Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt Uniform Review ~ 2015

This game was the definition of a hangover game for Ole Miss.  Coming off of a big win in Tuscaloosa, the Rebels should have hung half a hundred on paper against the Commodores.  But that is why they play the game on the field and not on paper, right?  It was an underwhelming performance at best for what is supposed to be the No. 3 team in America.  But to Vanderbilt's credit, they had a good game plan, executed well, and took advantage of some Ole Miss mistakes and injuries.  Yes, the injuries hurt.  I am not completely sold on this Ole Miss team defensively yet, and while it's not fair to compare them to last years defense, they are not to that level, yet.  That's not saying that they can't get there or won't get there.  Robert Nkemdiche continued to dominate when he was in the game, and his little-big brother Denzel went on to have a career night (12 solo tackles, 14 total).  Overshadowing that was the fact that for the second week in a row, the defense got gassed, and everyone in the stadium could tell.  Offensively, Tunsil still unable to play, plus having Bell out on the already thin offensive line, was a problem.  Vanderbilt had the Ole Miss offense in fits, constantly pressuring Kelly into errant throws and scrambling around.  He also threw two interceptions.  In the redzone, the struggles only got worse, as Ole Miss had to settle for three field goal attempts after getting inside the Vanderbilt 20 yard line.  Ole Miss was just 3 for 13 on third down.  Simply put, this was an ugly game for the Rebs.

Uniform wise, it couldn't have been better though.  Ole Miss came out in the throwback Powder Blue helmets for probably the last time this year, and dang did they look good under the lights over the red jersey and gray pants.

@OleMissFB

The defense did hold when they needed to though, bending often, but rarely breaking in the red zone and only giving up 16 points.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

Ole Miss wideout Damore'ea Stringfellow scored a touchdown early, after the Commodores took the lead, giving the Rebels their first deficit of the 2015 Season.

Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix

At the end of the day, Ole Miss pulled off the win to move to 4-0, while Vanderbilt fell to 1-3.  Great teams throughout the course of a season often have to be tested and persevere.  The Rebels perhaps got a blessing in disguise with this wake-up call at home.  

Next week, Ole Miss travels to Gainesville to play the Florida Gators, who under new coach Jim McElwain, have constantly improved and quietly accumulated a 4-0 record themselves.  The Rebels are talented, but in the SEC, so is everyone else.  If the Ole Miss wants to escape the Swamp with a win, they will need to show some improvement from their game against Vanderbilt.  It's a long season, and sometimes to get to Atlanta and beyond, teams just have to play week to week, survive, and advance.  The Rebels survived last night.