After four weeks of beating up on below-average opponents, Ole Miss opened up conference play to plenty of optimism. They were at home. They were playing in front of a record crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Their opponent was what is expected to be a mediocre Kentucky team. Everything seemed to be aligning perfectly for the Rebels. And then, in no uncertain terms, Ole Miss had their issues exposed in front of a national audience, as they just went off the rails.
After a quick opening drive touchdown, just about everything went awry. So what happened, and what has to get corrected if the Rebels plan on having any shot at a run toward the College Football Playoff?
Penalties Still a Huge Concern
Following a season-opening win over Furman, penalties have become a major problem for Ole Miss. In that win, they only had three penalties. In four games since, they have committed both 11 penalties and eight penalties, twice. Regardless of the opponent, averaging nearly 10 penalties a game complicates the winning idea.
Now, if you ask Ole Miss fans, plenty of the calls have been bad. Maybe that’s true. However, there’s no denying that for the past month, lack of discipline has been a problem for this football team. Pre-snap mistakes have ruined drives for the offense. And on the defensive side, too much physicality in the secondary continues to grant new life to opponents.
Against Georgia Southern two weeks ago, the Eagles picked up six first downs from penalties. This weekend, Kentucky picked up three, including a costly one in the red zone. If the Rebels want to get back on track, they have to find a way to play more disciplined football.
Where Is Ulysses Bentley IV?
This is far and away the biggest question of the year so far for Ole Miss. Last year, Ulysses Bentley IV was the backup to Quinshon Judkins. In that role, he flourished, including averaging over a yard more per carry (5.7) than Judkins (4.3). Then, with Judkins transferring to Ohio State, it was expected that Bentley was set to be the primary back. That, however, hasn’t been the case.
Through five games this season, he only has 16 rushing attempts. His highest number of attempts in a single game this season is only six. This past weekend against Kentucky, he didn’t receive a single carry. The only time he saw the field was sparingly on special teams.
The minuscule number of carries is problematic enough. However, what makes the whole situation worse is the secretive and vague nature that Lane Kiffin and the rest of the program seem to be going with to avoid discussing Bentley’s whereabouts. It certainly doesn’t seem to be an eligibility issue, seeing as he is still playing sparingly. So is it an injury? Is it an internal issue? No one knows, and that’s causing a great deal of frustration from Rebel fans.
Whatever the reason, if Ole Miss plans on reaching their full potential, and preseason expectations, Bentley is going to have to see more carries. While Henry Parrish Jr. is more than capable, he can’t be the only back who sees meaningful carries.
Bad Play Calling Becoming An Issue
The last issue that has been put on display this season is the play-calling at times. Sometimes it looks fine. Other times, it’s been atrocious. Whether you want to blame Kiffin, or on offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., something has to change. More consistency is a must.
After the opening drive on Saturday, things simply went askew. The biggest problem this weekend was the lack of adjustments that were made. After noticing that Kentucky was getting plenty of pressure on Jaxson Dart, the game plan never changed to help out the quarterback. Dart didn’t have a game that would meet his standards, but the coaches didn’t do him any favors in trying to make things easier.
However, the biggest problem with the playcalling didn’t just pop up this weekend. It’s been a problem for weeks, but against lesser competition, it didn’t get exposed. That problem is the appearance that there’s a sheer reliance on Tre Harris in the passing game. While Harris is likely one of the best receivers in football, there’s too much talent on the outside for the Rebels not to do a better job of spreading the ball around. While the loss to Kentucky was the worst example of this, it’s been apparent in other games this year as well.
Can the Rebels Get Back on Track?
Despite the loss, and despite the glaring concerns, Ole Miss still largely controls its own destiny. If they win out, they’re almost assuredly going to make the College Football Playoff. Even if they slip up one more time, a two-loss SEC team likely still gets in. But there are plenty of things that have to change.
The penalties have to stop. They have to play more disciplined football. And at some point, it seems certain that they’re going to have to allow Bentley the chance to finally break out. Apart from that, the play calling has to open up. Get more people involved. The playbook can’t just include Parrish running the ball, and Dart looking for Harris.
With a somewhat favorable schedule the rest of the way, things should remain optimistic for the Rebels. The question now becomes whether they can fix the mistakes.
The other question is how they handle adversity. Do they let the criticism and adversity from the Kentucky loss break them, and fold under pressure? Or can they use the disappointment and frustration to right the ship? We’ll find out this weekend as they hit the road to take on South Carolina.
