Ole Miss heads to Norman this weekend with its College Football Playoff hopes hanging by a thread, and the path forward is simple on paper: win out and keep the door cracked.
That urgency only grew after the Rebels dropped nine spots in the latest CFP rankings following an uncompetitive loss to Georgia. With that slide, Ole Miss no longer controls its own postseason fate.
On episode 111 of The Rebel Rundown, Ole Miss On SI’s Tyler Komis and co-host Bailey Flanders broke down where the Rebels stand now, what has gone wrong this season, and what to watch when they face Oklahoma. The conversation also centered on how realistic it is for Ole Miss to claw its way back into the CFP picture.
A big chunk of the discussion focused on what Oklahoma is trying to do offensively under its new interim offensive coordinator, and how that could shape the matchup. Golding pointed to the way defensive-minded coaches try to slow down explosive offenses.
“I think the defensive concepts of both defensive head coaches as well - it’s like, ‘okay, how do I shrink the game, number one, when you’re playing an explosive offense?’ That’s by controlling the football, being able to establish the run game, which both those guys believe in. I think being defensive guys, you know what creates issues on defense alternative formations,” Golding said.
He went on to note how Oklahoma has leaned into different looks and a more quarterback-driven run game.
“I think you saw that with Florida. Last week there’s ten snaps of unbalance plus one run game.
I think they’re getting the quarterback going in the run game as well to make you account for all 11. And then from a defensive standpoint create negative yardage plays (and are) very aggressive.
Venables’ defense is very much like you saw on Saturday (against Georgia). You know that was probably one of their higher pressure games being Georgia.
You know a lot of seven up looks and things like that.”
Golding also described a shift in how Oklahoma is handling the quarterback’s role and how the Sooners are using formation and motion to simplify things.
“I think some of the post-snap RPO game has been eliminated a little bit. Some of that decision making process for the quarterback.
They still have RPOs. I think a lot of them are pre-snap box generated based on numbers and free access and things like that.
I think a lot of the run schemes are similar in the same way. I think they’re trying to get the quarterback’s legs going a little more than before.
They’ve always had some quarterback designed runs, but it felt like that was more of an emphasis in the Florida game.
Obviously (Jason) Witten being a tight end, the tight end’s going to be a piece of the package, and they’ve got some good tight ends,” Golding said of Oklahoma’s new interim offensive coordinator. “You know 81 is a really good player.
But I think taking more off the quarterback you know as far as from a progression standpoint and reads post-snap and being a little more specific in the run game based on formation. A little more alternative with a shift and a motion, which has kind of been the theme against us anyway.
So I think simplifying it within reason and then making you account for the quarterback.”
Ole Miss now has to regroup quickly, and the margin for error is gone.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Suddenly Faces A Travel Mess Before Oklahoma
Ole Miss found itself dealing with an unexpected wrinkle before its trip to Norman on Friday night, when the team was unable to fly out because of an FAA airspace grounding tied to a telecommunication outage. What should have been a routine pregame travel day instead turned into a logistics headache, with the Rebels forced to reset their plans while trying to keep the focus on an important Week 11 matchup.
The team was scheduled to travel Saturday morning, but the disruption left the timing of the trip and the game itself in flux, with a possible move to Sunday still being considered. Ole Miss was hardly alone in the mess, as other college football programs around the country also had to navigate travel delays and scheduling uncertainty heading into the weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Lost A Huge Piece Of Its Playoff Push
Ole Miss has been forced to move deeper into its backfield rotation after losing Kewan Lacy for the rest of the season because of a left shoulder injury. Lacy first hurt the shoulder against LSU, then aggravated it again later against Texas, and the setback has kept him out of the Rebels recent games as they try to stay on track in the playoff race.
His absence matters because Lacy had become a meaningful part of the offense during his college career, giving Ole Miss another runner it could lean on in key spots. Now the Rebels are turning to junior Makhi Frazier to help fill the gap, and how well that adjustment holds up could shape the rest of the push. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces A Major O-Line Test At Oklahoma
Ole Miss is heading into a familiar road environment with a new wrinkle up front, as Troy Everett is expected to step in at guard against Oklahoma after Patrick Kutas was injured. It will be Everetts first start of the season, and it comes at a time when the Rebels are already dealing with the kind of line shuffle that can change the feel of an offense before the opening snap.
The matchup also sends Ole Miss back to Oklahomas stadium for a second straight season, adding another layer of difficulty to a game that already figures to test communication and physicality in the trenches. For a Rebels team trying to keep its protection intact on the road, how Everett handles the assignment could become one of the quieter but more important storylines of the night. [Read more 🡒]