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Rapid Reaction: Rebels’ championship hopes crushed after Auburn loss
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
Here are a couple thoughts about the Ole Miss loss at home to the Auburn Tigers.
What it means: The Ole Miss Rebels are technically still alive to win the SEC West, but they no longer control their own destiny. They now have two SEC losses and still have to play Mississippi State. Ole Miss has the head-to-head win over Alabama. Ranked 4th in the initial CFP Playoff poll, Ole Miss will drop considerably in this week’s rankings, and barring some major events, are likely out of the mix for one of the four playoff spots. Ole Miss still has the potential to finish the season as one of the top teams in the country with a strong finish, most notably an Egg Bowl victory.
What I liked: Despite the bad fumble late in the game, Bo Wallace played well. His playmakers, specifically Laquon Treadwell and Evan Engram, made plays and kept the Rebels in the game. Wallace rebounded well after the unfortunate fumble led to Auburn taking the lead. Wallace finished 28 of 40 (70% completion rate) with 360 passing yards.
What I didn’t like: Bo Wallace is the entire offense. Inconsistent offensive line play and a non-existent run game mean that Ole Miss regularly rides or dies with Dr. Bo. With the one-dimensional offense, Auburn’s defense was after Wallace all night leading to five sacks. Moreover, one would believe that 31 points would be enough for Ole Miss to put away an opponent considering the strength of the Ole Miss defense, but the Landshark “D” struggled to get Nick Marshall off the field in the second half.
Who’s the man: Laquon Treadwell made plays all night. The stud wide receiver made quite an attempt to get into the end zone late in the 4th quarter leading to an awkward hit that likely resulted in a bad injury for Treadwell. Despite getting in the end zone, the referees overturned the call resulting in a fumble. Treadwell had 10 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, kudos to Senquez Golson on yet another interception (9th INT in 9 games).
Key plays: There were two key plays. Bo Wallace fumbled while stretching for a first down attempt late in the game which allowed Auburn to get the advantage and take the lead. Later, Treadwell’s touchdown attempt and injury was the other key play of the game. Not only did the touchdown get reversed into a fumble, but Ole Miss potentially has lost Laquon Treadwell for the season (official injury report TBD).
What’s next: Ole Miss welcomes Presbyterian at home next week for a 11:00 AM central time kickoff. After a bye week, Arkansas and Mississippi State follow.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
