Sugar Bowl seen as a "stepping stone," but plenty of work lies ahead for Ole Miss football

There was no coach speak, no ‘golly gee just happy to be here’ statements from Lane Kiffin after Ole Miss suffered a 21-7 loss to Baylor in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday.

In the late hours of the first day of 2022, Kiffin was not choosing to look back to 2021 and how the Rebels put together the first 10-win regular season.

The Rebels went to New Orleans to win their second Sugar Bowl title in six years. Nothing more, nothing less.

“I’m not going to sit up here and talk about our miraculous season,” Kiffin said. “We did some neat things, special things, some great memories. But we didn’t finish it, and that’s what we came here to do, not just to get a participation trophy. So not real excited.”

A day that started as a celebration of the best regular season in program history ended with a night of somber reflection of what-if scenarios.

What if Matt Corral never suffered an injury, which has since been determined as a sprained ankle, and did not end his Ole Miss career standing on the sideline with the help of crutches?

While Kiffin was not fully soaking in the accomplishment of just getting to a New Year’s Six bowl, other players did reflect.

Miles Battle, who hauled in an interception in the second half, called the game a “stepping stone” for the program.

“I’ve been here for a while and this is probably the best season I’ve had here,” Battle said. “I hate it had to go out this way. We still on the rise. We’re not done yet. This is just another stepping stone in the right direction of where we want to be.”

The Rebels did finish third in the SEC behind Georgia and Alabama — the two teams playing for a national title — but 2022 is not going to be the same.

Turnover is already being experienced at key positions with players graduating, leaving early for the NFL draft or testing the waters in the transfer portal.

There will be no Corral at quarterback come September. That is biggest void to be filled.

Luke Altmyer got his audition to take over the offense sooner than expected, running things for three quarters. There were spurts of moments where he looked capable, but also other times where he showed he is still learning.

The true freshman will have his chance in the spring to prove his worth in a competition that has not fully filled out with his challengers. The portal should take care of that in the coming days and weeks.

Then there are the weapons that the future Rebel quarterback will be utilizing. Gone are Braylon Sanders, Dontario Drummond, Jerrion Ealy and John Rhys Plumlee.

Snoop Conner has not made his decision yet, leaving the running backs room in a cloud of uncertainty at the moment. Transfer portal member Zach Evans could provide clarity if he chooses the Rebels.

The defense also has major areas that need attention paid with the biggest being replacing the production of Sam Williams.

Williams is heading for the NFL after a career season, setting a new single-season sack record in the process.

Restocking the personnel on the field is the most crucial item on the offseason’s to-do list, but right below that is adjusting to at least one new coordinator.

Charlie Weis, Jr. is coming to Oxford as the new offensive coordinator after Jeff Lebby headed for Oklahoma after the Sugar Bowl. On defense, co-defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin could potentially end up somewhere else or stay in Oxford.

There is plenty of work for Kiffin and his staff to accomplish in the coming months if reaching a New Year’s Six is the new baseline for program success year-in-and-year-out.

Getting back to that level might be a challenge in 2022, but time will tell.