Ole Miss vs. Memphis: Game Grades, Analysis for the Rebels

Despite a strong start, No. 13 Ole Miss couldn't get anything going in Memphis, falling to the Tigers, 37-24.

Head coach Hugh Freeze will catch a ton of heat for this one, and rightfully so. His team took its foot off the gas pedal after going up 14-0, allowing Memphis to find its groove en route to a 31-0 run that blew the game wide open.

Chad Kelly's raw numbers (372 yards, two touchdowns) look fine, but this offense did little to help the banged-up defense in this one. The Rebels were one-dimensional and refused to get after a Memphis defense that played far above its head at home.

It doesn't get any easier from here. The Rebels still have to play top-10 Texas A&M and LSU before the end of the season.

Positional Unit	1st Half	2nd Half
Passing Offense	C+	C
Rushing Offense	C	C-
Passing Defense	D	D
Rushing Defense	C	C
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	F	D

Grade Analysis for the Rebels

Passing Offense

Kelly wasn't bad. His second interception came in garbage time, and he figured out how to move the ball in the second half. 

The problem was that this offense stopped going to Laquon Treadwell once it got the big lead. The coaches and Kelly corrected this in the second half, but only after the Tigers had pulled ahead. Treadwell's day could have been much bigger than the 14 catches and 144 yards he put up.

Rushing Offense

The Rebels don't have a running back they trust between the tackles and it's killing them. Kelly is taking far too many big hits trying to generate a ground game, and this team has no plan when it gets into the red zone.

It would also help if this team could get some push up front. Without Laremy Tunsil cleaning up the left side, this offensive line has become a complete liability. The Rebels can't get him back soon enough.

Passing Defense

Banged up or not, the Land Sharks haven't been the same this season. Paxton Lynch picked apart this secondary all day, and his receivers were routinely beating coverage with ease. Aside from a couple of sacks, this group did little to make him uncomfortable.

Rushing Defense

The way Lynch was playing, the Tigers didn't need much on the ground. When they did, Jarvis Cooper continuously barreled through arm tackles to pick up chunks of yardage. Without Robert Nkemdiche, the front seven had little impact on this one.

Special Teams

Cody Wunderlich made his short field goal, and Will Gleeson had an average day punting the ball. Neither team got anything going in the return game.

Coaching

Freeze can beat Alabama, but that's about all he's shown this season. He went away from what was working early, got Nkemdiche hurt over a silly short-yardage situation and gifted the Tigers a touchdown with a dumb fourth-down call deep in his own territory. Overall, it was difficult to see what the gameplan was.

This is twice since the Alabama game that Freeze's team has been seemingly blindsided by a good team on the road. It happened in the blowout at Florida, and he never felt the need to put Memphis away early in this one. As a result, the Rebels are 5-2 with four losable games left on the schedule.