Ole Miss Football: After LSU, Ole Miss Fans Left With Questions

Ole Miss football fell to 3-4 last Saturday night to the LSU Tigers. A 40-24 loss is never pretty and even worse when you are left with so many questions.

Ole Miss football is in a state of confusion for most Ole Miss fans. We’ve seen how well this offense can be running, however we’ve also seen where this offense has faltered. Add to that element the lack of any defense whatsoever and we’ve seen the recipe for a disaster.

So here we sit at 3-4 with more than an interim staff. Oh this has the potential for Ole Miss football to implode on itself. This is the worst-case scenario for Ole Miss football fans compared to what we had to look forward to two years ago after a Sugar Bowl win. Now, there is no doubt we are behind the gun.

No Defense?

Ole Miss Rebels Football /

Ole Miss Rebels Football

For many Ole Miss football fans, we can see where we are as a football team and it isn’t where we should be. Let’s go ahead and address the 800lb gorilla in the room. We have no defense, it’s obvious. Just look at the stats.

Ole Miss ranks outside the Top 50 in total defense, which is not very surprising when you consider just how bad we look on that side of the ball.

The lack of defense is something which didn’t just begin under DC Wesley McGriff. The decline in defense actually began in 2015 under Dan Werner if not even before then. The last really good game I can recall the Landshark defense actually showing up was the Sugar Bowl win over OK State.

It appears the Landshark defense is a thing of the past. Ironically, the emphasis placed on the new mascot selection has done nothing to refuel the defense at this point. But hey, as long as we keep our priorities in check, smh.

The Next Head Coach?

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So Hugh Freeze was forced to resign as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Former offensive line coach Matt Luke was named as interim head coach for the 2017 season. Ole Miss looked fast out of the gate but slowed considerably in the loss to Cal. There is no doubt there was a substantial difference in the aptitude of the two staffs involved.

Of course, follow that up with the coaching clinic Saban put Luke thru and we pretty much knew Luke and this staff were done at the end of this season. However, leave it to our fine Ole Miss administration to publicly acknowledge bringing in a search firm for the next head coach, smh.

Why would you do this at this point in a tumultuous season? Nice move for the team there Bjork! Just what we needed for this season, a lame duck staff. Even if you knew they were gone, why not wait until later in the the season? Great job Belt-man!

What About A New QB?

OK, none of this has been Matt Luke’s fault until the LSU game and the questionable act of allowing Shea Patterson to play hurt. Sure, he may have given the Rebels the best chance to get the win over LSU. However, playing Shea in the second half also turned out to be the best chance of watching a new QB for the rest of the season.

Sure, I can imagine Shea was all for going out there and giving his all even if he was hurting. However, there comes a point in time where you have to do what’s best for the individual and not the team. The outcome may have indeed been the same if Luke had gone with the plan B instead of going with Shea in the second half of LSU. What is the SEC leader worth? A loss? Now look where we are.

Our Final Record?

OK, so OHT predicted a 9-3 record with Hugh Freeze. Not once have we backtracked on our predictions other than the realization we’ll probably have more than 4 losses now. Honestly, I realize OHT has made some very bold and bad predictions. At this point, the very best we can hope for is 8-4. Of course, with the remaining schedule and the obvious opponent advantage we may be lucky to see a 5-7 record.

There is no doubt there are obvious deficiencies in the Ole Miss Rebels team. It’s a shame to see a program have to go thru this kind of season, any program but especially one you’ve loved and followed your entire life. This program is in dire straits at the moment. Can we expect it to get better? Yes, we can expect it to get better, but it will not be soon enough, plain and simple.

Next: Some Really Bad Grades!

Tomorrow the Rebels host the Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in hopes of salvaging their season. Let’s even the record and next week there will be even more questions. Hotty Damn Toddy!

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