Ole Miss had the luxury of enjoying an open date prior to the regular-season finale with Mississippi State. The Rebels (4-7, 2-5 SEC) are coming off an odd loss to LSU — odd, in that Ole Miss finished with 402 rushing yards and lost 58-37 to the top-ranked Tigers. The Rebels have been on a roller-coaster this season, losing every close game they have played in.

There have been plenty of opportunities, as Ole Miss has dropped four games by 10 points or less and another by 11. It will have to win on Thanksgiving against Mississippi State to have any hopes of making the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Mike MacIntyre has saved the season from being a debacle

The Ole Miss defensive coordinator has worked a miracle in Oxford by transforming the Rebels defense from one of the worst units last season to a respectable one. Ole Miss has given up more than 30 points only three times this season. Last season, the Rebels gave up more than 30 points in nine of their 12 games.

This week, Ole Miss will look to stop one of the best running backs in the country in Kylin Hill. It will do so with the 34th-best rushing defense in the country, limiting opponents to 132.0 yards a game.

When linebacker MoMo Sanogo went down, Lakia Henry stood up

A position that suffered last season became thin early this season with the loss of Sanogo due to injury. Junior college transfer Lakia Henry has taken the reins and run, leading the team with 81 tackles and adding 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. MacIntyre has to be pleased with both Jacquez Jones and Jon Haynes in reserve duty as well. Both have been active contributors, combining for 110 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss and a sack.

Lakia Henry has stepped up to lead the Rebels in tackles this season. Photo by: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

The linebacking corps has seen an improvement at all positions. Sam Williams leads the bunch with 5 sacks and has added 6.5 tackles for loss.

Ole Miss is ninth in the country in rushing offense

With a program that has put so many wide receivers in the NFL, you’d be hard-pressed to guess the Rebels would be in this position in 2019. With a freshman class that houses quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and running backs Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner, it’s not hard to see why.

The numbers, specifically by Plumlee, are eye-popping. While many thought the 400-plus yards on the ground against LSU were an anomaly, that’s simply not the case. Against some of the premier defenses in the SEC, Ole Miss has thrived. On Sept. 28 against Alabama, Ole Miss rushed for 279 yards. A few weeks later, Ole Miss ran all over Texas A&M for 250 yards.

With returning running back Scottie Phillips fighting injuries, it has been the freshman trio of Plumlee, Ealy and Conner that has led the way, combining for 2,110 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Plumlee is lighting the record books on fire

By the end of the season, Plumlee likely will be the only 1,000-yard rusher at quarterback in Ole Miss history. Plumlee needs just 11 yards in the Egg Bowl to reach the feat.

Mind you, he has done this after appearing in only eight games this season. He would be one of only two freshman quarterbacks in SEC history to rush for more than 1,000 yards, joining Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel in 2012.

Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke is guaranteed the 2020 season

Late last week, Ole Miss introduced its new athletic director in Keith Carter. He had served in an interim role when former AD Ross Bjork took the same job at Texas A&M earlier this year. Carter, a former Ole Miss basketball player, has served in numerous roles at the university.

One of his first order of business was giving Luke a full vote of confidence.

“I think our football program is headed in a great direction,” Carter said. “I’m so excited about Coach Luke. He’s our coach. We couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity we have next week in Starkville. We’re excited about where recruiting is and excited about where the future is headed. We’re going to get behind Coach Luke, and we’re going to try to get after the Bulldogs next week and get to that fifth win.”