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For the second straight season, the Ole Miss Rebels can all but kiss their SEC championship hopes goodbye thanks to an unlucky bounce of the ball in a hard-fought November matchup. For coach Hugh Freeze, though, that just comes with the territory of playing in one of the nation’s most competitive conferences week-in, week-out.
“We have had a few of those bounces go our way,” said Freeze at his Monday morning press conference. “We are competitive and relevant in the Southeastern Conference, which is what the Ole Miss people deserve. That does not guarantee you that you are going to win games in this conference.”
At times this year, Ole Miss has looked like a conference championship contender, beating Alabama on the road and holding Texas A&M to a mere three points. Other times, the Rebels have looked like an also-ran. But as Freeze pointed out, heightened expectations from a few good breaks can lead to unrealistic expectations, especially for such a hungry fan base.
“Most of our people are appreciative that we are competitive and disappointed, like me, when we don’t get the job done,” said Freeze. “We know that is our responsibility, and we have to be held accountable… [W]e will evaluate everything at the end of the year to make sure we are giving our kids the best opportunity, and continue to recruit at a high level.”
“I wouldn’t say this is an exceptional year. I would say that we are relevant again.”
Lost in the disappointment of the game’s wild ending was a stellar performance from quarterback Chad Kelly, who is on pace for arguably the greatest statistical season in Ole Miss history. The transfer junior had 24 completions for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Kelly also led all rushers with 110 yards on the ground, adding another 3 touchdowns for 6 total.
“I’m not surprised at the effort, but I am surprised that both offenses had their way against defenses that have played really well the last few weeks,” Freeze noted. “I thought [Kelly] really executed at a high level, as did the rest of our [offensive] guys. Arkansas’ quarterback did the same thing.”
Indeed, the Hogs had their way with an on-again, off-again Ole Miss defense that has looked dominant at times this season, utterly incompetent at others. Although the top-tier talent of Robert Nkemdiche, C.J. Johnson, and Tony Conner anchor the Landsharks at each of the three defensive levels, these three can only do so much – and they won’t be around for long.
“Schematically, we probably should have done some things differently,” Freeze admitted. “Obviously, in individual one-on-ones, we need to find a way to win more.”
“Was it a good call for our defensive staff to put our players in those situations? That’s what we have to evaluate.”
Now, the Rebels will get a much-deserved bye week after ten straight weeks of football before setting their sights on LSU and Mississippi State. Freeze said that this bye is “needed right now for all of us,” and that the team will take this opportunity to regroup and get back to fundamentals.
“This gives us an opportunity this week to dig in on a lot of individual practice, where you are not having to game plan the entire practice,” said Freeze. “I’m excited about this week and anxious to get back on the field.”
“Sometimes, that’s how you get these feelings out of your gut.” 
