OXFORD — I guess Ole Miss doesn’t have to shutter the Manning Center after all.

It wasn’t a beautiful performance, and it got a little weird for a bit in the second half, but Ole Miss defeated Arkansas Saturday, 31-17, improving to 1-1 on the season and 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference.

It was almost as if Ole Miss’ young offense got a chance to review what went wrong, correct some things, make some adjustments to the plan and produce a different result in Week 2.

Once again, Ole Miss’ defense was much improved, getting stops and making plays. The result: A win.

It’s almost as if a young team grew up a little after a disappointing loss and put together a performance it can feel good about and build on.

Forgive the sarcasm, but it was a weird week in Rebel Nation. While many fans panicked after the loss at Memphis, those who matter didn’t. If one talks to people inside the program, they consistently insist this Ole Miss team is trending in the right direction. All week, as message boards and social media melted down and debated the fate of Matt Luke, insiders said all was calm.

Yes, an awful start at Memphis, combined with a missed fourth-quarter assignment, led to a missed opportunity at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. However, Ole Miss responded with an excellent week of practice. The effort was there, one source said.

“It’s about those four inches between the ears,” he said. “We just need them to learn to win.”

Make no mistake; Arkansas is horrible. The Razorbacks went 0-8 in the SEC a year ago and will be hard-pressed not to repeat that this fall. Arkansas’ quarterback play is substandard, and Chad Morris’ penchant for cuteness on offense must be maddening for Razorback fans.

Still, the Rebels can build on Saturday. Some of the noise will be silenced in the aftermath of a win; that’s just how fandom works. Ole Miss plays host to Southeastern Louisiana next Saturday at 3 p.m. That represents another opportunity to pick up a win, make some improvements and develop an identity.

California comes to Oxford in two weeks, and that game remains imminently winnable for the Rebels. Two weeks after that, Ole Miss plays host to Vanderbilt. The Commodores were smoked at Purdue Saturday, and while the transitive property doesn’t always apply in college football, the Rebels have a legitimate shot to get to 4-2 at the midway mark of the season.

Look, this remains a young, thin team. The Rebels are going to need some real fortune to go their way against Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M and LSU to have a chance in any of those games. However, assuming the Rebels continue to improve _ and most young teams do _ they’ll have a chance in some of the other games on the schedule. A six-win season, and a spot in a postseason bowl, remains on the table.

There were a myriad of bright spots for Ole Miss against the Hogs. Matt Corral was outstanding, completing 16 of 24 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. So was Elijah Moore. Arkansas couldn’t guard him, and Corral and Moore hooked up seven times for 130 yards and both scores. Scottie Phillips was his dependable self, getting 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Octavious Cooley had a fumble that turned into Arkansas’ lone touchdown of the evening, but he was otherwise excellent. Rich Rodriguez worked Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner into the offense effectively. Freshman Nick Broeker shared time with Michael Howard at left tackle and acquitted himself quite well considering it was his first college action.

Ole Miss lost linebacker MoMo Sanogo in the opening minutes and rallied without him. Willie Hibbler, Jacquez Jones and Donta Evans all picked up some slack in Sanogo’s absence. Lakia Henry, who chose Ole Miss over Arkansas back in February, was simply terrific. Jaylon Jones and Jalen Julius made plays in the secondary. Ole Miss’ pass rush was consistent all night. Luke Logan knocked in a 33-yard field goal and Mac Brown was strong in the punting game.

In short, it was as complete a team effort as the Rebels have recorded in a while.

Perhaps more importantly than all of that, Ole Miss had a house-full of unofficial visitors Saturday. They got to see what Luke and Co. are selling — they’re a young team working its way out of the wake of the NCAA investigation and Hurricane Hugh and building something special.

Again, no one inside the program is kidding themselves. Ole Miss might lead the SEC West today but it won’t win it. There’s a zero percent chance of that. There are losses coming, and some might be ugly. However, the Rebels are telling young players they can come to Oxford, play early, gain experience and one day soon, winning what is truly the most competitive division in the country will indeed be possible.

Luke is taking a long-range view in building the Ole Miss program in his vision. There are no quick fixes. There’s lots of work left to be done. The heavy lifting, frankly, is just getting started. For at least one night, though, Ole Miss could enjoy a win and exhale a bit.