Can Ole Miss Football Better Finish Games Following Bye Week?

After dropping another heartbreaker on Saturday, a pattern has begun to appear for the Ole Miss Rebels.

Oct 12, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) looks on during the second half against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels went to Baton Rouge on Saturday and commanded the football game, leading the whole way...until they didn't when it counted.

A Garrett Nussmeier touchdown pass on fourth down with 27 ticks left tied the game at 23 apiece in the fourth quarter. The LSU Tigers would then score a touchdown in overtime to steal one from the Rebels in a game that will sting for a good while.

"That's a hard one," head coach Lane Kiffin said postgame. "It should have never gotten there. We should have finished it when we had the ball up for a chance to go down and make it two scores. I'm just really disappointed, obviously."

This marks the second time where the Rebels had a chance to put a game away late this season, another game where the defense did more than enough to get a signature win and boost your playoff stock, but again, the Rebs couldn't get it done.

You can also point to the South Carolina game where the offense coasted in the second half, only scoring three points. It seems this offense doesn't have the killer instinct of the 2023 Ole Miss team so far, a team that would've made the CFP, had it included 12 teams. Now the 2024 Rebs need to regroup and win out for a shot at that level of postseason glory.

With two losses already, Ole Miss finds itself in a hole and might even need some help to dig itself out of it. Still, Lane Kiffin had a message for his team on Monday after the loss.

"A lot left to play for," Kiffin said. "I told them they're a really good team. We're just not finishing like a great team would, or we're undefeated right now."

The Rebels are on a bye this week followed by Oklahoma at home, Arkansas on the road, Georgia at home, another bye, Florida on the road, and the Egg Bowl at home to end the regular season. That's not an easy road to pave in order to reach the College Football Playoff, but it's one Ole Miss will have to trek if it hopes to reach its preseason goals.