Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was about as bad as it can get for Ole Miss.
A 42-7 loss that ended a 16-game home winning streak, with the home team never looking particularly competitive? It’s hard to imagine a much worse experience.
And it’s not just fans feeling that way.
“We’re embarrassed to put that product on tape,” Ole Miss center Brycen Sanders said Tuesday.
“We all saw the film,” safety Joenel Aguero said. “We know what we’ve got to clean up.”
That’s a pretty long list of things to clean up.
The fun vibes from the preseason and first month of the season are long gone. The Rebels have lost three of their last five games, and their College Football Playoff hopes aren’t looking nearly as promising as they did just a few weeks ago.
But there’s still football left to play, and how the Rebels respond to Saturday’s embarrassment could determine how this season is ultimately remembered.
It’s going to require one of those cheesy come-together moments from a sports movie. You know, the scene where every player and coach decides they’re either all in or they might as well pack up and go home.
Wide receiver Horatio Fields certainly sounded like he was ready for that moment Tuesday.
“If you come in Monday or Tuesday and you don’t believe in what we’re doing, then pack up,” Fields said. “Whoever’s here starting today, you’ve got to be bought in.”
That’s a strong message, especially coming from a player who was one of the few bright spots against Georgia.
But here’s the thing about those sports movie moments.
They’re great on the big screen, where a dramatic speech is usually followed by an inspiring practice montage and a big win when everything is on the line.
Real life doesn’t always work that way.
Ole Miss can say all the right things about accountability, preparation and being bought in. The Rebels can talk about how embarrassing Saturday was and how determined they are to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
But after a 35-point loss at home, what else could they say? None of it means much unless something actually changes on the field.
And with a road trip to Oklahoma coming Saturday, the Rebels don’t have much time to figure it out.
So far this season the Rebels have shown an ability to bounce back from a loss. They beat Vanderbilt two weeks after a blowout loss to Florida. Then they beat Auburn a week after a comeback fell short against Texas.
And the win against the Commodores came in Nashville. Ole Miss has shown it can bounce back from a loss this season and both times have been fairly convincing wins.
Maybe Saturday’s embarrassment against Georgia will turn out to be the moment that finally brings everything together for Ole Miss.
Maybe Fields’ message about being bought in is exactly what this team needed to hear.
Or maybe the Rebels will continue struggling with the same problems that have followed them throughout the season.
Either way, we won’t find out by listening to what the players say on Tuesday.
We’ll find out by watching what they do on Saturday.
