Ole Miss has very little time to sulk about Saturday’s loss at Arkansas. Too much sulking and a two-game win streak with impressive wins will quickly give way to a two-game losing skid with disappointing losses.
The No. 23 Rebels go to LSU for a late-night kickoff against No. 25 LSU, another week against another ranked team in the tumultuous SEC West.
“This one I know means a lot to our people. We will educate our young kids on the history of it this week and hopefully get them prepared to go and play in another hostile environment and to play better than we did last week,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said during his Monday press conference.
With Ole Miss’ recruiting base shying farther away from home, education is part of the preparation for the game. With Ole Miss’ long-term goals out of reach, this one takes on more magnitude. There is a trophy involved, the Magnolia Bowl trophy. The rivalry has been a thing since 1894, but in 2008, it was given the moniker. Since then, the teams have split the last eight meetings. Five of those eight have been decided by 7 or fewer points.
Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2) is coming off its most disappointing loss of the season, the one that practically ended already slim hopes of a chance to win the SEC West.
“Last week was frustrating,” Freeze said. “We talked about chances to make plays that have a direct outcome on the game that we failed to make, or making a call that would have been better in a certain situation.”
Freeze announced one call on Monday that defensive graduate assistant Christian Robinson will take over as middle linebackers coach, taking over for defensive coordinator Dave Wommack. Wommack is under some fire as the Rebels are ranked No. 104 in the FBS in rushing defense.
The linebackers won’t likely get a break this week. Leonard Fournette has missed the last two weeks for LSU (4-2, 2-1), but he is preparing to play Saturday.
LSU has won two straight games since Ed Orgeron took over as interim coach, adding another storyline to an already intense rivalry. Another one involves coaches as Freeze credits Orgeron with his college start. Ole Miss’ head coach then, Orgeron hired Freeze as an off-the-field assistant in 2005.
The one that matters is the Tigers still have a realistic shot in the SEC. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has quickly transformed from contender to hopeful spoiler, with games to play in Baton Rouge and at Texas A&M.
“We will have to show a lot of resolve with the way the world works now around athletic programs that are this magnitude where the expectations are high,” Freeze said.
“It won’t be done just because I come to work and say we are fixing to bow up and get it done. It is going to take a collaborative effort from a lot of people and a lot of kids, and a lot of young kids that this is a bit foreign to when expectations aren’t quite met early on. I again preach to them that this life, this football team, it is not about an individual event, it is about a journey.”
