The University of Mississippi Athletics
Midseason Checkpoint: Rebels Control Their Own Destiny
10/14/2015 | Athletics, Blog
It seemed like it was just yesterday that the Ole Missfootball team continued through the motions of fall camp, and we all were justready for the season to finally begin. Fast forward with a little Talladegaup-tempo offense and we find ourselves at the halfway point of the Rebels' 2015regular season. Where has the time gone? Let's take a look at where Ole Misshas been, where they are now, and where they could be heading down the road.
First Half Review
Coming into the season, there was plenty of hype surroundingthe program. The Landshark defense that led the nation in points allowed pergame last year returned the majority of its unit despite losing All-AmericansSenquez Golson and Cody Prewitt. On the other side of the ball, quarterback BoWallace graduated but the Rebels returned nine offensive starters. The biggestquestion mark coming into the season was who would replace the three-yearsignal caller.
While there were three quarterbacks competing for thestarting job throughout the spring and fall, head coach Hugh Freeze was hopingone would emerge and separate himself from the other two. All threequarterbacks saw action in the first two weeks, and the separation occurred ingame two versus Fresno State. Junior quarterback Chad Kelly led thehigh-powered Ole Miss offense on seven straight touchdown drives in the Rebels'73-21 victory. The job was his, and it could not have come at a better time asthe Rebels prepared to head to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Becoming the first team in SEC history to score 73+ pointsin consecutive games was an incredible achievement, but many people stillwondered if the Rebels were for real. Heading into the third week of theseason, even the fourth-year head coach was looking for the answer.
"If you ask me if we are ready for SEC play, I really don'tknow," said Freeze. "I think we have a confident football team right now thatbelieves we can win. I believe we can win."
It turned out that the Rebels were in fact ready for SECplay. Ole Miss took the field with energy and ready to prove that the win overthe Tide in Oxford last season was not a fluke. The special teams unit set thepace on the opening kickoff, forcing a fumble to give the offense perfect fieldposition and put the game's first points on the board. It was one of fiveturnovers Ole Miss forced throughout the night, leading to 24 points. TheRebels led the entire game and limited the noise from the capacity crowd of101,821 at Bryant-Denny Stadium; when the dust settled, it was Ole Miss whoemerged victorious once again over Alabama, 43-37.
Powder blue helmets and all, the Rebels wore the sameuniform combination from the last time they beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa (1988).The victory also marked the first time Ole Miss defeated Alabama inback-to-back seasons. Country music superstar Eric Church even realized thesignificance of the victory, and wanting to take part in the celebration, ledthe locker room in the Hotty Toddy chant after the game. The win was a bigdeal. It proved that the Rebels belonged among the nation's elite. Ole Missbecame the talk of the college football world and rose to No. 3 in the AP poll.Senior Trae Elston even represented Ole Miss on the cover of SportsIllustrated.
While the victory was a monumental win, it was also just onegame, like all of the rest throughout the season. The Rebels had to get readyfor Vanderbilt and focus on the task at hand. The Commodores proved to be afeisty bunch, and the Rebels did not put together one of their bestperformances of the season. Nonetheless, Ole Miss protected Hollingsworth Fieldfor a 27-16 win.
Sitting at 5-0 and No. 3 in the country, the Rebels had abig target on their backs and were getting everyone's best shot. Vanderbilt didit the week before, so it would be no surprise that Florida would do the same,especially under the lights of The Swamp. A perfect storm was brewing down inGainesville. One week prior, Jim McElwain's Florida team rallied from 13 pointsdown in the fourth quarter to shock Tennessee and keep the Gators' perfectseason alive. The win seemed to have given Florida some new-found confidence,and that proved to be the case when UF and Ole Miss took the field. Floridacame out firing on all cylinders; the offense converted on third downs to marchdown the field, while the defense kept the high-octane Ole Miss offense in-checkand forced four turnovers. The result was a 38-10 win for Florida, handing theRebels their first loss of the season.
The setback proved the difficulty of not only goingundefeated throughout the season, but it also brought out the grind of playingin the SEC, especially away from home. The Rebels returned to their winningways with a 52-3 thumping of New Mexico State Saturday afternoon as part of theHomecoming festivities. The offense racked up a season-high 665 yards, while theLandshark defense allowed a season-low 239 total yards.
Where We Stand
After taking a look at the first half of the season, let's bringthings up to the present time. Ole Miss is 5-1 on the 2015 campaign, winningfive of its first six games for the second time since 2003 and also inback-to-back seasons. The Rebels are 2-1 in SEC play with wins over No. 2Alabama and Vanderbilt to go along with the loss to No. 23 Florida in TheSwamp. Although the College Football Playoff rankings won't come out for anotherthree weeks, Ole Miss is No. 12 in the Amway coaches poll No. 13 in the APpoll.
Last season, the Landshark defense led the nation insurrendering the fewest points per game. While the Landsharks still have theirfins up in 2015, it has been the offense that has shined brighter. Coach Freezehas developed the Rebel offense into a well-oiled machine in his four seasonsin Oxford. Averaging 46.8 points per game, Ole Miss has scored 281 points thisyear, which already surpasses point totals in five seasons this century. That'sa pretty impressive statistic considering we still have at least half of theseason remaining.
Kelly leads the potent offense, and the junior quarterbackstands atop the SEC in multiple categories: passing yards (1,862), yards percompletion (15.39), total offense (331.08 per game) and TD passes (14). A fewof those categories rank among the top 10 in the country. He's thrown for over300 yards in four of the six games, which already ties Bo Wallace and two-timeSuper Bowl champion/MVP Eli Manning for the most in one season. Again, this isat the HALFWAY point of the season. Finally, Kelly's past has been talked aboutever since he arrived on campus and he has tried to put that behind him tobecome the best person he can be on and off the field. It has shown; the youngman has matured and become a leader of the Ole Miss football team.
The wide receiving corps might be one of the best in thecountry, led by junior Laquon Treadwell, who has bounced back from thatterrible injury he suffered versus Auburn last year. Treadwell has 35 catches,nearly double that of Quincy Adeboyejo who is second on the team with 18catches, five of those resulting in touchdowns. Adeboyejo and senior Cody Corehave been deep threats for Kelly, as Core averages over 20 yards per catch tobe among the SEC leaders in that category. Don't forget about Markell Pack,Damore'ea Stringfellow and Evan Engram either; that trio has combined for 38receptions. Needless to say, Kelly has options out in space.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Nkemdiche brotherslead the way in tackles. Senior Denzel Nkemdiche's 38 tackles are a team highand Robert Nkemdiche has tallied a Rebel best 5.5 tackles for loss. The youngerof the siblings put together his own highlight reel in the big win over No. 2Alabama, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Robert is a do-it-allathlete that provides an impact whenever he's on the field. Need any moreproof? He blocked a field goal and has found the end zone three times onoffense thus far. Also on the line is sophomore Marquis Haynes, who hasrecorded 11.0 sacks in his short time at Ole Miss, already becoming a top-10career sack leader for the program. In the secondary, Elston hasfour interceptions, including two pick sixes.
Teams deal with injuries every year. It's part of thephysicality of football. Unfortunately, the injury bug has hit the Rebels hardthis season. Starting defensive lineman Issac Gross was lost for the season,while 2014 All-SEC honorees Tony Conner and C.J. Johnson required surgery andexpect to miss at least four weeks with their respective injuries. On Saturday,a total of seven starters did not play versus New Mexico State.
Speaking of starters not playing, All-American offensivetackle Laremy Tunsil has not seen the field once this season, sitting out dueto an NCAA investigation of improper benefits. Earlier this week, the NCAA finallyannounced its decision, suspending Tunsil for seven games, which means thejunior will be able to return when Ole Miss hosts Texas A&M, Oct. 24. A fanfavorite throughout his time at Ole Miss, Rebel Nation will be sure to give thebig man a warm welcome when he emerges from the tunnel and steps ontoHollingsworth Field.
Looking Ahead
Fear not Rebel Nation; losses happen in college football.Yes they're disappointing, but the probability of going undefeated in a seasonis incredibly slim. Look at last season. A whopping zero teams ended thecampaign unbeaten. The team that hoisted the national championship trophy lostby 14 points at home, in primetime, and to a team that finished the season witha 7-6 record. Florida is currently ranked No. 8 with a record of 6-0, and TheSwamp has been known as one of the nation's most difficult places to play foropposing teams.
Memphis, unbeaten and ranked No. 22 in the coaches poll,awaits the Rebels. The Tigers have had two weeks to prepare for Ole Miss, andthe Memphis faithful has been anxious for this nationally televised game (11a.m., ABC). When the Tigers held on for a narrow victory over Cincinnati, Sept.24, Memphis fans could be heard chanting "we want Ole Miss" throughout LibertyBowl Stadium. The non-conference affair has plenty of implications. Memphislooks to remain unbeaten and in line for a New Year's Six bowl game, while OleMiss hopes to improve to 6-1 and grab some momentum heading into the SEC Westgauntlet.
The trip to Memphis will be the Rebels' third road gameagainst a nationally ranked team. The schedule doesn't get any easier as theseason progresses. Texas A&M, Arkansas and LSU will come to Oxford to facethe Rebels. Ole Miss also has to hit the road for a matchup against Auburn onHalloween as well as face Mississippi State in Starkville for the season-endingEgg Bowl.
Yes, Ole Miss has a blemish on its schedule. However, theloss was against an SEC East opponent. Doing some football math, going 1-1against their two cross-divisional opponents plus a victory over an SEC Westfoe (Alabama) equals the Rebels controlling their destiny to the SECChampionship game. Ole Miss' remaining five conference games are all againstteams from the West, giving the Rebels control. It won't be an easy task due tothe stiff competition in the division, but if Ole Miss takes care of businessin each of those contests, we will be hearing "Hotty Toddy" echoing throughoutthe Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Along with the vision of an SEC crown, the bigger picture isthe Rebels' quest of making the College Football Playoff, which is still apossibility. Once again, it requires Ole Miss taking care of business and thatstarts on the road this weekend against Memphis. The sky is the limit for the2015 Ole Miss football team. Coach Freeze and the Rebels know they have tofocus on the weekly task at hand, taking one game at a time in order to getthere. In this week's press conference, he mentioned the message to his team."Do your assignment and your job to the best of your ability with greatenthusiasm on that given play, and we'll see at the end of four quarters ifthat was good enough." The Rebels need to continue living up to their season mottoand #TakeAStand.
The second half of the season is upon us. I'm sure the timewill fly by, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. We'll see what happens down thestretch. Hotty Toddy!
