this year - any bowl - but in order to do it they've got to take care of business tomorrow. Don't get caught looking to LSU. Handle your business. Forward, Rebels.