Ole Miss falls 44-23 to Auburn, posts opening for head coach job

Blake Schuster
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

We still don’t know the fate of Ole Miss interim head coach Matt Luke beyond this season, but it’s clear the school wants to explore its options.

The Rebels posted a job opening for the head coach of Ole Miss football as Luke guided the team to a 44-23 loss at No. 12 Auburn. It’s the Rebels third consecutive loss this season. They’ve been outscored 137-42 over that stretch.

In Luke’s defense, this wasn’t a job he was necessarily ready for, and he was essentially playing with house money. The former Ole Miss center has more or less been an offensive line coach with a few offensive coordinator responsibilities thrown in for the better part of his coaching career. Luke had that exact role with the Rebels from 2012-2016, and had done the same thing for Duke for three years prior to rejoining Ole Miss.

It’s also worth noting that Ole Miss self-imposed a bowl ban for this season back in February, so there wasn’t too much motivation for his team heading into the season as it were. Things got even messier in July when then head coach Hugh Freeze had to resign in disgrace after it was uncovered he made calls to escort services via his Ole Miss phone. That’s how Luke ended up with the interim tag.

There was a little bit of hope for Luke after the Rebels opened the season 2-0. Yet losing to Cal and getting blown out by Alabama and Auburn made those good vibes vanish.

It’s hard to blame Ole Miss for wanting to open up its search, either. This last year has been a mess on and off the field for the football team. Bringing in a new regime would help move past that.

Before you consider applying, this job requires a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of coaching experience on a highly competitive level.

Working on some weekends is also necessary.

If Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke wants to get that interim tag removed from his title, he can start by re-applying for the job on Ole Miss’ website. (AP)
If Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke wants to get that interim tag removed from his title, he can start by re-applying for the job on Ole Miss’ website. (AP)

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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