The Ole Miss Rebels fell behind early against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night and were unable to overcome their lackluster first half in a 34-27 loss in Austin.

This game continued a concerning trend for the Rebels in Pete Golding's first full season as the team's head coach. Ole Miss is undefeated at home so far in 2026, but it is now 1-2 in true road games with the one win coming over hapless Vanderbilt earlier this month. Against teams with a strong pulse, Ole Miss has looked like a different team away from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

So what do we make of this trend, if Ole Miss is hoping to be a legitimate contender this season?

Remember the Loss at Florida? Saturday Saw Shades of That Performance From Ole Miss

In September, Ole Miss looked absolutely helpless against the run in a 52-28 loss to the Florida Gators in Gainesville. Florida had two rushers eclipse the century mark on the ground, and it is still the Rebels' worst performance of the season so far.

After the loss to Florida, it appeared that Ole Miss' defense had turned a corner. The Rebels stifled Vanderbilt and Missouri's offenses for back-to-back wins, and they carried that momentum into a huge game against Texas this weekend. What the Rebels received, however, was a regression.

In the first half against Texas, Ole Miss' offense was lifeless, and the defense wasn't much better, allowing the Longhorns to claim a 24-3 lead by the intermission. If not for a fiery third quarter where both sides of the ball seemed to click, this one would have been over quickly in Austin, but the Rebels were able to rally and tie the score at 24 apiece in the fourth quarter and give hope to the fans back in Oxford.

Then, however, the defense seemed to regress again. Texas led a touchdown drive with six straight runs that put the Rebels' defenders on skates, and the Longhorns never relinquished the lead again.

Raleek Brown had over 150 rushing yards on the night, and quarterback Arch Manning (despite throwing two interceptions) had two touchdowns on the ground to highlight the Rebels' issues with stopping the run.

Perhaps more concerning, however, is that Ole Miss' offense wasn't able to muster any momentum in the first half. The loss itself can really be blamed on the slow start for two quarters. Although Ole Miss was eventually able to erase the deficit and tie the game in the second half, any semblance of positive momentum in the first half would have likely made this a win for the Rebels instead of their second conference loss of the season.

It's hard to go on the road and win in the SEC, especially against ranked opponents, but Ole Miss has looked like a completely different team away from Oxford this season. The Rebels have not lost a game at home since the 2024 game against Kentucky, and it's good to win your home games, but if you're going to be a legitimate playoff contender, you have to gain some traction on the road, as well.

The Rebels are at home the next two weeks as they host Auburn and Georgia (which will be tough tests in themselves), but they have one more road game to grapple with before the regular season closes. It will come on Nov. 14 in Norman against the Sooners of Oklahoma, a team that has already beaten the Longhorns that took down Ole Miss on Saturday night.

There is still a path for Ole Miss to reach the College Football Playoff, but it will require taking care of business at home and pulling off a probable upset against Georgia. On top of that, the Rebels will have to reverse their road fortunes against Oklahoma in a few weeks and play like a contender away from home, if the playoff is to remain an attainable goal.