Ole Miss football making history in Music City as Rebels move to 6-0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – An interesting thing happened after Ole Miss defeated Vanderbilt 52-28. No one in the Rebels’ fan base seemed to pay much attention to it, but Ole Miss is now bowl eligible.
It was not that many years ago fans would be out celebrating the fact the Rebels had qualified for the Independence, Liberty, or Music City Bowl.
But in the past few years, my how the times have changed in Oxford.
After finishing 5-5 in head coach Lane Kiffin’s first season at Ole Miss, the expectations seemed to change on campus. That COVID-influenced campaign culminated with a 26-20 win over Indiana in the Outback Bowl, and it gave the Rebels momentum heading into 2021.
In that first full season under Kiffin, Ole Miss completed its first 10-win regular season and the perception and expectations changed as the season culminated with a trip to the Sugar Bowl in a New Year’s Six game.
History in the making?
The Rebels’ current 6-0 record is one of only six times in school history Ole Miss has started off with six straight wins. (Note: In 2014, the Rebels started 7-0 but those games were ultimately vacated.)
From 1958 to 1962, Ole Miss won its first six games of each season. In 1962, of course, they won every single game.
Now, not only is Ole Miss 6-0 and ranked in the top ten, but the Rebels have now secured their sixth straight win of the season earlier than any other team in school history. (It’s worth noting, however, that in those games in the 1950’s and 60’s, Ole Miss didn’t start its season until late September, while nowadays they start at the beginning of September.)
If Ole Miss wins next Saturday over Auburn, the 2022 team will own the second-longest winning streak to start a season in program history, only behind the 1962 National Champions. That team was the only perfect season in Ole Miss history.
It has been 60 years since the anticipation for Ole Miss football has been this high.
But before the Rebels can plan for any bowl trip, they must look to their next game. That is next week when Auburn comes to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The game will kick off at 11:00 a.m.
(Feature image credit: John Amis, Freelancer for Santa Maria Times)
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
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