The five best wins and worst losses in Hugh Freeze's football coaching career

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New Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze has created a lot of moments, both good and bad, in his college head coaching career spanning tenures at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty.

Even casual fans may remember the Ole Miss victories over Alabama and the Liberty win over Arkansas last month. They may also remember the Rebels' embarrassing loss to TCU in the 2014 Peach Bowl or the blowout loss to Mississippi State in Freeze's final game.

Let's comb through the records and find the five best wins and worst losses of Freeze's coaching career.

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Best wins

Ole Miss 23, Alabama 17 (2014)

Date: Oct. 4, 2014

The headline: 'HUGH-PHORIA' in the Oct. 5, 2014 edition of the Clarion-Ledger

The story: The peak of the Freeze era in Oxford. Alabama led 14-3 at the half but were limited to two field goal tries (one made, one missed) and nothing else in the second half. Bo Wallace sandwiched a late Alabama fumble on a kickoff return with two touchdown passes, and Senquez Golson sealed the game with an interception in the end zone with 37 seconds remaining.

Ole Miss won at Alabama the next season (which we'll get to), but this win was an impressive, grind-it-out victory in which the Rebels stood up to the mighty Tide.

Ole Miss 31, Mississippi State 17 (2014)

Date: Nov. 29, 2014

The story: We will never know if the CFP would have given a berth to an 11-1 Mississippi State team led by Dak Prescott. Why? The Rebels pummeled the Bulldogs in Oxford to finish the season. Running back Jordan Wilkins had a touchdown pass, and Ole Miss compiled 532 total yards.

Both teams earned a New Year's Six bowl berth, but the Rebels had the bragging rights. Two days later, an SB Nation report stated that Freeze was mulling an offer from Florida to replace Will Muschamp as head coach. A day after that, Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork announced the Rebels and Freeze agreed to a contract extension.

Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37 (2015)

Date: Sept. 19, 2015

The headline: 'BACK TO BACK' in the Sept. 20, 2015 edition of the Clarion-Ledger.

The story: This was a different game than the 2014 victory, with Ole Miss compiling a 30-10 lead midway through the third quarter before holding on in the fourth quarter that never seemed to end. The prevailing highlight was Chad Kelly's pass into coverage that was tipped and caught by Quincy Adeboyejo for a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Alabama had five turnovers and switched quarterbacks from Cooper Bateman to Jake Coker (the starter for the rest of the season for the eventual national champions), losing consecutive games against Ole Miss for the first time.

Ole Miss won in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1988.

Ole Miss 48, Oklahoma State 20 (2015 Sugar Bowl)

Date: Jan. 1, 2016

The headline: 'SUGAR HIGH' in the Jan. 2, 2016 edition of the Clarion-Ledger

The story: Laremy Tunsil's 2-yard TD run capped off a big second quarter for the Rebels, who led 34-6 at the half. Chad Kelly had three first-half TDs and four overall while the Rebels defense hounded OSU QB Mason Rudolph.

A year after an embarrassing showing at the Peach Bowl, the shoe was on the other foot.

Liberty 21, Arkansas 19 (2022)

Date: Nov. 5, 2022

The story: The Flames earned their first win over an SEC program ever when Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson was stuffed on a two-point conversion carry late in the fourth quarter. In the first half, Liberty racked up a 21-0 advantage as a result of efficient offense and good field position. Jefferson threw two interceptions, but still had a chance to force OT with two touchdown passes in the final seven minutes of the game. But the Flames defense earned the stop and the victory.

"To bring our Group of Five roster in here to win, be hard-pressed to say this is not 1A or 1B," Freeze told the AP after the game.

Honorable mention

Ole Miss 41, Auburn 20 (2012); Ole Miss 27, LSU 27 (2014); Ole Miss 45, Georgia 14 (2016); Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34 (2020 Cure Bowl)

Worst losses

Arkansas 30, Ole Miss 0 (2014)

Date: Nov. 22, 2014

The story: Ole Miss came to Fayetteville as the No. 8 team in the country and left humbled by a 30-0 domination by the Hogs. Bo Wallace threw two interceptions, including one that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown, and lost two fumbles. Arkansas pitched the shutout despite being outgained in Ole Miss' first SEC game without Laquon Treadwell, who suffered a broken leg three weeks prior against Auburn.

After wins vs. Alabama and at Texas A&M and a No. 3 ranking, Ole Miss lost three consecutive league games before winning the Egg Bowl.

TCU 42, Ole Miss 3 (2014 Peach Bowl)

Date: Dec. 31, 2014

The headline: 'EVERYTHING WENT WRONG' in the Jan. 1, 2015 edition of the Clarion-Ledger

The story: The Rebels were back in a big bowl game and laid a major egg with an all-systems failure. Bo Wallace threw an interception (one of three) on the first drive of the game, and it went downhill from there. TCU led 28-0 at the half and coasted to the final margin. Ole Miss had just nine rushing yards in the game.

A Gary Wunderlich 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter saved the Rebels from a shutout.

Memphis 37, Ole Miss 24 (2015)

Date: Oct. 17, 2015

The headline: 'MEMPHIS BLUES' in the Oct. 18, 2015 edition of the Clarion-Ledger

The story: Less than a month after beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the Rebels drop a game to the team that finished third in the AAC West. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns against a Rebels defense that was gifted an early 14-0 lead that flipped to a 31-14 Memphis advantage by the middle of the third quarter.

After the Alabama win at Tuscaloosa, it appeared the Rebels could push for an SEC West title and a CFP berth. The SEC West title wasn't thrown away until that fourth-and-25 lateral for Arkansas the next month. But any chance at the playoff died on the Liberty Bowl field that day.

Mississippi State 55, Ole Miss 20 (2016)

Date: Nov. 26, 2016

The headline: 'back to STARKVILLE' on the Nov. 27, 2016 edition of the Clarion-Ledger

The story: Ole Miss needed a win for bowl eligibility, while Mississippi State entered the 2016 Egg Bowl at 4-7. The Bulldogs rushed for 457 yards and scored 28 unanswered points in the second half in what ended up as Freeze's final game at Ole Miss.

"Just look at Saturday's Egg Bowl, a 55-20 Mississippi State win that will be remembered for how well the Bulldogs played and just how awful the Rebels looked," then-Clarion-Ledger sports editor Hugh Kellenberger wrote.

New Mexico State 49, Liberty 14

Date: Nov. 26, 2022

The story: Two days before officially being announced as Auburn's new head coach, Freeze led Liberty to its most disappointing loss of his four-year tenure. New Mexico State was 4-6 before the game, an improvement over 1-and-2 win teams of the last three seasons. Liberty played three quarterbacks, and all three were rather ineffective. The Flames had three turnovers and were outgained 428-315.

NMSU led 28-7 at the half, and the final half of the Freeze era in Lynchburg was reduced to garbage time.

Dishonorable mention

LSU 10, Ole Miss 7 (2014); Florida 38, Ole Miss 10 (2015); Arkansas 53, Ole Miss 52 (2015); Vanderbilt 38, Ole Miss 17 (2016)

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 5 best wins and worst losses in Hugh Freeze's coaching career