Ole Miss Has Eight Straight Games to Prove Florida Was an Outlier

Ole Miss has no bye weeks remaining in the regular season.

Mississippi Rebels Head Coach Pete Golding looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels are on a bye week this weekend, the only one the team will have until the end of the regular season.

The break is coming at a convenient time for the Rebels; major adjustments will need to be made following a 52-28 loss to No. 8 Florida in The Swamp last week.

Following the bye, Ole Miss will play eight straight games, seven of which will be SEC opponents, making whatever changes Ole Miss makes over the bye crucial.

Now is the Best Time to Make Major Changes

Mississippi Rebels cornerback Jaylon Braxton tackles Florida Gators wide receiver Bailey Stockton during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding hinted at some possible personnel changes following the blowout loss to Florida. This week will be the ideal time to pull the trigger on those changes because this is the last time until November that they won't be preparing for a game.

The biggest problem spots have been on the defense, particularly with the linebacking and defensive back corps.

Linebackers like Keaton Thomas, who's the green dot for Ole Miss' defense and recently took the blame for the defensive struggles against Florida, and Luke Ferrelli have shown flashes, like in the LSU game, but also struggled finishing tackles against Florida's running backs.

With the defensive backs, Golding has insisted on rotating the five that are typically on the field to keep them all fresh, but so far, all it's done is prevent Ole Miss from finding a solidified group that is playing well.

Players who could find themselves with opportunities to break into a more prominent role are linebacker Tah'j Butler, who's been impressive in the snaps he's played this season, safety Ladarian Clardy, who played some late last season but hasn't been prominent this season, and multiple freshmen such as linebackers Ant Davis Jr., JaMichael Garrett, and cornerback Dorian Barney.

Whatever decisions Pete Golding decides to make need to work immediately if the Rebels want to make it back to the College Football Playoff. They likely can only afford to lose one more game and face a challenging schedule.

On Oct. 10, the Rebels will be on the field again to play Vanderbilt in Nashville. Following that game, the Rebels will play every weekend, finishing the season with a stretch of No. 25 Missouri, No. 1 Texas, Auburn, No. 2 Georgia, Oklahoma, Wofford and Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.

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