Hugh Freeze Adds Excitement at Ole Miss

October 13, 2012; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace (14) catches a pass from a running back during their game against the Auburn Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Wallace scored a touchdown on the play. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook – US PRESSWIRE
I’ll spare you the Auburn-Gene Chizik narrative — there will be plenty of time to discuss that, and plenty of others will certainly do so. Today is a time to commend first-year Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, who led the Rebels to their first conference win in over two years today, rallying in the second half to do so. Ole Miss is also above .500 more than midway through the season and just two wins from bowl eligibility.

The Rebs poured 24 second half points on Auburn to hit 41, marking the third game they have scored 39 or more this season. That’s a noteworthy milestone given they reached it just once all of 2012, against Southern Illinois. Freeze has interjected the offensive creativity that made Arkansas State a winner in his time as head coach.

Freeze’s system allowed Ryan Aplin to flourish last season and the RedWolves to score 32.5 points per game. Conversely, Ole Miss was among the nation’s absolute worst offenses — only Kentucky, Akron, New Mexico and FAU were worse. The Rebels lacked the talent to match up with the opposing defenses of the SEC, and there’s still a talent gap. But Freeze compensates with innovation.

His unorthodox style produced one of the neater stat lines this season: quarterback Bo Wallace scored touchdowns passing, rushing (twice) and receiving. No word on if Freeze will use Wallace in special teams to pursue CJ Spiller’s NCAA record scoring touchdowns five different ways in a single season…kidding. Sorta.

The Rebels’ four wins can be disparaged. Finally getting over the hump in the SEC is a big symbolic victory, though Auburn could realistically go winless in the SEC itself. And Ole Miss’s schedule is about to get more difficult with LSU and Georgia looming as well as the Egg Bowl showdown with a ranked Mississippi State. But Arkansas has hardly been a world beater, and Vanderbilt must come to The Grove.

Even if the Rebels miss the postseason, Freeze has brought excitement. More importantly, he has Ole Miss football on the right track for the future.