Hogs Fans Should Pay Attention to Mike Bianco’s Comment

Ole Miss coach gets it absolutely right about what some Razorback fans should grasp

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Jun 26, 2022 10:25 PM EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco wasn't sending any messages, but Arkansas fans should listen.

"You find out at the end what you're made of," he said after downing Oklahoma with two straight wins for the Rebels' first national championship.

Razorback fans need to quit complaining about losses in March and April. They have nothing to do with wins in June.

It really only matters what games you win in June.

Brandon Johnson-Hayden Dunhurst-CWS — Ole Miss pitcher Brandon Johnson (37) and catcher Hayden Dunhurst (13) celebrate the last out to win the National Championship and the College World Series against the Oklahoma Sooners at Charles Schwab Field.
(Steven Branscombe / USA TODAY Sports)

The Rebels barely made it into the NCAA Tournament. Conversations were being held about when Bianco was going to be fired. A lot of people figured in April that Ole Miss would be smack in the middle of a coaching search right now.

Hog fans were still feeling pretty confident. To their credit they rebounded pretty well in the NCAA Tournament and was the only team to hand the Rebels a loss.

When it counted, though the Hogs couldn't get everything to come together to reach the finals.

Dave Van Horn talked about the team continuing to stay together through the season, develop and push forward. A lot of fans don't pay a whole lot of attention to that.

"That's not some poster or some tweet to motivate you," Bianco said later. "We've all heard that. These guys have lived that this season. They really have. They've fallen down where not a lot of people believed that they were any good anymore and a lot of people may have been disappointed in them.

"(The players) didn't let that affect them. They continued to believe in one another. They continued to push."

Arkansas actually came pretty close to putting together a championship run in the postseason. Ole Miss, the preseason No. 1 team in a lot of places, probably had a couple of players more than the Hogs.