Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli accounted for Ole Miss' only touchdown

In Oxford, the Ole Miss campus had a lot going on last week: Bill Clinton speaking at a political rally, the black bear being revealed as the new mascot and the discussion following it by students-which most are not happy about. The fact that the Rebels had an upcoming game against Alabama didn’t seem to register around campus until Saturday rolled around (no pun intended) with everything going on.

With Ole Miss coming off a bye week, they had two solid weeks to regain strength and prepare for the might of Alabama, which probably did have a factor in this game. Not to mention, the Crimson Tide was coming off of the shocking upset loss last week to South Carolina, so of course they tweaked all their issues and were coming back with a vengeance. Ole Miss held their own against their 23-10 loss to Alabama, probably more than anyone expected, especially considering last year’s embarrassing loss to the Crimson Tide 22-3.

One thing that unexpectedly killed the Rebels in this game was penalties, which is surprising considering the fact that Ole Miss is the least penalized team in the SEC. They racked up a total of 12 penalties for a loss of 106 yards, with one of those penalties (roughing the kicker) turning an Alabama field goal into a touchdown. Bad field position was the vice for the Rebels resulting from these penalties.

Jeremiah Masoli also struggled throughout the night with the chemistry between himself and his offensive line. He was 18 for 40 passing with one interception and one touchdown, but most incompletions were the fault of the receiving end. His touchdown pass was received by Melvin Harris, finally putting Ole Miss back in the game at the end of the 3rd quarter, giving Rebels fans some hope.

The Ole Miss defense was impressive. They virtually held Alabama to strictly field goals and only one touchdown (minus the touchdown resulting from the penalty), which is impressive, considering that many Ole Miss and Alabama fans seemed to expect a blowout.

Next week, the Rebels travel to Fayetteville to face the Arkansas Razorbacks, where it’s possible they will encounter the same situation. With Arkansas losing to Auburn, the Rebels should expect them to bring their A-game, even though their starting quarterback Ryan Mallett is recovering from a concussion he received late in the first half on Saturday, which put him out of the game. If the Rebels can improve their offensive chemistry with some work within the next week, they still may have the possibility of staying alive and turning their season around.