Most of the Ole Miss faithful knew a win was a long shot, but the Rebels’ loss in Baton Rouge stings not so much because of the result but because of how it happened.
Ole Miss once again had its opportunities to make the game competitive but failed to do so because of penalties and missed opportunities, both on offense and defense. The Rebels’ total of 167 penalty yards and gave the Tigers life on multiple occasions throughout the evening.
A.J. Brown shakes off an LSU defender on Saturday night in Baton Rouge. LSU won the game 45-16. Photo by Josh McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
We’ve seen the Ole Miss defense fall apart before (and there was a fair share of that on Saturday), but the Ole Miss offense spun its wheels and had next to no production for most of the game. Dropped passes, poor pass protection and, at times, questionable play calling led to the Rebels’ demise on the offensive side of the ball.
What served as such a shock — and has been the case in more than one Ole Miss game this season — was that when one unit had success, the other would sputter and fall apart. On the rare occasion that the Rebel defense forced a stop, the offense would fail to capitalize. When the offense woke up and seemed to move the ball effectively, the defense had no answer for the Tigers.
What leads to this team failing to play as just that: a team? What makes the wheels fall off on one or both sides of the ball every Saturday?
When things go wrong in any sport, it’s easy to point fingers and call for people to lose their jobs, but I think it’s important to look at just what this coaching staff is dealing with.
In 2016, fans called for Dave Wommack to lose his job as defensive coordinator. They felt that the man who had led the Landshark D to being one of the best units in the nation was old and outdated and that, frankly, he had lost his luster.
The fans got their wish. Although Wommack wasn’t fired, he retired after the Egg Bowl in 2016. Fans hoped that the change in staff would lead to a return to the glory days of the Ole Miss defense.
That didn’t happen.
In comes Wesley McGriff, and the story stays the same, if not worse. The Ole Miss defense misses tackles, blows assignments and looks lost more times than not on Saturdays. Now, fans are calling for McGriff’s head.
Associate head coach and defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff speaks on the upcoming football season at a press conference. File photo by Marlee Crawford
I’m not making a case for McGriff or for any coach to keep his job because, as I’ve said before, I’m not in the locker room or a part of the administration. I don’t know what all goes on behind the scenes. I will say this, however: If you think that a simple coaching change will fix all of this team’s problems, you’re wrong.
People are wanting for Ole Miss to be at the level they were in 2014 and 2015 — competing for the SEC West title, consistently. The bottom line, however, is that this team just isn’t as talented as those squads were.
The Rebels have missed on some key pieces in recruiting in the last few years, especially (and most notably) on defense. This is a program that is coming out of an intense NCAA cloud and is serving the latter half of a two-year postseason ban. Sure, the offense is explosive. But when you add all of those variables together, do you realistically expect a team that will compete with the top programs in the SEC?
Again, I think a fair amount of blame can be placed on the coaching staff. I think it’s fair for a fan base to question play-calling and question a coaching staff when there is little to no visible improvement on the field. But this staff does not deserve all of the blame.
Ole Miss has been through the ringer during the last few years, and whether you want to hear it or not, we’re seeing the results of that now. Sure, Ole Miss has been blown out this year by a combined 107-23 by Alabama and LSU, but those are two teams ranked in the top five, nationally. The Rebels still have talented teams left to face on their schedule, but there is a good chance that Alabama and LSU are two of the best they’ll see all season.
I’m not saying that this season will miraculously turn around or that the Rebels will suddenly be better at the game of football, but I’m saying that there is hope. This is not the most talented team across the board, and there have been some questionable calls from members on the coaching staff. But there is still hope for better days this fall.
Defensive back C.J. Moore and linebacker Mohamed Sanogo take down LSU running back Nick Brossette. LSU won the game 45-16. Photo by Josh McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
