Ole Miss reached bowl eligibility on Saturday after a 24-21 win over a pesky Washington State team that just wouldn’t go away. Things got uncomfortable for Coach Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday morning as the visiting Cougars of Washington State kept things interesting until the final whistle, as the Rebels escaped disaster, setting the scene for a wild Saturday afternoon next week as the Rebels travel between the hedges to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. 

As we do after every game, there are takeaways and thoughts from the near disaster against Washington State as the Rebels shift their focus to taking down Coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. 

First, a takeaway not directly related to the action on the field. The student section. Outside of the frat pledges racing to save seats, the student section was embarrassing on Saturday. Coach Kiffin mentioned it in the postgame press conference, but Ole Miss students failed to show up on Saturday for the Rebels. At kickoff, the section was maybe half full. Give, Washington State might not have been the household name some are used to, and the game was an early kick, but you have a legitimate national championship-contending team; there’s no excuse not to go out each and every week to support the program, while creating an intimidating homefield advantage at Vaught Hemingway Stadium. It might just be Washington State, but the guys on the field feed off the energy of the fans in the stands. 

Second, in a game where it’s easy to get wrapped up in a close game that shouldn’t have been a close game, Kewan Lacy was the man on Saturday. Lacy finished the day with 142 yards, no touchdowns, but helped Ole Miss late in the game get massive first downs to secure a 24-21 victory over Washington State. Despite not having the blocking he’s used to, Lacy found the holes and gave Ole Miss scoring chances with the long ball. 

Third, as we’ve seen every week in college football, a loss is likely coming soon for Ole Miss. How they respond will dictate how the 2025 Ole Miss football team is remembered. If the Rebels can manage to go through the next three games against Georgia, Oklahoma, and South Carolina by going two and three then the excitment surrounding this team is deserving, if they loss two out of the three then the concern becomes having to win out to reach the College Football often in those situations, teams will drop another game somewhere down the line due to pressure felt of having to win out. 

Overall, Saturday was an ugly win, but it was a win in the record books. At this point in the season, it doesn’t have to be pretty or have a lot of style; it just needs to survive the week and shift the focus to the next challenge by going 1-0. 

Ole Miss will travel to Georgia next Saturday with a kickoff slated for 2:30 p.m. Central on ABC. 

Photo Credits- Ole Miss football on X