Ole Miss: Repeat of last year or new narrative?
Ole Miss finds itself in a familiar, yet disappointing scenario. A couple of years ago, a heartbreaking loss led to four more. Last year, a disappointing loss paved the way for two more, plus a bowl loss.
This year — last week, actually — it happened again in the form of a 38-10 beating from Florida.
Now the question is a simple one of the human condition: fight or flight?
After the Alabama loss in 2013, Ole Miss stumbled to the end of the season, losing four more games including the Egg Bowl to Mississippi State in overtime to finish the regular season.
Last season, three losses followed a tough defeat to Auburn, including a 30-0 drubbing at Arkansas.
Now, the Rebels are in the same predicament as the last two years. A promising season comes to a fork in the road. Does Ole Miss pack away the memory of the loss to Florida or does it pack its bags and leave for the season?
“We have to own it when we lose in difficult places to play against really good teams,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said at his weekly press conference. “The expectations of this program are to compete in those games. I know that and I understand that. So, like many other teams, we need to get in here and get to work.”
That was well stated by Freeze, but will his players buy it?
Ole Miss has New Mexico State and Memphis in the next two weeks and most would describe those games as breathers. But now is the time the Rebels need to show if they have any breath left in them.
The leaders of the team need to step up like they have not in the last two season. Fortunately, the leaders are not kids anymore, they are seniors and juniors from the heralded recruiting class of 2013.
Denzel Nkemdiche is a senior. Fahn Cooper is a senior. Robert Nkemdiche, Evan Engram, Laquon Treadwell are three-year starters.
Tony Connor is injured and out for a few weeks and Laremy Tunsil has been sitting out due to an NCAA investigation. Each needs to lead from sideline.
Quarterback Chad Kelly might be the key to the rest of the season. In his time at Clemson, he was known to fly off the handle and it got him a one-way ticket to East Central Mississippi Community College and then to Ole Miss.
In his time at Oxford, coaches have raved about how much he has matured. Kelly needs to show that maturity now.
There is no doubt Ole Miss is as physically talented as any team in the conference or even in the nation. It is how the Rebels will bounce back emotionally that will tell the tale of the ’15 season.
And that road will not be easy. After New Mexico State and Memphis, the Rebels are getting Texas A&M. There are also games against Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Mississippi State to be played.
It all starts with dealing with a loss in a way that is different from the last two years.
“Of course, in this world, when you have a disappointing loss, the burden and negativity that comes toward not only me, but the coaches and the players, I understand that,” Freeze said to the media Monday.
“And you hate to see that for your players, but you can’t run from that. It’s part of the world you live in. Hopefully the leadership of our team can handle that, and we need to circle the wagons, own what we did, own what we didn’t do, and we still have a lot to play for and a long season left.”
The long season continues Saturday, the results of it are still to be seen.