Matt Corral is just a damn warrior. He’s hurt and he is down so many weapons. The Ole Miss offense is a shell of itself and is a huge issue moving forward. The dude gave all he had and did all he could to keep Ole Miss in this thing, and it gives a chance moving forward the rest of the season. The Heisman campaign is over, to win it at least, but I know who I want as my quarterback. Ole Miss has a chance at an access bowl still, but two very difficult games remain.
That interception was a really bad decision and ended the outcome debate for the game. He escaped and did such a nice job to continue the play, but he didn’t see the backside defenders. For it to end that way seems unfair, but it was that kind of night when Ole Miss got close to the goal line. His games with a passing touchdown streak also ended.
Pearson (185 yards) was Corral’s best receiver for much of the night. The Rebels simply have to get weapons back. Casey Kelly did a really nice job, as well. His health has been one positive. The knee has healed on schedule or faster than expected.
It was the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen. And it’s a hard sell that it’s just bad instead of something more malicious when the same team benefits every time. That’s arguably four games Auburn has won or greatly benefited from in 1.5 years based off officiating. I don’t know what recourse there is or how to fix it, but it’s not a cute issue. It’s a league issue that harms the product. Saturday was inexcusable and at the bare minimum costed Ole Miss four points. And it’s an easy argument to say it did more than that.
There are a few things about that first half that are all true.
1. Officiating absolutely killed Ole Miss on the first two Auburn drives, as the block in the back would have set up third and forever on the first drive, and the pass interference penalty gave Auburn four points. It’s an easy argument to think the game could have been 3-3 instead of 14-3.
2. Ole Miss was atrocious defensively in the first half. It felt like a time machine back to 2019 and the Rebels couldn’t match the physicality. Auburn dictated tempo and point of contact and it was a nightmare. It was a wonder Ole Miss was still in the game at all.
3. That Matt Corral is upright and able to keep playing is a sliver lining. The way Lane acted when Pat Jernigan talked to him seemed like it was all over for the season. That he’s even playing seemed like wishful thinking at the moment.
The offensive sequences to open the second half did in the Rebels. Two huge breaks turned into no points, as Ole Miss squandered the missed field goal and the muffed point. And even more frustrating for the Rebels is they did well on first down and then bogged down from that point on both series. Through all the crap that was the first half, the opportunities were there with the ball on Ole Miss’ racket and nothing was accomplished.
Caden Costa has taken a ton of stress off that part of the game for the Rebels. He’s been nails pretty much all season for a freshman, and the range gives Ole Miss more options than it has had in a while. It’s a big deal for the next three seasons and the rest of this one. That’s turned out to be a tremendous get.
Ole Miss lives by the fourth down and dies by the fourth down, but without the personnel on the field because of injuries, those were some valuable points. The missed opportunities in the red zone changed everything about that game in the second half.
Give the Ole Miss defense credit. After looking absolutely atrocious for a half, it strengthened and gave the offense chances. The chances were wasted, but it was a definite halftime worth noting because of adjustments. Chance Campbell gets the turnover to give Ole Miss another opportunity after the pick. It was a great defensive half. And a scheme that will be important against A&M.
Ole Miss didn’t allow a touchdown in the second half and lost.
There were still too many legitimate penalties. I don’t know how to correct that, but it's simply a killer. Add on a couple crap calls, and it made a difference on Saturday.
Not kicking with 5 minutes left is just not the right call. Kick and get to a one-possession game. That made no sense. When you don’t have the weapons, the analytics no longer matter. It’s not the same offense that you were gambling with earlier in the year. Ole Miss was 1-for-4 on fourth down. However, Lane also likely thought they might not get that close again so try to maximize it with 5 minutes left. I considered that after I thought about it.
Luke Altmyer deserves credit. He was composed and went 5-for-5 during that stretch without Corral. He showed well and while he wasn’t asked to do anything crazy, he used his feet and kept eyes down the field. That was a really positive game for him.
That interception was a really bad decision and ended the outcome debate for the game. He escaped and did such a nice job to continue the play, but he didn’t see the backside defenders. For it to end that way seems unfair, but it was that kind of night when Ole Miss got close to the goal line. His games with a passing touchdown streak also ended.
Pearson (185 yards) was Corral’s best receiver for much of the night. The Rebels simply have to get weapons back. Casey Kelly did a really nice job, as well. His health has been one positive. The knee has healed on schedule or faster than expected.
It was the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen. And it’s a hard sell that it’s just bad instead of something more malicious when the same team benefits every time. That’s arguably four games Auburn has won or greatly benefited from in 1.5 years based off officiating. I don’t know what recourse there is or how to fix it, but it’s not a cute issue. It’s a league issue that harms the product. Saturday was inexcusable and at the bare minimum costed Ole Miss four points. And it’s an easy argument to say it did more than that.
There are a few things about that first half that are all true.
1. Officiating absolutely killed Ole Miss on the first two Auburn drives, as the block in the back would have set up third and forever on the first drive, and the pass interference penalty gave Auburn four points. It’s an easy argument to think the game could have been 3-3 instead of 14-3.
2. Ole Miss was atrocious defensively in the first half. It felt like a time machine back to 2019 and the Rebels couldn’t match the physicality. Auburn dictated tempo and point of contact and it was a nightmare. It was a wonder Ole Miss was still in the game at all.
3. That Matt Corral is upright and able to keep playing is a sliver lining. The way Lane acted when Pat Jernigan talked to him seemed like it was all over for the season. That he’s even playing seemed like wishful thinking at the moment.
The offensive sequences to open the second half did in the Rebels. Two huge breaks turned into no points, as Ole Miss squandered the missed field goal and the muffed point. And even more frustrating for the Rebels is they did well on first down and then bogged down from that point on both series. Through all the crap that was the first half, the opportunities were there with the ball on Ole Miss’ racket and nothing was accomplished.
Caden Costa has taken a ton of stress off that part of the game for the Rebels. He’s been nails pretty much all season for a freshman, and the range gives Ole Miss more options than it has had in a while. It’s a big deal for the next three seasons and the rest of this one. That’s turned out to be a tremendous get.
Ole Miss lives by the fourth down and dies by the fourth down, but without the personnel on the field because of injuries, those were some valuable points. The missed opportunities in the red zone changed everything about that game in the second half.
Give the Ole Miss defense credit. After looking absolutely atrocious for a half, it strengthened and gave the offense chances. The chances were wasted, but it was a definite halftime worth noting because of adjustments. Chance Campbell gets the turnover to give Ole Miss another opportunity after the pick. It was a great defensive half. And a scheme that will be important against A&M.
Ole Miss didn’t allow a touchdown in the second half and lost.
There were still too many legitimate penalties. I don’t know how to correct that, but it's simply a killer. Add on a couple crap calls, and it made a difference on Saturday.
Not kicking with 5 minutes left is just not the right call. Kick and get to a one-possession game. That made no sense. When you don’t have the weapons, the analytics no longer matter. It’s not the same offense that you were gambling with earlier in the year. Ole Miss was 1-for-4 on fourth down. However, Lane also likely thought they might not get that close again so try to maximize it with 5 minutes left. I considered that after I thought about it.
Luke Altmyer deserves credit. He was composed and went 5-for-5 during that stretch without Corral. He showed well and while he wasn’t asked to do anything crazy, he used his feet and kept eyes down the field. That was a really positive game for him.
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