Another close game for Ole Miss and head coach Matt Luke.

Another close loss.

Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn withstood a late Rebels rally to escape with a 20-14 win in SEC play.

Such has become commonplace in Oxford. The Rebels will have losses to Memphis, California, Missouri, Texas A&M and now Auburn to look back on and wonder if a few plays could have gone differently.

Just how close? Those losses have been separated by 5, 8, 11, 7 and 6 points.

As it stands, the Rebels (3-6, 2-4 SEC) will have to win their remaining three games to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2015. Frankly, it looks like a long shot, with games remaining against New Mexico State, top-ranked LSU and Mississippi State.

Close wins get you nowhere in this league. Luke is now just 3-13 in the SEC West in his tenure, with wins over Arkansas and Mississippi State.

No matter how you spin it, that is not acceptable.

For the Rebels, the third quarter Saturday night was one they will want to forget. They accumulated just 31 yards of total offense, and many Rebels fans were ready to throw in the towel. In true Ole Miss form, a comeback was in order. Like many times this season, it fell short.

The good news? This team hasn’t quit, nor has the coaching staff. While not evident on the scoreboard, this team is improving. The problem remains, will it be enough to salvage another season? Have the fans checked out?

The attendance next Saturday, when Ole Miss hosts New Mexico State, will be quite telling.

Offense: C

Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee played the lion’s share of the snaps, and he finished just 11-for-21 for 86 yards in what offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez called an “awful passing game” against the Tigers. Matt Corral spelled Plumlee sporadically and finished with just 13 yards through the air.

Nothing worked.

It took until the fourth quarter for the Rebels to finally start moving. Plumlee drove them into Auburn territory, only to be intercepted to quash a bid for an upset victory.

Plumlee led the Rebels in rushing with 92 yards and a score. Another freshman, Jerrion Ealy, finished with 44 yards against one of the best defensive fronts in college football.

I’m sure the quarterbacks have some fault in this, but the wide receiver position has been a complete mess. Elijah Moore led the group, again, with three catches for only 14 yards. No other receiver caught more than one pass. Ealy finished with four catches out of the backfield to lead Ole Miss.

Defense: A

Mike MacIntyre should be a finalist for SEC defensive coordinator of the year for what he has done in Oxford. Last season, Ole Miss had, statistically, one of the worst defenses in the country. This season, MacIntyre has completely revamped the unit and has it 79th in the country in total defense.

The enthusiasm of the improved defense was evident against Auburn. The defense was on the field for what seemed like the entire night. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Tigers led in time of possession 27:52 to 17:08.

While the defense has been hit by the injury bug, losing starting linebacker MoMo Sanogo a few weeks back, the youth on the team continues to step up. Jon Haynes had his best game as a Rebel, finishing with 10 tackles. Linebacker Lakia Henry, who has done a terrific job as well, finished with eight.

Jon Haynes wraps up Auburn running back Harold Joiner during the second quarter for one of his 10 tackles in the game. Photo by: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

The loss to the Tigers was not on the defense. The Rebels have improved drastically on that side of the ball and done so under MacIntyre’s direction.

Special teams: A

Ole Miss punter Mac Brown was terrific, finishing with a 42.6-yard average and a long of 57 yards on eight punts. Most notably, three were downed inside the 20. Ealy, a bright spot in the punt return game, scampered 55 yards for the team’s longest punt return of the season.

Quotable

“This shows you how close this team is to being really, really good. We had a lot of missed opportunities on offense, and we were right there at the end with one of the best teams in the country.” — Plumlee

“It’s a disappointing loss, our kids fought their guts out. I’m proud of our defense and how they bowed their necks in the red zone.” — Luke

“It hurts, knowing we’ve been this close multiple times, but it’s time to focus on the next game. A lot of people outside the locker room have given up on us, but inside the locker room we believe we are building something special.” — Linebacker Jacquez Jones