There were some great moments.
Jeff Scott's game-saving touchdown in the opener at Vanderbilt will never be forgotten.
The 44-23 redemption win at Texas was special, too. The Longhorns are a good football team. Invading their giant stadium in Austin and taking them down was momentous.
And of course nothing tops the victory over LSU. That 27-24 win Ole Miss achieved over the then No. 6 Tigers was a major step forward for the program, not to mention a tremendous upset. Half the defense was injured. Nobody thought the Rebels would be able to stop Zach Mettenberger and his great receivers, especially considering the fact that Ole Miss was down to its 3rd string corners. The odds were stacked against the Rebels, but they refused to back down. The game played out like a Rocky movie. It was Freeze's first marquee win over an SEC opponent and it's one I know I'll always fondly remember.
The 44-23 redemption win at Texas was special, too. The Longhorns are a good football team. Invading their giant stadium in Austin and taking them down was momentous.
And of course nothing tops the victory over LSU. That 27-24 win Ole Miss achieved over the then No. 6 Tigers was a major step forward for the program, not to mention a tremendous upset. Half the defense was injured. Nobody thought the Rebels would be able to stop Zach Mettenberger and his great receivers, especially considering the fact that Ole Miss was down to its 3rd string corners. The odds were stacked against the Rebels, but they refused to back down. The game played out like a Rocky movie. It was Freeze's first marquee win over an SEC opponent and it's one I know I'll always fondly remember.
It's thanks to those critical three wins that Ole Miss was able to get to 7-5 and earn a bowl trip for the 2nd straight year under Freeze.
Had the season ended on November 16 after the Rebels put up a school record for offense against Troy it would have been remembered as a tremendous success.
But two bitter cold late November nights will make some remember it otherwise. In those two losses to Missouri and State the Rebels were exposed as a team with serious offensive shortcomings, and while those shortcomings are hard for us to come to grips with after enjoying three straight easy wins over Idaho, Arkansas and Troy, we've known they were there all season. Ole Miss struggles against big defensive lines. Look at the losses - Bama, A&M, Auburn, Missouri and State. Each loss but A&M was at the hands of a stout defensive line that stopped the Rebel run game in its tracks. Losing Aaron Morris at the beginning of the season hurt. Laremy Tunsil and Austin Golson are still young. Ole Miss has some more growing and recruiting to do on that offensive line to become a contender. When the Rebels can't run they're not a good offensive football team. Freeze said those words or something similar to them after each one of those losses. It was easy to blame Bo Wallace for those three interceptions Thanksgiving night, but the Rebels weren't getting it done on the ground. State was daring the Rebels to run, and they couldn't do it, forcing Wallace to the air into tight coverage and costly mistakes.
Wallace has taken some unfair criticism since then, but it's a team game.
This year, last night included, Ole Miss won as a team and it lost as a team.
But for the most part it was a fun year.
I wouldn't trade the memories of those wins over Vanderbilt, Texas and LSU for anything.
Ole Miss finished 7-5, one game better than a year ago. It won a couple big ones, and the Rebels are going to a bowl game.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Our memories are so short. What would you have given for a 7-5 two years ago when the Rebels finished the season 2-10, but couldn't even finish a game?
This was a good year. The Rebels are young, they are improving and they're going bowling.
I'll take it.
Rome will come.