After having about two weeks to digest the game, and take in some more football across the conference and country, I think I can finally talk about this game; briefly. The amount of shootouts, 4th and twenty-fives, and two-point conversions on social media have burned me out, and if you don't know what happened by now, I'm jealous of you my friend.
@OleMissFB
The bottom line is this. The offense was spectacular, because they had to be.
Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix
The defense was awful, but give credit where it is due. Brandon Allen is a bad man when he gets hot. He may just be the best quarterback in the SEC.
Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix
Arkansas seems to have gotten hot, just as they did last year, when the season is coming to a close. I wish Ole Miss could have that going for them.
Josh McCoy/@OleMissPix
Now I am no expert, but there seems to be a pretty solid trend here for the Rebs under Hugh Freeze. Since the 2012 season, Ole Miss is 5-8 in November. State (12-14) & Arkansas (12-13) are the only SEC wins in that stretch.
Folks, that's not good if you want to win championships. I don't know whether it is a depth issue (likely), coaching and development of players as a year progresses, game adjustments (in-game & out), or what, but there is something. Ole Miss does awesome at setting itself up early in the season to win it, but falls flat on it's face in the ladder part of the season. Championships are won in November. To rub a little salt in the wound, as these last two weeks have played out, everything seems to have fallen in place for Ole Miss to not only make it to Atlanta, but also make it into the playoff with a win. All the dominos have fallen, except the only one that mattered. Ole Miss taking care of business.
With that being said, this is football, and the Arkansas game is a prime example of how anything can happen and why we love this sport. Ole Miss just happened to be on the wrong end. There is a bright side, and there are two more HUGE games to play. That starts this week when the Bayou Bengals come into town. Now, two weeks ago this did not look too promising, but after suffering exposing beatdowns at the hands of Alabama (surprise) and Arkansas (maybe the win over Ole Miss wasn't such a fluke after all), LSU comes limping into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as a 4 point dog to the Rebs. Now that could either be a blessing or a curse. One side of the coin, with two weeks to prepare for Ole Miss, and LSU & Leonard Fournette looking human, Ole Miss may have a good shot in Oxford. On the other side, with their SEC and Playoff hopes all but driven into the grave in two straight games, LSU could be just mad enough to come and embarrass the Landshark Defense and wreak havoc on the exposed unit. Either way, I think the Rebs will have their hands full with this one.
So let's all just strap in and enjoy the ride. Even more depressing than how this season has turned out so far is that there are only two regular season games left. Saturday will most likely be the last time we see Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell, and Laremy Tunsil in an Ole Miss uniform at the Vaught. There is a possibility of Tony Conner, Evan Engram, and even Chad Kelly all leaving as well, not to mention all the seniors. I hate to be the "debbie downer" here, but that is the reality we are looking at. That 2013 class came in here to change the culture and national perception of Ole Miss, and they have done that. But I just can't accept or believe there is not huge disappointment with how everything has unfolded. Then again, would you have ever believed me if I would have told you at the beginning of the season that Ole Miss was two games from sweeping the SEC West, minus Arkansas? (And still not going to make it to Atlanta.)
Either way, Hotty Toddy, Go Rebs, Beat LSU. (please)
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