Seven Game Maxims (Ole Miss-Florida)

General Robert Neyland first introduced the “Seven Game Maxims” to his University of Tennessee Volunteer football team in the 1930’s and many high schools and colleges are still using them seventy years later. Restated over and over throughout the season as a method of reminding players what they have to do to win, they are:

1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way, score.
3. If at first the breaks or the game go against you, don’t let up. Put on more steam.
4. Protect your kicker, your quarterback, and your lead.
5. Oskie. Aggressively pursue the ball and yell “Oskie” when you intercept it. Block and gang tackle for this the winning edge.
6. Press the kicking game for it is here that the breaks are made.
7. Carry the fight to your opponent and leave it there for the whole game.

A closer look at the Ole Miss-Florida game played on October 4th, 2003, will show how those Seven Maxims held up.

Mistakes: Florida threw for three interceptions, all in the fourth quarter. Nursing a 17-13 lead with 15 minutes to go, the Gators handed the ball over instead of eating up the clock with a running game that had averaged 4.1 yards per carry.

Breaks: Ole Miss made its own breaks with those late interceptions, the last of which they capitalized on to score the decisive touchdown.

Don’t let up: Both teams gave up leads. After opening the scoring with a field goal, Mississippi saw its lead vanish and the Gators take a 17-10 advantage into the locker room at the half. Ole Miss hung tough and would not allow a Florida score in the last 30 minutes.

Protect your QB, your kicker, and your lead: Interceptions are thrown when a quarterback is hurried. Florida failed to protect its quarterback as well as Ole Miss. The Rebels only had one pick compared to three for Florida. Although both teams lost a lead, it was Florida who lost it late and that made the difference.

Oskie: Nothing turns a game around like intereceptions. In the fourth quarter, Florida persisted in throwing when it had the lead. Two times after throwing interceptions, the Gator defense bent but did not break. The third time they did break, allowing the winning score with just over a minute left

Press the kicking game: Ole Miss had kick return yardage of 99 yards to Florida’s 64 and the Rebels averaged 47 yards per punt to the Gators’ 43.

Carry the fight for the whole game: After Mississippi could not take advantage of those first two interceptions in the final quarter, they had enough fight left to turn the third one into a winner. An 8-play 50 yard touchdown drive ate up four minutes of the clock and left Florida inadequate time to counter.

Jim Reese was a quarterback and assistant coach at the University of Minnesota. He is now retired and lives in Tampa, Florida, where he reports on sports for a local newspaper. Jim writes for the CompuSports Network search sites periodically, sharing the wisdom he has gained during his career in coaching.

Learn about and download Jim’s eBook, How to Win at Flag Football