Rebel Rewind: Ed Orgeron Era Meets Its End at Ole Miss in 2007

Ed Orgeron had another season to try and reverse the Ole Miss Rebels' fortunes, one that went even more poorly than the previous campaigns.

Feeling nostalgic? You've come to the right place.

Over the next three weeks, The Grove Report is taking a look back at the Ole Miss Rebels' football seasons from 2003 to the present day. Why begin with 2003? I'm glad you asked.

For one, it provides a nice 20-year baseline (give or take) from the 2023 season that just concluded. It also happened to be the senior year of Eli Manning, providing a nice look at multiple eras of Ole Miss football in the process.

Yesterday, we took a look at the 2006 season, and today, we turn the page to 2007.

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Setting the Stage

The clock was likely ticking for Ed Orgeron.

Since he arrived in Oxford for the 2005 season, he had put up just seven wins across two seasons. Pair that with the final year of the David Cutcliffe era, and the Rebels had gone 11-23 over the last three seasons. Simply put, that would not cut it in the Southeastern Conference.

Things had to turn around in 2007, or else another coaching change might be in order. Brent Schaeffer and Seth Adams were once again the primary quarterbacks on the roster, but the latter would see the most playing time.

Also of note, the Rebels would find a 1,000-yard rusher this season in BenJarvus Green-Ellis, but would it be enough to turn the program around?

Opening Act

September was not kind to Ole Miss after the first day of the month. The Rebels took on the Memphis Tigers in the season opener on Sept. 1 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, and while they escaped with a 23-21 win, that was the end of the positive momentum.

Ole Miss would play five games in the month of September, and the final four were all losses in the following fashion:

vs. Missouri (L 38-25)

at Vanderbilt (L 31-17)

vs. No. 3 Florida (L 30-24)

at No. 15 Georgia (L 45-17)

In terms of "respectable" losses, falling to No. 3 Florida at home by just six points is probably the best in that category, but the Rebels were once again behind the eight ball in regards to bowl eligibility.

Midseason Storylines

The following month wasn't much better for Ole Miss, but it did come away with a 24-0 win over Louisiana Tech on homecoming to open the frame. After that, the Rebels suffered losses to Alabama (27-24), Arkansas (44-8) and No. 23 Auburn (17-3) to finish the month, once again closing the door on the chances of bowl eligibility before November.

The Final Stretch and a Fateful Egg Bowl

Like the previous two months, Ole Miss opened November with a win (this time 38-31 over Northwestern State) before suffering a 41-24 loss to No. 1 LSU.

That set up what became a critical Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had reached bowl eligibility with seven wins, but the three-win Rebels would look to put a sour ending on their regular season in Starkville.

Things started positively for Ole Miss. It wasn't a stellar offensive performance by any means, but the Rebels held a 14-0 lead in the fourth quarter when they faced a fourth-and-one from their own 48-yard line.

Instead of punting, Orgeron & Co. elected to go for it and failed to convert. That proved to be a pivotal moment in the game as State rallied to come away with a 17-14 win on Black Friday.

That was the final nail in the coffin for Orgeron's regime. He was fired by Ole Miss the next day after posting a 3-21 record in the SEC over three years and winning a total of just 10 games.

Rebel Rewind: QB Brent Schaeffer Looks to Revive Ole Miss in 2006

Year in Review

In a sense, the fateful fourth down decision in the 2007 Egg Bowl was a fitting end for the Orgeron era in Oxford, and it closed out what had been an abysmal three-year stretch for the Rebels.

Ole Miss would now turn the page to a coaching search, one that eventually led it to Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Houston Nutt. His time would begin in 2008 with hopes of finally returning the Rebels to the postseason.

Final Record: 3-9 (0-8 SEC)

Biggest Win: at Memphis

Worst Loss: at Mississippi State

Key Stat: Three SEC wins over three seasons for Ed Orgeron