Ole Miss Football: Auburn out-talents Rebels in Oxford

Ole Miss football hosted a downtrodden Auburn squad in Week 8. Bowl game or not, the Rebels gave the Tigers a battle from start to finish.

The Rebels entered the season with the hopes of playing the role of spoiler to the big dogs in the SEC. So far they’ve had their chances but haven’t been able to mount any sort of threat. In Week 8 Ole Miss lost to Auburn, dropping their record to 5-3 on the season.

With no bowl game on the line and fewer and fewer big games in front of them, the buzz on what should have been a fun season is beginning to subside. Here are three takeaways from their loss to Auburn:

3. Matt Luke’s offensive failures don’t make sense

Even without D.K. Metcalf in the lineup, Ole Miss boasts one of the most fierce passing attacks in the entire nation. The Rebels have dropped 70 points on their opponents twice this season and reached 37 points or more in each of their five wins this season.

Their losses, now three, have all come against some of the best defensive teams in the country. The final results are understandable, but the vanishing act of the entire offensive unit is baffling. Against Alabama, LSU and Auburn the Rebels have scored 39 points, combined.

Like it or not, Ole Miss plays in the SEC West. They’re going to play against tough defenses every season. At some point it’s not the players, it’s their coaching. Luke and his staff need to figure it out.