Steve Sloan would coach the Ole Miss Rebels to the end of the suspension era with one slight change to the 1980 version of the navy blue, Colonel Reb style helmet, the addition of a red facemask that augmented the one-inch red center stripe. This remained the Rebel head piece until Sloan was dismissed after the '82 season. Dressing up the uniform did not prevent a slide from the 5-6 of '78 and 4-7 of '79, to an awful 3-8. Ole Miss supporters were having difficulty losing to all of the Rebels' major rivals, suffering defeats at the hands of LSU and in-state rivals Southern Miss and the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. McGee returned from injury and joined Fourcade allowing the Rebels to lead the SEC in total offense. The poor finish could be laid at the feet of the defense that just didn't get the job done, giving up 256 rushing yards per game and a total of 266 points. Fullback Kinny Hooper, the team's leading rusher and a healthy Buford McGee who had a solid nine-year NFL career with the Chargers and Rams supported All SEC QB Fourcade putting up the big numbers but bowl games and SEC title runs had become a distant memory. By the time his lengthy career ended, Fourcade, who broke most of Manning’s passing records at Ole Miss, could lay claim to having played in more professional leagues than any other player. While his four seasons with the Saints was the highlight, he was just as beloved in the CFL, the USFL, the Arena Football League, and other indoor football leagues where at one point he was, simultaneously, the starting QB, head coach, and general manager! Sloan would continue the run of mediocrity, going 4-6-1 in 1981 and 4-7 in '82 before giving way to former Rebel QB Billy "Dog" Brewer who had sporadic success into the early 1990's. Ole Miss fans had to wait until the 1999 arrival of head coach David Cutcliffe and then his tutelage of Archie Manning’s son Eli, before they could feel as if they were once again, a factor in the SEC.