Rebels can rise to challenge
A 2017 season filled with off-the-field drama amid an NCAA investigation turned out better than expected for the Ole Miss Rebels and interim coach Matt Luke.
Luke’s team scratched out a 6-6 record. Wins during three of the final four games, capped by a 31-28 win at rival Mississippi State, led Ole Miss officials to remove the interim tag and name for Luke, a former Rebel player, head coach.
Ole Miss is sure to feel the effects of the NCAA fallout from former coach Hugh Freeze’s missteps. But Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel is optimistic the Rebels can challenge for six wins again during Luke’s first full season as head coach. Murschel tabs the Rebels No. 57 during his preseason 2018 college football rankings.
Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team. Ole Miss Matt Luke (6-6, entering second season; 6-6 overall)
6-6 overall, 3-5 in Southeastern Conference; sixth in West Division
Saddled with the distraction of an NCAA investigation, Ole Miss lost five of six games following a 2-0 start. Three of four wins in November salvaged the season. The Rebels scored at least 30 points during four of five of those games with junior-college transfer Jordan Ta’amu under center after an injury to starter Shea Patterson.
Despite Ta’amu’s success in a relief role, Ole Miss’ biggest loss came after the season when Patterson transferred to Michigan. Patterson was one of the top QB recruits in the 2016 class. He
was one of seven Rebels, including new UF receiver Van Jefferson, to leave Oxford due to the NCAA sanctions, including a two-year bowl ban. 7
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WR Van Jefferson, DE Marquis Haynes, RB Jordan Wilkins, DL Breeland Speaks, LB Demarquis Gates
QB Jordan Ta’amu, WR A.J. Brown, LT Greg Little, WR DK Metcalf, C Sean Rawlings, DT Josiah Coatney
The Rebels had the SEC’s top passing offense and will attack defenses through the air again in 2018. Few receivers in the
To avoid becoming a one-dimensional passing team, the Rebels will have to find someone to replace 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Wilkins. D’Vaughn Pennamon and Eric Swinney — the two leading candidates — combined for barely 400 yards last season.
Ole Miss’ defense has many more questions than answers a season after allowing an average of 271 rushing yards during SEC play.
Ole Miss is going to need time to fully dig out of the ruins of NCAA sanctions. The Rebels still boast talent, especially at receiver, and can win some games in 2018.