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OXFORD -- Lost in the expectations of an easy, massive blowout were a handful of easy to forget facts this week.
Ole Miss had played on Monday night, not getting back into Oxford until the wee hours Tuesday morning. The Rebels' coach, Lane Kiffin, not only didn't make the trip to Atlanta for the season-opening win over Louisville due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, but he also wasn't cleared to join his program in-person until Friday.
Ole Miss, newly minted on Tuesday with a No. 20 national ranking, basically practiced twice, as coaches worked to freshen legs in time for Saturday's date with Austin Peay. No one ever says this out loud, of course, but the goal was to avoid disaster, get out as healthy as possible and win.
The rule of thumb on games like Saturday is if a team is still talking about it on Sunday, something went terribly, terribly wrong.
Ole Miss achieved all of that Saturday, beating Austin Peay, 54-17. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't always pretty. In fact, there were times when it was downright sloppy. The outcome, however, was never in doubt. In fact, it was, indeed, an easy, massive blowout.
Ole Miss scored early on a Matt Corral pass to Dontario Drummond and then got a defensive touchdown when Sam Williams picked up a fumble and ran it back for a touchdown to claim a 14-0 first-quarter lead. If one insisted on finding drama at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Saturday, it ended then.
No one will be talking about Austin Peay once the postgame press conference concludes. This Ole Miss team very clearly has a high ceiling, one that looks even higher today than it did six days ago.
One can dissect games like Saturday and find things to worry about. Austin Peay had a modicum of success moving the football, I suppose, if you're really looking to nitpick. Drummond dropped a touchdown pass that would have extended Ole Miss' early lead to 21-0. Whatever.
Ole Miss' defense almost pitched another first-half shutout. That can't be ignored. In 2019, a team like Austin Peay would've given Ole Miss fits. By the time the Governors scored Saturday, Ole Miss led, 37-7.
Kiffin and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby rolled the dice on several fourth downs, once turning a do-or-die play around into a Corral-to-Drummond TD. Corral was once again dominant, looking very much like a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Jonathan Mingo had some huge moments. So did Jerrion Ealy. So did Henry Parrish Jr. Bryce Ramsey got a start at center, perhaps letting the Rebels build a little depth up front. But again -- and I mean this respectfully -- whatever.
Back to that ceiling. Are you watching the Southeastern Conference these first two weeks? If you're reading a column about Ole Miss' win over Austin Peay, I'm guessing you're paying at least a little attention. Before the season began, conventional wisdom held that Ole Miss would likely finish third or fourth in the SEC West, and while that type of finish very much remains on the table, so does something much more impressive.
It's early, but LSU has all the makings of a train wreck. Texas A&M escaped Denver with a win on Saturday against Colorado, but the Aggies' offense has real issues, including a leg injury to quarterback Haynes King. Even top-ranked Alabama, the unquestioned best program in college football, has a few injuries on defense that could lead to a little vulnerability against an explosive offense like the one employed by Ole Miss.
Ole Miss' two SEC East opponents, Vanderbilt and Tennessee, are bad.
On the flip side, Auburn has taken care of business, especially on offense, against two cupcakes. Arkansas was impressive Saturday night against Texas, and Mississippi State turned a head or two against North Carolina State.
Ole Miss' next foe, Tulane, pounded Morgan State, 69-20, Saturday, a week after scaring the hell out of Oklahoma. The Rebels will have to play well, but they'll be double-digit favorites. An open date follows, and then there's a showdown in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 2.
It's too early to talk about Kiffin's third shot at Nick Saban just yet, but the hype is coming, just as soon as the Rebels finish off the Green Wave. It'll be the exact opposite of what happened over the past five days, when there was basically no time to prepare and no storylines to explore.
For now, just mark up a win and look ahead to a season that is just getting started, even if the first full week lasted oh so long.
