Ole Miss defeated Tulane Saturday night 27-13 in New Orleans. But as I walked out of the Superdome Saturday night, I was not ready to hit up Bourbon Street, nor was I ready to celebrate anything for that matter. Although a few drinks didn’t seem like that bad of an idea after the football I had just witnessed.
In fact, the Ole Miss faithful that did stick around for the entire game were not in the best mood.
Waiting on the never-ending line down the escalators, you would have thought you were leaving a Saints game back in the Archie days.
Back then, nobody really cared to talk about the game, and the only sounds coming from the fans after a game were groans.
Nope, not a sound of the “Hotty Toddy” you’re accustomed to hearing after a victory. What was mostly heard was the ever-sobering “Well, it may be a long year.”
Jermemiah Masoli promptly threw an interception on the Rebels’ first drive of the fourth quarter after Rebel fans were beginning to think, “Oh no, not again.”
The interception was more than likely Masoli’s fault, but it’s what happened during the previous drive that made this play perplexing.
Masoli had led the Ole Miss offense to scoring drives four out of five times before
Masoli led the Ole Miss offense to scoring drives the four out of five attempts before but, after one three and out by the former Oregon star, backup Nathan Stanley was put in the game. This, of course, backfired, and Stanley’s one series was a three and out.
Masoli played the rest of the game, completing 14 of 20 passes for 281 yards and one touchdown with the pick while also rushing for 27 yards and a score.
The move of frantically replacing Masoli after his mistake reminded me of a move Ed Orgeron would use with his kickers.
That attitude was if you’re not going to perform, there’s always someone behind you.
Now, I wouldn’t ever compare Nutt to Orgeron, but his decision to replace Masoli – the Rebels’ most proven weapon – so quickly has to be questioned.
While the offense did flounder in the second half, the unit wasn’t the only problem for the Rebels. The most alarming stat of the night was that the Ole Miss defense allowed a Conference-USA offense to convert 13 of 19 first downs in the second half.
Tulane quarterback Ryan Griffin completed 21-30 passes for 203 yards on the night with little pressure up until the Green Wave offensive line was gassed, giving up three sacks in the final two minutes of the game.
After last week, the most important goal of this game was to earn a victory for this football team. Although it may not have been as easy as a Rebel fan may want to admit, a win is exactly what they got.