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Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, Not Very Pretty First Thoughts

By Daniel Skipper

OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Matt Luke of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Matt Luke of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Ole Miss football was back in action this past weekend and fell 45-16 to the No.5 LSU Tigers. First thoughts were really not that pretty.

This past Saturday night was a rough one for the Rebels as they fell 45-16 to the No.5 LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. The loss drops the Rebels to 3-2 on the season with both losses being SEC West match-ups. Naturally if you watched the game Saturday night as a Rebels fan you saw just how ugly the game really was. Therefore I didn’t publish a ‘First Thoughts’ piece after the LSU game Saturday night.

As a huge fan of opinion and truth there are times when some things really are better left unsaid. However, is that fair to the fans who watched the game Saturday night or to the OHT readers? No it isn’t. Although I have received some staunch criticism about my views and opinions from Rebels fans I do believe we have a responsibility to be both fair and honest. And honestly Ole Miss fans deserve better than the product we’ve seen on the field in the two losses.

Sure, I realize the two losses came to the No.1 Alabama Crimson Tide and No.5 LSU Tigers. While I’m a stern believer there is no such thing as a good loss, these were very ugly. While many of us may not have truly expected a win in either game we did expect more than what was delivered and it has left many fans very unhappy. I mean can you really blame them?

What We Saw In Death Valley

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We all realize the 45-16 outcome was not a good one for the Rebels and Death Valley is never an easy place to play. However, this Rebels team looked very out-of-place and very unprepared for the LSU team they were facing. Once again the Rebels offense struggled to produce in the red-zone and missed TD opportunities. While it was great to see Luke Logan respond with 3 FGs Ole Miss doesn’t have the defense to trade FGs for TDs.

Honestly there was poor execution on both sides of the ball. Between the inability of the Rebels to produce on offense and the inability to tackle on defense the Tigers had no problem securing an easy home SEC win. Maybe the most concerning issue for coach Matt Luke and the Rebels was the very undisciplined play on both sides of the ball. The Rebels had 17 penalties for 167 yards which is unacceptable.

What It All Means

In football terms when a team has talent and it still looks unprepared it falls on the coaching staff. When a team plays without proper execution it falls on the coaching staff. When a team plays so undisciplined they get 17 penalties in a single game it falls on the coaching staff. For the past three weeks we’ve heard from the coaching staff about execution and it appears to have gotten worse.

dark. Next. Burning Questions...

To have this much talent and no better result is a travesty for everybody who is involved with the program. One thing I won’t do is throw players under the bus when it is clearly not the players which are the issue. Another thing I won’t do is ignore the problems with this team to suffice a few ill fans. What I will do is continue to support the Rebels through this season and the next 50 if the Lord is willing. Hotty Toddy!

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