Best News Rebel Fans Have Received in a While

The below is the best news Ole Miss fans have received in a while. The University administration has finally listened to the concerns of their fans and season ticketholders. Many Rebel fans have been complaining over the kick off times for the past several years. Night games make the football atmosphere so much more festive and fans seemed to be more into the game and are in their seats by kickoff. As opposed to a 1:00 game where fans are still asleep from having to wake up early and drive to campus from towns all over Mississippi many driving three or more hours. A five o'clock kickoff just makes for a more pleasant day for everyone.


(UMAA)OXFORD, Miss. -- Beginning with the 2008 football season, Ole Miss will set kickoff for non-television home games at 5 p.m. CST, the athletics department has announced.Rebel games in Oxford without TV ties had been set at 1 p.m this season and in many previous years, and one of the key motivating factors was to combat the perception of alcohol abuse.

However, with an increase in alcohol awareness, Ole Miss athletics director Pete Boone said the time was right to find a more conducive game time on Saturdays.

“The University has done a great job of making fans aware of the new alcohol policy and the tolerance regarding its abuse,” said Boone. “We want to provide the best possible gameday atmosphere for our fans, and we believe a 5 p.m. kickoff will help make that happen.”

The new time also hopes to balance community needs and the travel needs of fans. Boone said the athletics department had extensive communication with out-of-town fans and local business owners and concluded the later kickoff could be beneficial to travel plans as well as retail and restaurant sales in the Oxford region.

The Rebels’ 2008 football campaign features seven home games, including the Aug. 30 season opener against Memphis.