What seemed improbable weeks ago has now become reality.
Per several sources Sunday night, Ole Miss has fired head coach Matt Luke. Neal McCready first reported the news on Twitter.
Luke was promoted to interim head coach at Ole Miss in 2017, after the firing of then-head coach Hugh Freeze. Freeze hired Luke as the program's offensive line coach in 2012. Luke, a former Ole Miss Rebel player himself, had coaching stops at Murray State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Duke before his return to his alma mater in 2012.
In three seasons, Luke compiled a record of 15-21. After a 6-6 finish in 2017, wins hit a downhill spiral - going 5-7 in 2018, and 4-8 in 2019. The last straw, so to speak, possibly came with a 21-20 loss to in-state rival Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Day. Ole Miss had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on a touchdown celebration by sophomore wide receiver Elijah Moore pushed the Rebels 15-yards back on the extra-point attempt. Ole Miss missed the extra-point, handing the win to Mississippi State.
Though Ole Miss finished 4-8 in 2019, several saw improvement from the team from a year ago. The Rebels lost five games by one score (Memphis, Cal, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Mississippi State). The hiring of two former national AP Coaches of the Year, Rich Rod as offensive coordinator and Mike MacIntyre as defensive coordinator, was instrumental to what several considered as the program moving in an upward direction. But it wasn't enough to keep Luke's job secure by the move made by the Ole Miss administration.
Luke is the third SEC coach to be fired this season, first was Chad Morris at Arkansas, then Barry Odom at Missouri, as Luke becomes number three.
