The 12th in a series previewing SEC football teams.
HOOVER, Ala. — When Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell went down last season against Auburn, so did the Rebels’ chances of winning their first SEC championship since 1963.
Auburn held on to beat Ole Miss 35-31 in the season’s ninth game— and hand the Rebels their second SEC loss — when Treadwell fumbled inches short of scoring a touchdown with 90 seconds left.
At a glance
LAST SEASON 9-4, 5-3 (third in SEC West)
COACH Hugh Freeze (24-15 in three seasons at Ole Miss, 54-22 in six seasons overall)
RETURNING STARTERS (18): Offense 9, defense 7, speciality 2
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS WR Laquon Treadwell, OT Laremy Tunsil, TE Evan Engram, DT Robert Nkemdiche
SEC TITLE SCENARIO If the Rebels are going to play in the SEC Championship Game for the first time, this may be the season they have to do it as have several talented juniors who likely will leave for the NFL after the season. Freeze may not settle on a starting quarterback until after the first two games, before Ole Miss opens SEC play at Alabama.
Kris Frost tackled Treadwell from behind at the goal line and forced a fumble that Cassanova McKinzy recovered for the Tigers. The fumble was upheld by a replay review.
Making it even worse for Ole Miss, Treadwell suffered a broken fibula and dislocated ankle in his left leg, ending his season.
“The way the game ended, it really hurt, because we all thought Laquon had scored,” Rebels senior safety Mike Hilton said at SEC media days. “Then the way he got hurt, it really brought our energy down and hurt us the rest of the season.
“He was the energy guy. It just wasn’t the same without him.”
Ole Miss beat Presbyterian 48-0 the week after the Auburn game and then had an open date before resuming SEC play at Arkansas, which pounded the Rebels 30-0.
“I tried everything in the world, but I didn’t sense we could rebound from it,” Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze said of Treadwell’s loss on such a devastating play that knocked the Rebels out of playoff contention. “Credit to Arkansas, of course. They played extremely well.”
The Rebels had the satisfaction of beating Mississippi State 31-17 at home to end the regular season, but then ended the season with a 42-3 loss to TCU in the Peach Bowl to finish 9-4.
It was Ole Miss’ best record since consecutive 9-4 seasons in 2008 and 2009 under Houston Nutt, but the Rebels started 7-0 — including a 23-17 victory over Alabama — to rise as high as No. 3 in The Associated Press poll.
“We’ve set high, high expectations for ourselves this season,” Hilton said. “We’re not satisfied with 9-4. We’re not satisfied with beating Alabama.
“We want to compete on the big stage, and that’s for the SEC and national championships.”
Treadwell, a junior, is among 16 returning starters for Ole Miss. He’s made several preseason All-American teams afer having 48 receptions for 632 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. He caught 72 passes for 608 yards and 5 touchdowns as a freshman.
Treadwell practiced in the spring, but he didn’t take contact as a precaution.
“All signs point to him being fully recovered,” Freeze said. “He even looks a little different. I think he’s lost a little weight, feels a little more explosive.
“I’m anxious to get the pads on and see how he responds when the ball’s a little high and in traffic.”
Ole Miss junior tight end Evan Engram said Treadwell looks better than ever this summer.
“He’s killing it in workouts,” Engram said. “He’s come a long way back from his injury strength-wise and confidence-wise.”
The Rebels play 10 consecutive weeks to start the season and have road games against Alabama and Auburn, who have combined to win five of the past six SEC championships.
“Those hostile environments are tough to win in, but to get where we want to go, we have no choice but to go in there and win,” Engram said. “We’ve got to get through that gauntlet of a schedule.”
The Rebels led the nation in fewest points allowed last season at 16.0 per game under defensive coordinator Dave Wommack, a former Arkansas assistant and defensive coordinator at Arkansas State, where he worked for Freeze.
Junior defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche made several All-American teams.
“What I’ve charged our defensive staff to do is just repeat what you’ve done,” Freeze said.
Treadwell, Engram and tackle Laremy Tunsil were all preseason All-SEC first-team choices at media days.
The key for Ole Miss on offense is finding a quarterback to replace Bo Wallace, a three-year starter.
Freeze said junior Chad Kelly — a junior-college transfer who began his career at Clemson — and sophomores Ryan Buchanan and Devante Kincade will carry over their spring competition to fall camp.
“I won’t put myself in a box on when that decision will made,” Freeze said of naming a starter. “I think all three have earned the right to compete.
“I said after the spring I thought Ryan was a little ahead of the other two, but the margin was so small it certainly could be overcome.
“It may be two weeks into fall camp that it’s obvious or it may be two games into the season before that decision is made. I really want to evaluate and give them all a fair chance to see who’s the most efficient in leading our offense.”
Whoever is throwing passes this season, Engram said he’s confident Treadwell will catch a lot of them.
“He’s getting in and out of his cuts really well,” Engram said. “He looks faster and more powerful. It’s good to see his improvement.”
Engram said Treadwell’s recovery is a boost for the whole team.
“It feels like we’ve hit the refresh button,” Engram said. “We’ve got a lot tough opponents, and we’re ready to get after it.”