Eight games into the season, Ole Miss football has seen a whirlwind of ups and downs. They sit at 6-2, with a few decent wins that look solid on their resume. They also have one horrible loss, and one other disappointing loss in a game they know they should have won. While there have certainly been a variety of reasons for the roller coaster ride that has been the Rebels season, there’s one glaring reason that needs to be fixed. That reason is Ole Miss’ consistency.
Through four weak nonconference games, consistency wasn’t a problem. But that was largely due to a huge talent differential. Since conference play has started, things have shifted. The talent gap is no longer so vast, and it’s proving to be problematic for Lane Kiffin and company.
Energy Doesn’t Seem to Be Constant
The first major sign of inconsistency came in the SEC opener against Kentucky. For much of that matchup, in simple terms, Ole Miss looked bored. They appeared to be a team that had bought too much into the positive headlines. The problem is those headlines had come about due to an extremely soft nonconference slate.
Then, when finally punched in the mouth, largely due to a decent Kentucky defense, they seemed to fold a bit. By the time they realized what had happened and tried to respond, it was too late. It ended up leading to a Kentucky loss that looks worse and worse with each passing week.
However, they responded. Their energy looked much improved in a dominant win over South Carolina. The next week, even in a loss on the road at LSU, the energy wasn’t the problem.
That led to this weekend. Coming off of their bye week, Ole Miss took on Oklahoma. The first half saw a team that looked similar to the team that took the loss against Kentucky. The second half? The Rebels looked like a team that could still win out and meet preseason expectations. For instance, in the Oklahoma win, a stat that somewhat proves the inconsistency argument is sacks. In the first half, they managed three sacks. In the second half, they tallied seven. The 10 total sacks were good enough for the second-most in a single game in school history.
Self-Inflicted Wounds Another Form of Inconsistency
On top of the inconsistent energy problem, Ole Miss has also watched a game get away largely due to self-inflicted wounds. Against LSU, the first quarter saw a plethora of unforced mistakes. Tre Harris, one of the best receivers in the country, dropped an easy touchdown pass on a deep ball on the Rebels’ first possession of the game. The second possession of the game for Ole Miss saw Caden Davis miss a 32-yard field goal. Then, just for good measure, the Rebels turned the ball over on downs from the LSU four-yard line on their next drive.
Worst case scenario, they should’ve led 13-o after the first quarter. Best case scenario they would’ve been up 17-0. Instead, the score was still tied at 0, in a game they went on to lose in overtime.
Those types of self-inflicted mistakes at various times throughout a season are bad enough. When you string three or four of them together in the same quarter, in a game you end up losing, they end up being the kinds of things that blow up entire seasons.
And looking at where Ole Miss currently finds themselves, that could be exactly what the first quarter against LSU proves to be.
Can Ole Miss Become More Consistent?
When the Rebels are clicking on all cylinders, it’s easy to make the argument that they look like one of the best teams in the country. Against South Carolina, they largely managed to do just that. The second half of this weekend’s matchup vs Oklahoma saw the same thing. They proved to be a team that dominated on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball for those 30 minutes.
But football is a 60-minute game. And against above-average or elite teams, you can’t afford to fall asleep for entire quarters or halves. They found that out in Baton Rouge.
Now, as Ole Miss reaches the homestretch of their season, with a playoff appearance still a possibility, even if a long shot, the biggest question they face is whether they can find that consistency.
