Closer Look: The Ole Miss Rebels Struggle, But Prove They Are Battle Tested
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels find themselves with an 8-1 record, which is the best start by their program since the 1962 national championship team went 10-0.
Ole Miss is in a dog fight with the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers for first place in the SEC West. With only one loss to their name, many outsiders might expect the Rebels to be completely dominating their opponents. Through nine games, the Rebels have blown out a few teams, but the level of play from conference opponents has given Ole Miss trouble.
Ole Miss has played five conference games and won four of them. The Rebels beat Kentucky at home 22-19, Vanderbilt on the road 52-28, Auburn at home 48-34, and Texas A&M on the road 31-28. Their lone loss of the season was in Death Valley versus the LSU Tigers losing 45-20, and they hardly looked competitive.
LSU and Kentucky are the only teams from the group that hold a winning record, and LSU was even unranked when the Rebels lost to them. Losing to LSU and the close games they have had with lesser opponents, magnifies the Rebels weaknesses, but it proves that this team is resilient and battle tested. If the Rebels can somehow fix their continuous defensive lapses and the offense can play consistently for an entire game, the obstacles this team has overcome, despite sometimes being self-inflicted, could give them a chance to take down Alabama at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
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