As Laquon Treadwell stepped across that goal line for what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown last night Ole Miss collectively thought it had everything pretty well figured out, too. The Rebels just needed to hang on to that lead for a minute-thirty and they would move to 8-1 with an inside track to an SEC West Championship and remain College Football Playoff favorites. It was all right there. We can probably remember the high-fives of celebration in slow motion.
But then there was Treadwell on the ground in obvious pain. One look at the replay was all it took to realize he was badly injured. His pain and the thought of losing him made the possible fumble a temporary after-thought. And as he was carted off the field the officials literally added insult to injury by reversing the touchdown and giving the ball to Auburn.
The Vaught-Hemingway Stadium turf was pulled out from under us.
Not even the writer of the saddest movie script could have written a plot twist that cruel.
Everything was won and then lost in one devastating instant.
Auburn won.
Today, we hurt. Ole Miss hurts. Laquon Treadwell hurts (word is he is already out of surgery).
And that's okay. It's going to hurt a little while.
But in all the greatest movies I've ever seen, the saddest moments are what lead to the greatest comebacks.
Lost in our devastation was the fact that the Rebels fought their hearts out Saturday night. All of them. They've got a great coach, who can lead them out from this dark place. The Rebels will be back.
Our script writer is the world's greatest script writer ever. I don't know how he plans to write the next few weeks, months and years, but I have this feeling we do not want to miss it.
I'm ready to get up off the floor and read the next chapter.
And I'm proud to be a Rebel.