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Ole Miss missed a chance to leave the Texas Longhorns behind. Texas, reeling from consecutive losses and cornered, instead took advantage of the Rebels' sluggish first half to secure a 34-27 victory.
The Rebels took a significant hit in the latest AP Poll and now, with two losses, Pete Golding's squad is in a precarious position. Another defeat could spell the end of Ole Miss's College Football Playoff aspirations. As the team readies for Auburn, it must address the mistakes that Texas brought to light.
Tackling Troubles Return
Ole Miss's tackling and susceptibility to big plays were glaring on Saturday. The Rebels surrendered 11 explosive plays (runs of 10+ yards or passes of 15+ yards). Texas running back Raleek Brown piled up 157 yards as the Longhorns controlled the line of scrimmage late in the game.
This issue also plagued Ole Miss in its loss to Florida, when the Gators consistently ran the ball against the Rebels' defense. Although performances against Vanderbilt and Missouri were promising, Golding's defense regressed on Saturday.
"We didn't obviously start the game the way we would like to," Golding said in his opening statement. "Couldn't really get anything. Couldn't get in rhythm on offense. And then from a defensive standpoint, a lot of ups and downs. You know, we had some good series and then didn't leverage the football on the perimeter. You know, we've shown before and had some missed tackles and then gave up a couple explosives in the pass game."
Running Identity Missing
Kewan Lacy dislocated his shoulder and will miss this week's game against Auburn. Before the injury, Lacy was stymied by the Texas defense, averaging just 2.3 yards per carry on 16 attempts. Makhi Frazier broke off a 34-yard run but managed only 13 yards on his other five carries.
The Longhorns boast a stout defense, but Ole Miss's running identity hasn't been the same this year. The Rebels have had just one 100-yard rusher (Lacy, 122 yards) and rank 12th in the SEC in rushing yards per game (148). Last season, Ole Miss had four 100-yard rushers through seven games.
Most notably, the absence of Trinidad Chambliss's running ability has been surprising. Since Week 1, Chambliss has rushed for only 74 yards. It played a big role in his success last year, so it's unclear why Chambliss hasn't been given those same opportunities this season.
Lacy's absence is affecting the Rebels' ability to run the ball, but they must find answers without him moving forward.