Ole Miss was supposed to play in a New Year’s Six bowl. The Rebels lost the Egg Bowl in humiliating fashion and aren’t bowling at all. The season is mercilessly over but as bad as it looked, a few things did go right. Here are the good and bad.

5 THINGS THAT WENT RIGHT

Evan Engram: Engram had to miss the Egg Bowl, and it undoubtedly hurt the Rebels. Other than that, Engram’s season was beyond expectations. The tight end finished the regular season second in the SEC in yards with 926 and is one of only two tight ends in the SEC’s top 20 in yards – South Carolina’s Hayden Hurst way below at No. 19. Engram finished with 65 catches and eight touchdowns. He will find his spot in the NFL come April.

Greg Little’s progress: The true freshman was thrown into the fire, and his age showed at times. His progress did also. Little had huge expectations heaped on him at a young age, trying to live up to the impossible standards set by Laremy Tunsil. Little got better each game, along with a young line that got the same treatment in the fire.

Patterson went 1-2, but … : Fans got to see what they’re in for. The Johnny Manziel comparisons came in heavy. Patterson has a long way to go to be on that level, but his playmaking ability says he can get there. When he left the pocket, defenses struggled to contain him or keep tabs on his receivers. With a full offseason taking first-team reps, as well as some SEC experience, Patterson has the potential to pick up where Chad Kelly left off – at the top of the SEC.

Patterson’s targets: Ole Miss’ receivers are and will be one of the best groups in the country. Quincy Adeboyejo is gone and Damore’ea Stringfellow may be as well, but Van Jefferson is the perfect slot receiver, A.J. Brown is a physical piece with a chip on his shoulder, DaMarkus Lodge will have a chance to start and it’s only logical to assume 6-foot-4 D.K. Metcalf will have the breakout season he was about to have as a true freshman before he got hurt and played only two games – each with a highlight touchdown catch. Ten players who weren’t running backs caught passes, eight of them caught touchdown passes.

One for the defense: Not very much went right for the Ole Miss defense, but Marquis Haynes was one of them. The junior defensive end won’t likely be back next season and he finished his career with a bang – 53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, a pick and 3 forced fumbles.

3 THINGS THAT WENT WRONG

The defense: Pretty much the entire defense. There were factors, injuries and youth among them, but there was little to no improvement as the year went on. Ole Miss (and Mississippi State for that matter) finished next to last in the SEC after allowing 461.3 yards per game. The Rebels finished ranked 120 of 128 FBS teams against the run. The experience gained by true freshmen Myles Hartsfield, Deontay Anderson, etc. should pay off, but it came at a price in 2016. The Rebels need linebacker help for 2017.

Brown down again: Fadol Brown started the season injured and never got all the way to his feet. The defensive end started only four of the eight games he played and had 39 tackles. In limited time, he was effective with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. It will leave fans wondering what might have been with Brown and Haynes out there all season.

Obvious one for last: Chad Kelly entered the season as one of the most hyped quarterbacks in the country. Between injuries that forced a makeshift offensive line and a lacking running game, Kelly’s injury was bad icing on nasty-tasting cake. He was the SEC’s best passer when he went down and despite missing the final three games, finished third in yardage with 2,758.