This season has been pretty good so far, especially with the first two blowout wins with 70 plus points and a win in Tuscaloosa, which makes it back-to-back years we beat Alabama—something many teams will never experience. Despite our record, there is something about Ole Miss Football that irks me, which is their habit to play to the standard of their opponents.
It is a brutal truth we all know, but push it into our sub-conscious because we are such die-hard fans. Some people might argue this is not true because we pummel teams like Fresno State and UT Martin, but the fact of the matter is that it seems they only play to other team’s standards when the game really matters. Take a conference game against Vanderbilt, for example. It was painful to watch the way they played, especially after seeing Chad Kelly rack up 140-plus points in the first two games of the season. Yes, the out-of-conference teams are supposed to be easy, but putting up 70 points in consecutive games is making a statement.
After those games and going to Tuscaloosa to be up 43-24 at one point in the game is telling college nation we mean business this year, only to get a sloppy victory over Vanderbilt the next week. When Ole Miss is in the spotlight with commercials advertising their next game on ESPN, they always seem to fall short of expectations. Yeah, we were up 43-24 against Alabama, but in a blink of an eye, it was 43-37, and Bama had the ball with a chance to win. It was on the edge of a blowout, but then Ole Miss took their foot off the pedal. Why take your foot off the pedal against a team that has been historically dominant for the past decade? It doesn’t make sense.
After the sloppy win against Vandy, we headed to The Swamp to face the Gators in a game we were favored to win as the third ranked team in the nation against the 25th. It should have been a well-fought, hard-earned W. But instead, Florida made us look like we didn’t even deserve our ranking. The last time we played at Florida, we beat Tim Tebow’s team, which went on to win the National Championship that year. Why? Because we were the underdog.
There is a special feeling being the underdog and knowing there is something to prove to everybody. Ole Miss thrives on being the underdog, but when it is time to be the top dog, it seems like they play without a purpose. Alabama is always good because they play to their standards every game, no matter the opponent. I am not asking Ole Miss to become Alabama; I am just saying I know Ole Miss has the ability to play at a high level every game. They need to adopt the mentality of always being the underdog, so there is no question about how they will perform.
The season is far from over; however, it is frustrating to see a football team we all love fall when the moment matters the most.
