There’s no way around it. This season, to this point, has been a disappointment for Ole Miss football. Sitting at 5-2, their record still looks better than the on-field play. While the losses to Kentucky and LSU are still giving Rebel fans nightmares. But the good news is that the season has now become far less confusing. They have to win out if they plan on having a chance to make the College Football Playoff. That’s why, coming out of their bye week, it’s time for Lane Kiffin to show why he’s the head coach, and worthy of the nearly $9 million he’s being paid for this season.
While there’s no doubt that he’s been successful in Oxford, this season has seen a few head-scratching decisions from Kiffin and his staff. Those are going to have to get fixed if the Rebels plan on having a chance to run the table the rest of the way.
Should Lane Kiffin Be Calling Plays?
This has quickly become the biggest question around Ole Miss circles. While there’s likely no clear-cut answer, it’s clear that some kind of change is needed. The offense, which was expected to be one of the best in the country, looks dysfunctional. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has taken a step back in conference play. It oftentimes appears that he has tunnel vision in looking for Tre Harris. If Harris is out, due to being injured, Dart looks lost.
Then there’s the playbook itself. Needless to say, it isn’t good enough. It’s become too simple. That falls on offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. Part of that may be on Dart not going through his progressions. But it’s also on the play calling and the scheme.
For example, there are essentially no intermediate routes being run. Every play has become one of three options. A run, a swing pass towards the sideline, or a deep ball. There’s been no effort to attack the middle of the field. No effort to keep linebackers on their toes. Basically no effort in trying to confuse the vision of the secondary.
That has to change. Whether that comes from Kiffin taking over the play calling, or simply having a conversation with Weis about the playbook, it has to get fixed. If it doesn’t, the offense is going to continue to look out of sorts.
The Ulysses Bentley Saga
There’s also the whole Ulysses Bentley situation. For virtually the entire season, Bentley has been on the bench and has rarely seen the field. That comes despite the assumption that he would be the starter this season after Quishon Judkins left. Instead, the Rebels have leaned heavily on Henry Parrish Jr. But with no disrespect to Parrish, Bentley is the better back. He’s the best back on the roster.
And there’s been no talk of an injury. He hasn’t been suspended, seeing as he’s played sparingly, mainly on special teams. So no one really knows why he hasn’t played. Then, against LSU, he finally saw meaningful playing time, rushing for 107 yards on 11 carries, with one touchdown.
Moving forward, he has to be the main running back. He can split carries with Parrish, but Bentley should absolutely be the one getting the majority of the carries. If he isn’t, rest assured that Kiffin will have to answer the question as to why.
Can Lane Kiffin Keep the Locker Room Together?
This is the underrated question that not enough people are asking. When you hit the portal as heavy as Kiffin and Ole Miss do, you deal with a lot of new guys who haven’t necessarily built up a real connection with each other. That connection can get tested more than normal if the season takes a downward turn. That’s where the Rebels currently find themselves. The season to this point has gone downhill. That means there’s always the chance the locker room also goes downhill.
We all know Kiffin is a player’s coach. He’s a lighthearted guy that players seem to enjoy playing for. Now Kiffin has to show that he can keep a new group of guys together through adversity. The last time he ran into this problem at Ole Miss was two seasons ago. Following a 7-0 start, the wheels came off, and they lost five of their last six games.
This season, adversity has hit earlier. If he can manage to keep the ship upright, there’s a solid chance the Rebels can make a run to end the season. But that’s going to involve him being able and willing to make some major changes.
If he proves to be unwilling to make those changes, we could be looking at a situation where the train goes off the rails.
