Posted: 4:42 PM Nov 13, 2012 Reporter: Associated Press
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze says he slept only about 30 minutes on Saturday night. The bad memories of the Rebels letting a 17-point lead slip away and turn into a 27-26 loss to Vanderbilt were too difficult to push out of his mind. In a strange way, this was progress for Ole Miss. Freeze is happy expectations have risen. But the Rebels (5-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) probably let their best chance to become bowl eligible get away when Vanderbilt's Jordan Rodgers hit Chris Boyd for the go-ahead 26-yard touchdown pass with 52 second remaining. Mississippi visits No. 8 LSU (8-2, 4-2) on Saturday then hosts Mississippi State Nov. 24. Freeze previously said he didn't talk to his players much about the postseason. But rising expectations have made the topic unavoidable.