The season that was always going to be the most difficult is now over.
It began with a frustrating loss at Memphis.
It ended Thursday night in Starkville with a mind-numbing, 21-20 loss to Mississippi State.
It’s easy to get hung up on what could’ve and should’ve been. The Rebels could’ve won at Missouri, probably should’ve beaten Texas A&M in Oxford. They could’ve won at Memphis and at home against California and had a fighting chance earlier this month at Auburn. They should’ve taken Mississippi State to overtime, at the very least, before an incredibly stupid unsportsmanlike penalty on Elijah Moore and a missed 35-yard extra point by Luke Logan.
They had admirable efforts in losses to Alabama and LSU. No team just flat embarrassed this Ole Miss team, and given the state of the roster going into this season, that’s an accomplishment in and of itself.
On the other hand, this Ole Miss team didn’t beat any impressive opponents. Southeastern Louisiana is in another classification. Arkansas is historically horrible. Vanderbilt isn’t much better and New Mexico State might be the worst Bowl Championship Series team ever.
This season will be remembered as the one in which the program appeared to change course in midstream. It began with Matt Corral as the face of the program, a freshman going to Birmingham for Southeastern Conference Media Days. It ended with another freshman, John Rhys Plumlee, firmly entrenched in the starter’s spot and with Corral almost certainly headed to the transfer portal, even after he led what should have been the game-tying drive in the final seconds of the Egg Bowl.
The season began with expectations that the Rebels would accept Corral’s growing pains and try to spread the ball to a myriad of young targets on offense. It ended with Plumlee surpassing 1,000 yards rushing and a wide receiver corps that never even scratched the expectations of those inside the program.
Mike MacIntyre did yeoman’s work with Ole Miss’ defense, turning one of the league’s worst units into a respectable group that was good against the run and improving against the pass. Rich Rodriguez, meanwhile, didn’t seem to find his stride until Plumlee replaced Corral and the Rebels became a heavy run-oriented group that eschewed the pass until and unless it was absolutely necessary.
Regardless, it’s over now. Matt Luke will return in 2020 and it’s likely he’ll retain most _ if not all _ of his staff with him. Next season figures to be pivotal — for Luke and for the program. Repeatedly this season, Luke talked about how “close” Ole Miss was, and he was right. Against Memphis, California, Texas A&M, Missouri and Auburn, Ole Miss was indeed close. However, fan support died off as the losses piled up. Attendance declined in 2019. Morale did as well.
Close won’t cut it, in all likelihood, in 2020. Luke and his staff will need to win games, and the schedule facing the Rebels is brutal. In the first seven games of 2020, Ole Miss will face Baylor, Auburn, LSU, Alabama and Florida. As of Thursday, those five teams had a combined record of 48-7 this season. Throw in a trip to Texas A&M, a road game against an Arkansas team that will have a new coach and the always-competitive Egg Bowl against Mississippi State and it’s tough sledding.
On the flip side, Ole Miss’ freshman class was very good this season, from Plumlee to Jerrion Ealy to Nick Broeker to a handful of young defensive backs, and all of those guys will be a year older, stronger and more experienced next fall. That class is a testament to the talent identifying skills of Luke’s recruiting staff.
The Rebels have a solid recruiting class already committed, but the program needs to close strong on some remaining high-profile targets — as much for fan excitement as anything. Oxford’s Jeremiah Pegues appears to be down to Ole Miss and Auburn. Tennessee is making a strong push for Memphis defensive lineman Omari Thomas. The Rebels are trying to hold off LSU, Alabama and others for defensive lineman McKinnley Thomas. There are other recruiting battles to be won, as well. From a perception standpoint, a repeat of last December wouldn’t be ideal. A repeat of last February, on the other hand, could erase some of the frustration that built in 2019.
This was always going to be the year Ole Miss had to pay the proverbial “bill” that came with NCAA sanctions and years of uncertainty built around the instability of the program. That cloud gets smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror by the day. Luke and his staff are, without a doubt, building a foundation for the program moving forward.
The 2019 season could’ve gone better, yes, but it could’ve been worse. As of tonight, it no longer matters.
The clock is now ticking on 2020 and on Luke’s tenure. How much of the balance got paid off in 2019 remains to be seen.
Ole Miss now enters a critical offseason, one that won’t end until the Rebels line up opposite Baylor in NRG Stadium in Houston on Sept. 5. The scoreboard will read 0-0 when that game kicks off. What it says when the final second ticks off will be a more scrutinized result than any of the 12 games the Rebels played this fall.
It’s my educated opinion Ole Miss officials would love for Luke’s tenure as Ole Miss’ head coach to go to 2021 and beyond. However, money will talk, and the money will soon demand results.
Fair or not, it’s now winning time in Oxford — or else.
