Highlights from an estimated crowd of 400 at the BancorpSouth Conference Center in Tupelo.

It was the day's third stop, the previous two being West Point and Birmingham.

The them was unity among the fan base, confidence in the vision of Ross Bjork and Hugh Freeze and building the support to get there.

“We are the flagship university of the state of Mississippi. We need to know it, act like it and lead in everything we do,” Ole Miss chancellor Dan Jones said.

Jones said he's looking forward to playing a less visible role in athletics now that Bjork and Freeze are hired.

He challenged those in attendance to make financial commitments to athletics, say private contributions are a must if the programs are to compete for championships.

Bjork said the quickest way for Ole Miss fans to get involved is for them to buy all of the avilable football season tickets.

“We're asking you to give whatever you can, whether that's buying a t-shirt or $40 million dollars. If you can give $40 million, we need to see you afterward,” Bjork said.

More highlights:

Bjork: “There are two things we can control: “Our attitude and our effort. How we approach things, do we wake up on the right side of bed, or wrong side. Is the glass half full or half empty? How hard are we going to work, we know our budget not $100 million, that OK. We are going to work extremely hard with our attitude and effort.”

Freeze: “Every time I get that I just have to pinch myself. I have to be one of the luckiest guys in all the world. There are 120 jobs in Division 1 football. I feel I am the luckiest. I was born and raised here. I get your feelings. I get your passion.”

More Freeze: “We are in the wilderness in our football program. That's where we are. We can choose to stay there, or we can choose to love one another and row the boat all in the same direction.”

Jones on his role in moving athletics forward: “My responsibility is to support them, be sure they have the resources to be successful, then get out of the way and let them do their jobs. I'm looking forward to having a little lower profile in athletics.”

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Live from the BancorpSouth Conference Center in Tupelo, here's the crowd for tonight's stop on the Rebel Road Trip. I've been asked not to video any of the program portion of the event to keep things fresh and new for the remaining stops. However, here's what the gathering looks like on the inside. The two people hugging are Jane Riley and Peter West.

I have spoken with Ross Bjork and Hugh Freeze, the latter from inside the Rebel Road Trip RV. I'll have notes from the evening later on the blog and more coverage in Thursday's print edition.