The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Again, Lane Kiffin tugged the chain of Nick Saban before Ole Miss-Alabama. Again, the Rebels fell short against the Crimson Tide. Again, Kiffin saw his former boss get the better of him.

Many felt that this would be the year that the Rebels would break their losing streak to the Tide, which now stands at 8 games. With all the talk about Alabama’s problems, Ole Miss appears to have plenty of its own to solve.

Player of the Week: WR Jordan Watkins

Jordan Watkins is developing into a nice target for Jaxson Dart with Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo now in the NFL.

While he only had 57 yards, well below his 119-yard performance a week ago against Georgia Tech, Watkins led the team with 9 catches. He now has a team-leading 347 receiving yards on the season, a mark that he didn’t reach until the 9th game of 2022.

Freshman of the Week: LB Suntarine Perkins

Suntarine Perkins shone in a big way for the Rebels on Saturday.

Rated a 5-star recruit in the class of 2023 by 247Sports’ composite rankings and the No. 1 linebacker prospect in the country, Perkins recorded a pair of sacks to give himself 3 on the season. All told, he has 3.5 tackles for a loss.

“I was hoping he would, kind of like (Harold Perkins Jr.) when we played LSU last year, he hadn’t started as a freshman, and all of a sudden, they played him against us, and the guy looked like the best player in the conference,” Kiffin told the media after the game. “We were hoping he could give us that spark. I thought you could see that impact right away.”

Biggest surprise: How well Jaxson Dart was handled when he tried to get mobile

One of Jaxson Dart’s key attributes is how well he’s able to get things done with his legs. He was the Rebels’ leading rusher against Georgia Tech a week ago (14 carries, 156 yards, 2 TD).

Unfortunately, things didn’t come together against the Crimson Tide. Dart ran the ball 12 times for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns against Georgia Tech. On Saturday, he had 12 carries for 6 yards.

Can Dart have a bounceback showing against LSU?

Biggest concern: Ole Miss once again not answering the call when it matters

Saturday against Alabama. Last year, when the Rebels lost 5 of their last 6 after a 7-0 start. Losses to Alabama and Auburn, plus Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, in 2020.

Why do the Rebels fail to answer the bell at critical junctures of the season? The SEC West might be as wide open as it’s ever been, and Saturday marked an opportunity to start conference play on the right foot while getting an elephant-sized weight off their backs.

It didn’t happen. Ole Miss will drop to 0-2 in the division with a loss to LSU in Week 5. Kiffin is making far too much money for this to keep happening.

Developing trend: A solid pass rush

Ole Miss recorded 4 sacks for the 3rd time this season. Its only time without that many was when it totaled 2 against Georgia Tech during Week 3. Perkins, with his 3.0 sacks, leads the team, with Isaac Ukwu right behind him with 2.0.

The Rebels had 35.0 sacks in the 2022 season. They’re well on pace to pass that mark by the time 2023 wraps up.

Key stat: 1.9

Kiffin, in the leadup to the game, implied that someone other than defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was calling plays for Alabama on that side of the ball. Regardless of who it was calling the Tide’s defensive plays, Ole Miss’s rushing offense was completely stymied, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry.

Quinshon Judkins had a rather pedestrian 13 carries for 56 yards. The Rebels didn’t get much else beyond that as Jaxson Dart’s 12 carries went for just 6 yards.

First impression about Week 5

Needless to say, Week 5 at home against LSU is essentially a must-win for the Rebels. They may still yet get into the College Football Playoff if they run the table (a Nov. 11 game against the best team in the country in Georgia notwithstanding), but none of that matters if they lose to the Tigers.

LSU, for its part, fell to Florida State to open the season but ended up blowing out Grambling State and Mississippi State in successive weeks. Brian Kelly’s team, though, saw Arkansas keep it close despite a 34-31 win.

LSU also has what Alabama doesn’t really have: solid quarterback play. Jayden Daniels could be a handful for the Ole Miss defense if it isn’t careful.