The 2018 season is mercifully over for Ole Miss fans, and it ended about as poorly as possible, getting absolutely destroyed in the Egg Bowl 35-3. With the loss, the Rebels capped their season with a stunning 5-game losing streak to finish the year 5-7 (1-7).

So, how was the season?

Here are some final grades and recommendations for improvement.

Offense

On paper, the Rebels were absolutely fantastic this year, and wound up averaging 33.9 points per game. Heading into the Egg Bowl, the Rebels were top-5 nationally in total offense per game (539.7), yards per play (7.4), passing yards per game (364.1) and yards per pass attempt (9.63).

Senior QB Jordan Ta’amu was statistically one of the best in the country, and he ultimately produced one of the best seasons in program history (again, by the numbers). He completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,918 yards with 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, averaging a fantastic 9.37 yards per attempt. It was the second most passing yards in a single season in Ole Miss history and despite only starting a season and a half worth of games, he finishes 6th all-time in the school record books for career passing yards.

Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

The rushing attack was also improved behind a veteran offensive line and a gem of a tailback they dug up in recruiting, making a star out of 3-star JUCO transfer Scottie Phillips. If he hadn’t gotten hurt in the Texas A&M game, there was a good chance Phillips would have become just the sixth 1,000-yard rusher in program history, and was on pace to produce the second-best season of all time by an Ole Miss tailback. In the end, despite hardly playing in the final three games of the season, Phillips finished with 928 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The receiving corps, which went into the season as arguably the best in the country led by by potential All-American candidates A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and DaMarkus Lodge, was generally pretty damn good, though Metcalf went down with a season ending injury for the second time in three years. Brown finished an outstanding season, catching 85 passes (school record) for 1,320 yards (school record) and 6 touchdowns. This was likely his last game as a Rebel. If so, he’ll leave as undoubtedly the best receiver in program history and owner of virtually every major receiving record.

All sounds pretty good, right? The problem was that the offense ground to a halt against premier defenses, and as if you didn’t already know, the SEC kind-of, sort-of is known for its defense. The insane offensive numbers look great on paper, but it was all done against the lesser opponents: 646 yards against Southern Illinois. 651 yards against Kent State: 826 yards against Louisiana-Monroe. You get the picture.

Against elite defenses (Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State), they averaged just 303 yards and 10.5 points per game. Why was that? Ultimately, Phil Longo’s “chasing space” scheme was overly simplistic, and the route combinations against good secondary’s made life for the defense a walk in the park. When Ole Miss had the talent advantage, the scheme exploited lack of team speed. When the talent advantage is equal or favors the defense, it’s unsuccessful.

So, the offense put up big numbers. But ultimately, it was abysmal when it mattered most.

Grade: C.

Defense

Holy cow. I think I need a drink before I start this. Where to begin? This was inarguably one of the worst defenses the program has ever put on the field. Had it not been for the truly horrific unit from 2016 (which gave up 55 to State), this unit would be in a class by itself. The defense gave up 5,790 yards this year, or 483.4 per game. They allowed 36.2 points per game. Both totals are worst in the SEC. (Worse, State leads the SEC in both at 12.0 and 268.4, respectively.) When the regular season ends Saturday, the Rebels are almost assured to finish the season dead last in every major defensive category in the SEC.

Why was the defense so bad? A plethora of reasons, and it all begins with a severe lack of talent. There were only a handful of players on defense who should have been playing in the SEC, and they didn’t have the size, speed or athleticism to combat what they faced in conference play. Recruiting on that side of the ball took a huge step back in the latter days of the Hugh Freeze regime, and it’s been painfully obvious the past few years.

It was a unit that was also poorly coached. They made poor pre-snap reads. They didn’t take proper pursuit angles. They couldn’t tackle. They couldn’t get run fits. They bit on play-fakes.

Throw in the fact that the defense was married to an offense it was entirely unsuited for, and you can begin to see how this year’s defense was the perfect storm for an unmitigated disaster. Considering what the Rebels had on defense, they should have been running a triple option, or a Wing-T. Power run. Spread option run. Anything that emphasized controlling the ball for sustained periods of time to keep the defense, which was razor thin on both talent and depth, off the field.

Instead, for the bulk of the season, Longo’s offense was essentially just heaving the ball downfield. Either 75-yard bomb or 3-and-out. That put the defense on the field for an inordinate amount of time. Not a good idea when the defense has no playmakers or depth and is undisciplined and poorly coached.

So, the defense was horrible, but some of the blame inexplicably falls on the offense.

Grade: F. Obviously.

What does the future look like?

Well, I imagine that by the time this is published on Friday morning, Ole Miss fans will be hoping that they wake up to the news that Matt Luke and his entire staff was fired overnight. Fans of any team aren’t exactly known for their patience, especially those hailing from the deep south. But barring a Freeze-esque scandal off-the-field, Luke is going to be the coach in 2019. Whether that’s a good thing is debatable.

There will undoubtedly be some shakeup on the staff, however. I’d be surprised if Longo returns, as there have been rumors all year long of him being courted as a head coach candidate at a lower level school. I wouldn’t be surprised if his replacement was Dan Werner, who coordinated the Rebels offense twice before. With Luke being a former offensive lineman, I doubt seriously he is fond of Longo’s system, and I’m sure he’s looking to adapt more of a David Cutcliffe pro-style scheme with more of an emphasis on ball control and physicality up front.

Defensively, as shocking as this might sound, I wouldn’t be surprised if Luke retains coordinator Wesley McGriff. I think he’ll try and sell the fact that the defense made improvement over the year and that the unit will continue to improve next year as the younger players develop and another recruiting class is added to the mix. The real reason is that he has a pricey contract that the Rebels likely aren’t looking to buy out, particularly after a season with low fundraising, poor ticket sales and no bowl revenue.

The future of the roster is interesting. QB Matt Corral (No. 2 below), who got some snaps in the Egg Bowl, appears destined to be the new face of the program with Ta’amu departing. Considering what transpired Thursday night, also don’t be surprised if Corral replaces A.J. Brown as every Ole Miss fans favorite player. The kid is, shall we say, tenacious.

He’s a fiery dude who isn’t afraid to jump into the mix and defend his teammates, and believe me, that won’t be forgotten anytime soon in the locker room. That earns deep seeded loyalty in the huddle. Developmentally, he has a way to go in terms of mechanics, decision-making and processing defenses, but the kid has a huge arm and star potential.

The rest of the roster has some interesting pieces – RB Isaiah Woullard, WR’s Elijah Moore and Braylon Sanders, RG Ben Brown, CB Keidron Smith, DE Tariqious Tisdale, LB Kevontae’ Ruggs, etc. – but the Rebels desperately need a good recruiting class this offseason to continue adding much needed depth.

I expect the Rebels to take a step back next season on the field – the offense especially, losing Ta’amu, 3 WRs (assuming Brown and Metcalf go pro) and 3 starters on the line. The defense should be improved as they bring back all the major pieces and will continue developing the younger guys, but it’ll be a year for growth.

Overall

Ultimately, it was a disappointing season. Not because they only won 5 games, because if you would have said that at the beginning of the year, you’d certainly agree that was a distinct possibility. It was disappointing in the way they played the big games. There were numerous embarrassing performances, capped by the debacle in the Egg Bowl. It’s a shame that the guys who played or likely played their final games with Ole Miss had to endure such a cataclysmic final two seasons, marred by scandals and sanctions off the field, and brutal beatings on it.

But on the bright side? It’s over. The season is over, and the page has officially flipped to the 2019 season. Also of significant note — there’s officially no more sanctions hanging overhead. For the first time in half a decade, the Rebels will be recruiting with no investigation, allegations or sanctions to explain to recruits and their families. No longer can rivals use that as a reason to go to their school instead of Ole Miss.

The 2018 season did feature some positives – Ta’amu, Brown, Phillips, etc. – but there were far more negatives. But that doesn’t matter anymore, because it’s now ancient history.

Now, it’s time to move forward. On to 2019.