This is something you don’t see all that often. Despite a 34-point victory over Wake Forest, Ole Miss isn’t happy with how they planned in Winston-Salem, and are still looking to improve. Sure it was their first road game of the year. And yeah, it was their first game against a Power Four conference team. But to them, that’s no excuse. Ole Miss made too many mistakes, and they know it.
That being said, obviously, it wasn’t all bad for the Rebels. The offense was extremely balanced, rushing for 273 yards, while throwing for 377. Running back Henry Parrish Jr. looked explosive, helped in large part by the offensive line. Jaxson Dart stayed efficient, completing 77% of his passes. He also included a few tough runs himself. While Ole Miss fans probably love the toughness, they’d probably prefer him not to take unnecessary hits.
On the defensive side, the defensive line played well. They got after Wake Forest quarterback Hank Bachmeier, sacking him four times. They also only gave up 46 yards on the ground. Through three games, they’ve only given up 100 yards on the ground.
That’s just about where the positives end. So what went wrong for the Rebels, and why are they feeling like there’s still plenty to improve moving forward?
Ole Miss Committing Too Many Penalties
One of the glaring problems for Ole Miss this weekend was the penalties. For two weeks now, that’s been a concerning trend. Two weeks ago, they committed eight penalties for 80 yards. This weekend against Wake, they committed 11 penalties for 114 yards.
While it hasn’t come back to haunt them yet, part of that could be due to the schedule. Through three weeks, their opponents have a combined three wins. Talent has taken control so far, but when you look forward to teams like Oklahoma, LSU, and Georgia, having too many penalties can become a major difference maker. If the Rebels want to truly be a national championship contender, they have to play more disciplined football moving ahead, because the better teams on their schedule will be far more equipped to take advantage of the costly penalties we’ve seen over the past two weeks.
The Turnover Bug Finally Hit the Rebels
In their first two games of the season, Ole Miss managed to avoid turnovers. That changed this past weekend. It started early in the contest on a high snap that Dart couldn’t handle. A few bounces later, it wound up in the hands of a Demon Deacon. That fumble proved to be the first turnover of the year for the Rebels. It was also their first lost fumble since last year’s season opener against Mercer. But it wouldn’t be the last of the day for Dart and company. Later in the game, he made a horrible decision on a throw as he was rolling to his left. The result of the play was his first interception in 178 pass attempts. Those proved to be the only two turnovers of the game for Ole Miss, though they did have one other fumble that they managed to recover.
Though one week isn’t proof of a trend, the turnovers should be something to keep an eye on. Turnovers are one of the easiest ways to flip momentum in a game, and against better competition, they’ll be more difficult to come back from. Taking care of the ball hasn’t been a huge issue for Lane Kiffin-led teams at Ole Miss, so it is not a concern, yet at least. If it starts to become a weekly thing, this could turn into a much bigger issue.
Is the Ole Miss Secondary Good Enough?
The answer to this question after week one vs Furman looked like a yes. In that one, the Ole Miss secondary held the Paladins to 146 yards through the air. However, in their two games so far against FBS competition, they’ve given up 250 and 265 yards passing, respectively. While those aren’t terrible numbers, they have come against what would likely be considered below average competition. In the coming weeks, they will play against quarterbacks that are better than they’ve seen so far.
Now, if there is one defense of the secondary, it’s the amount of time they spend on the field. Because Dart and the offense are oftentimes scoring in quick bursts, the defense ends up being on the field more than they’d probably prefer. As the schedule gets tougher, if the offensive drives start to take longer, it could give the secondary more of a breather than they’ve had so far. That just so happens to be some of the pros and cons that come with an explosive offense.
So while it’s likely too early to answer that question definitively, that’s another key topic to watch as we move deeper into the season for the Rebels.
Reason For Optimism Despite Mistakes
Clearly, there are areas of improvement needed for Kiffin and the Rebels moving forward. Penalties should be a reasonably serious concern, and the secondary still needs to prove itself further. But the good news for Rebel fans is that despite the mistakes, they’ve avoided being upset by anyone so far. Furthermore, they haven’t even come close.
The other good news is that they’re still a few weeks away from conference play. That’s when the mistakes could easily become more amplified. If they can fix the mistakes before that point, things will be fine in Oxford. If the issues persist, it may not be long before they fall victim to a surprising upset.
