Ole Miss Football: 4th And 25, The Play That Will Define The Rebel’s Season

It wasn’t supposed to go down like this.  Ole Miss entered the 2015 football season picked to finish 5th in the SEC West by the media at SEC Media Days.  The Rebels had many voters wishing they could recast their ballot after September 19th, however.

Ole Miss went into Tuscaloosa on that date and did what very few teams have done in the last few seasons.  They went into Bryant-Denny stadium and beat Alabama at home.  The Rebels were looking like an offensive juggernaut that could not be stopped.  Their were signs of trouble, though, as the supposedly dominant Landshark D gave up 37 points to the Crimson Tide that night.  But that didn’t matter; the Rebels had gone into Tuscaloosa and come out with a ‘W’.  It looked like the Ole Miss football program had turned a corner and was heading for a special season.

There were more signs of trouble the next week, as Vanderbilt gave the Rebels fits.  That also didn’t matter; the Rebels were 4-0 and looking like a College Football Playoff contender.

Then they were shellacked by Florida in the Swamp to the tune of 38-10; the Rebels lost to Memphis 37-24 2 weeks later as well.  I even proclaimed the Rebels through after that loss to Memphis.  None of that mattered, though, as the Rebels still controlled their own destiny in the SEC West.  The Rebels would need to win out, but Ole Miss looked like a different team at home compared to on the road.  Why did that matter?  Their roadblock to winning the SEC West — LSU — had to travel Oxford this season.  

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Then this happened.  A play that should have ended the game turned into a miracle.  Ole Miss, who some media members say were lucky to beat Alabama, began to slightly celebrate prematurely.  Hugh Freeze lifted his clinched fists in the air and just knew the Rebels had won the game.

Instead Hunter Henry tossed the ball, Alex Collins recovered and gave the Razorbacks a 1st and goal in overtime.  The Razorbacks would capitalize on the momentum by scoring and converting a 2-point conversion to win the game.

The same team that saw their SEC West hopes die when Laquon Treadwell suffered a gruesome injury at the goal line in 2014 now has to live with another nightmare ending that ruined their hopes of finally making a trip to Atlanta.  Any sense that Ole Miss was lucky in 2015 has vanished; this play will define their season.

Not the upset of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  Not the disappointing performances on the road.  Not holding Texas A&M to 3 when they looked like an offensive powerhouse.  No, this play will define their season.

Regardless of what happens from this point, 2015 will be a disappointment for Ole Miss.  How disappointing their season will be is the only thing that remains to be seen.

Next: 2016: A Way Too Early Look At The 2016 SEC Heisman Hopefuls

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