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Ole Miss Rebels football deserves more credit than they’ve been getting

By Geoffrey Knox

Oct 1, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Memphis Tigers wide receiver Anthony Miller (3) is tackled by multiple members of the Mississippi Rebels defense during the first quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Memphis Tigers wide receiver Anthony Miller (3) is tackled by multiple members of the Mississippi Rebels defense during the first quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s time to mention the Ole Miss Rebels when you mention the elite programs in college football.

It’s hard to imagine being a head coach in the mighty SEC. There aren’t any breaks, you’re constantly trying to keep track of what 100 student athletes are doing and almost every week you have to prepare to play one of the greatest teams in the history of college football.

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As fans, it’s easy to overlook what the Alabama Crimson Tide are doing. They’re so special and so elite that they’ve made dominance look routine. Many have lost sight of how difficult it is to do what they’re doing. Now, if you aren’t constantly winning the national championship or bringing in the number one ranked recruiting class, your season and coach is seen as a failure.

Enter Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze. Six more points would have given him the dubious honor of beating the Alabama Crimson Tide three years in a row. This past February he landed a top-10 recruiting class (his second since 2013). That only added to a roster that boasted top-20 rankings in both 2014 and 2015. That makes any college football fan ask the question. Is Freeze a great recruiter or a great coach?

Honestly, you don’t beat Nick Saban twice in two years without being both. Their most recent game on September 17th proved that the Rebels can compete on the national stage and do it with the world watching. The next step in the development of this program needs to be consistency. You can’t beat the good teams of the SEC West and lose to the Memphis Tigers like they did in 2015. You can’t open the 2016 season with so many expectations and lose to the Florida State Seminoles by collapsing in the second half.

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The second half of this season will do a lot to show us where the Rebels are as a program. The LSU Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers are still on the schedule. Before that happens, there’s a rematch against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Things aren’t going to get any easier.

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