Did the Head Coaching Noise Impact Ole Miss in Fayetteville?

After Saturday night's embarrassing performance at Arkansas, it's worth asking if Ole Miss was impacted by the rumors swirling around Lane Kiffin.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels were embarrassed on Saturday night at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks, a team that needed the win to become bowl eligible.

After narrowly-missing an opportunity to knock off the Alabama Crimson Tide in Oxford last week, Ole Miss looked nothing like the same team that pushed the Tide to the brink a mere seven days prior. Even with over 700 yards of total offense, penalties, turnovers and red zone deficiencies cost the Rebels Saturday’s game in Fayetteville.

The question now is why?

For a team that, by all intents and purposes, looked the part against Alabama, the conversation this week in Oxford did not revolve around that game or the upcoming matchup against Arkansas. It revolved around head coach Lane Kiffin—namely, his future and if he will depart the program for the same position with the Auburn Tigers.

In short, the noise was very, very loud this week on that subject, and it’s very possible that it affected the minds of the players in the locker room.

Let’s remember, despite being super talented, these are 18-22 year old kids. In the age of social media and speculation from media outlets, it’s almost impossible not to notice. Throw in the era of the transfer portal, and kids start wondering about their futures.

I don’t have any of this sourced, by the way. It’s mere speculation on my part, but the eye test on Saturday night told me that Ole Miss was a distracted football team, one that had been impacted by that outside noise.

Lane Kiffin has never been one to put coaching rumors to rest. He has stated before that having your name associated with open positions is a product of winning. Maybe he’s right, but at this point, all publicity is not good publicity. If anything, it’s a hinderance.

Maybe he wants the Auburn job. Auburn probably wants him, at the very least. If he stays in Oxford, however, the way his team looked on Saturday night was not sustainable. If this happens each season, that weighs on your fanbase and players. It’s just human nature.

Now, Ole Miss has to regroup quickly for a home date with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Mississippi State (air raid) is a different team than Arkansas (run-heavy), but you can rest assured that the Rebels’ porous run defense is something that the Bulldogs have noticed. Throw that in with potential off-field distractions, and Ole Miss, who has been regarded as the more talented team this season, could be facing another head-scratching loss on Thanksgiving night. 

One thing is for sure: if this Rebel team is distracted by the head coaching rumors (or whatever caused Saturday’s meltdown), it can’t play like it did in Fayetteville if it hopes to win on Thursday. The performance against Arkansas was among the worst that the Rebels have put on the field since Kiffin arrived in Oxford.

Will the outside noise lessen this week? Or is the end of this promising season due for disaster? In just a few days, we’ll know the answer.

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You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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