A few quick thoughts from the Rebels’ 10-7 loss to LSU in Death Valley Saturday night:

What it means: The loss means Ole Miss no longer controls its own destiny in the crowded SEC West. The Rebels now drop into a three-way tie for second in the West with fellow one-loss teams Alabama and Auburn, and although it beat Alabama earlier this year it’ll need to win both its games against Auburn and Mississippi State in order to regain a chance at winning the division crown. Both games against Auburn and MSU will take place in Oxford, but the Rebels’ offense was exposed by a fierce LSU defense, laying out a blueprint for future opponents to take advantage of Ole Miss.

What I liked: The Rebels defense played incredible despite falling by three points to the Tigers. Ole Miss held LSU to just three points for most of the game, forcing four turnovers while limiting the Bayou Bengals to just eight completions in the passing game. The Tigers’ rushing attack picked up steam as the game progressed, eventually breaking through on the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, but that was more a result of the Ole Miss defense wearing down due to carrying the team all night long. The “Landshark” defense had allowed just 10.6 points per game this season to lead the nation in scoring defense, and it held LSU to just 10 points in a night game in Death Valley. The loss was crippling for Ole Miss, but you can’t blame the defense.

What I didn’t like: The Rebels’ rushing attack was putrid, and its insistence on running the ball late in the game was as puzzling as it was ineffective. Ole Miss ran the ball 34 times for 137 yards, but after subtracting out one 30-yard run by Cody Core it actually ran for 107 yards on 33 carries, an average of just 3.2 yards per carry. The Rebels couldn’t establish a rushing attack all night, and the lack of balance on offense limited them all night in a pathetic seven-point showing.

Who’s the man: There are a few members of the Ole Miss defense deserving of recognition here. Cornerback Senquez Golson intercepted yet another pass, his eighth in eight games this season. Mike Hilton made eight tackles and pulled in an interception of his own. Safety Cody Prewitt also made eight tackles, and added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a losing effort. Linebacker DT Shackelford also forced a fumble, and defensive end C.J. Johnson recovered a fumble to help limit the LSU offense to just three points for most of the game. All of these great performances were wasted by a putrid offense, but that doesn’t mean the “Landsharks” don’t deserve recognition for their efforts.

Key play: The Rebels trailed by three points with nine seconds left, and faced a potential game-winning field goal from 42 yards away when the Rebs committed a horrific delay of game penalty to move the ball back five yards in a critical moment. Hugh Freeze elected to send his offense back onto the field with nine ticks remaining, hoping for a quick gain to move the ball closer for freshman kicker Gary Wunderlich. Instead, Bo Wallace threw an inexplicable deep ball to a wideout in double-coverage, and LSU’s Ronald Martin came down with an interception to seal a Tigers’ victory. It was Ole Miss’ only turnover of the game, and Wallace’s first interception in SEC play. Wallace had kept his Bad Bo persona hidden for most of the last month, but Bad Bo cost Ole Miss on that play, and thus cost it the game.

What’s next: The Rebels won’t have long to recover from the loss as they turn the page to No. 5 Auburn next week in Oxford. Auburn defeated South Carolina 42-35 Saturday night to improve to 6-1 on the season, and the loser of this game will likely be eliminated from contention for the SEC West crown. The Rebels must put this loss behind them quickly in order to save their season against the Tigers.