SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Greetings from Arizona, where the old saying is that it’s so dry, you’d think the air is on a diet.
Seriously, this part of Arizona gets about 8-9 inches of rain annually and only about 30 days when there is any precipitation at all. The average January rainfall is less than an inch.
Well, guess what? Ole Miss plays Miami in the Fiesta Bowl Thursday night, and we may get that much rain – or more – that one day. Heavy thunderstorms are predicted.
Rick Cleveland with the Fiesta Bowl trophy in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.
Now then, it probably will not affect the game that much even though State Farm Stadium in nearby Glendale has a natural turf (Bermuda grass) field. State Farm Stadium has a retractable dome, which surely will be closed Thursday. The weather will affect tailgating. And it will be colder than normal. And those Mississippians coming in for just the day of the game should prepare accordingly. If the weather forecasters are accurate, it will be damp and cold.
Tailgating way outside the Grove
Speaking of tailgating (and perhaps soaked tailgaters), the National Football Foundation annually hosts one of the largest tailgating festivals in college football in conjunction with the Fiesta Bowl. It is held on The Great Lawn, a short walk from the stadium and is normally attended by thousands. The Ole Miss band and cheerleaders will participate. We are told there will be live entertainment of all sorts, some of both Miami’s and Ole Miss’s most famous football alums attending, plus photo booths, lawn games and team trivia contests. Again, raincoats and umbrellas are suggested.
Mississippi cheerleaders pose for a photo before the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Mississippi, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. Credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
‘I just felt like Ole Miss was home’
Asked how difficult his decision was to return Ole Miss next year (pending a waiver from the NCAA) quarterback Trinidad Chambliss responded: “It was a little bit of a hard decision because Coach (Charlie) Weis was always good to me. I had a great relationship with him throughout the whole season. As well as Coach (Lane) Kiffin, he’s been nothing but good to me. But I just felt like Ole Miss was home, and I felt like it was the right thing to do, and I felt comfortable being here. The Oxford community has been nothing but good to me and my family with the support and love that they have shown to everyone on the team.”
Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) celebrates after the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia in New Orleans, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Credit: AP Photo/Mathew Hinton
Smiling since he was born
An observation: The national media, many seeing and hearing Chambliss for the first time up close and personal, seem totally smitten. As one national website reporter asked: “Is Trinidad this gracious and forthcoming all the time?”
Part of Chambliss’s charm is an ear-to-ear smile he flashes almost every time he answers a question. Joe Soules, Chambliss’s high school basketball coach, was asked by a reporter about that smile. “You can’t wipe it off,” Soules said. “It’s been there since he was born.”
No doubt that effervescent smile will serve Chambliss well in life, whether it is at Ole Miss next season, or in the NFL or whatever else he chooses do.
Remembering a talented Millsaps QB
Millsaps quarterback Juan Joseph won the C Spire Conerly Trophy back in 2008, causing quite the controversy. Michael Oher and Peria Jerry of Ole Miss were the other finalists, and many were incensed that media voters would choose a Division III player over SEC standouts. That was even though Joseph led the Majors to an 11-1 record that season, running and throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson remembers Joseph ever so well. He was Joseph’s position coach and offensive coordinator for two seasons at Millsaps.
“Great player, great kid from a great family,” Dawson said here Tuesday at Fiesta Bowl Media Day.
Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson speaks during a press conference Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Credit: Rick Cleveland/Mississippi Today
Given that Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss came from Division II Ferris State and has become one of the most famous players in college football today, I asked Dawson: “What about Juan Joseph? Would his talent have translated to this level of football. Could he have played in ACC or SEC?”
“Oh yeah,” Dawson answered. “He could have played. No doubt about it. Juan could have played anywhere.”
Joseph was tragically shot and killed in 2014 while he was trying to break up a fight outside a Baton Rouge nightclub. Millsaps still presents the Juan Joseph Memorial Award annually “to the most outstanding returning football student-athlete that exemplifies the altruistic spirit on and off the field that Joseph exhibited in his life.”
