Having been around Ole Miss football my entire life, I have seen some pretty tough losses and difficult moments. Whether it was the blown illegal touching call on Shay Hodge that cost Ole Miss a would-be upset win over Alabama in 2007 or an overtime loss to division 1-AA Jacksonville State in 2010, Ole Miss has dropped some difficult and heartbreaking games over the years. Saturday night’s loss to Auburn is definitely the most crushing I have been around as an Ole Miss fan.
Losing the game and your number one offensive playmaker sophomore wide receiver Laquon Treadwell all in one play on the 1 yard-line is gut wrenching. The loss is even more tough to swallow given what was on the line. The game was essentially an elimination game for a spot in the College Football Playoff. In my eyes, the Rebels deserved to win that game on Saturday night, but it was just not in the cards.
One thing I do know about this team is that they will respond. There is too much senior leadership on this team for them to throw in the towel. This team is too close-knit and too strong to let things slip away from them. As disappointing as the game on Saturday night was, it is hard not to be proud and appreciative of the fight that this football team showed on Saturday night.
I am not a fan of moral victories at all, and I’m not labeling Saturday night as one. That being said, there are some positive things that came out of the game.
Senior quarterback Bo Wallace played his best football game of the 2014 season and probably of his Ole Miss career. The defense struggled but got key stops when the game was on the line. Probably the most important thing to take away from Saturday was the resiliency the Rebels showed.
The Rebels fought until the final play of the game. This team is a resilient and tough group of guys; I have no doubt they will come back fighting after this loss.
Going forward into the finishing stretch of the 2014 season, the focus should be on a number of different things.
First, there is still a lot to play for in the remaining weeks of this season. Ole Miss still has a chance to record a ten win season for the first time in over a decade. The Rebels also still have an outside shot at the SEC west title with some help from other teams.
Next, the Egg Bowl is the most important game remaining on the schedule this year. Ole Miss will have a chance to avenge its overtime loss in Starkville on Thanksgiving night last year.
As a life-long resident of this state, I, as well as the majority of other Mississippians, can attest to the importance of that game. The intensity of the Egg Bowl is always high and will be even higher this year with what is at stake in the game. It would be a huge plus on the season if the Rebels can ruin State’s possible playoff chances with a win on our own home field on senior day. A win against your in-state rival is always a huge boost to the end of a season as well as leg up in recruiting for the coming off-season.
Lastly and most importantly, I encourage Rebel Nation to continue to support this team the last three games of the regular season. Do not lose sight of how far this team and program has come in such a short amount of time.
After these losses, it can be easy to lose sight of all the excitement, exposure and attention this team has put on the Ole Miss Football Program. This team has revived Ole Miss football and put the program on the map nationally.
I especially encourage fans to appreciate this senior class in the last three games. This class has persevered and fought for four years to bring Ole Miss from a 2-10 team in their freshman year to the national contenders you see today.
This senior class is largely responsible for changing the culture and perception of Ole Miss football. They fought through the difficult times and worked tirelessly to produce a winning team that Rebel fans would be proud to watch, and they have done exactly that. This senior class will have a special place in Ole Miss football history.
Do not give up yet, Rebel Nation. This team is not ready to give up just yet. The journey is still young, and there is a lot left to play for in the 2014 season.
