Well, Ole Miss fans should be happy. As we reach the halfway point of the year, the Rebels sit at 5-1, and apart from a trip to Athens to take on Georgia, should have the toughest part of their schedule behind them. To be clear, it hasn’t been pretty. But making it through that gauntlet with only one loss is a good start. In addition to that good news, the Ole Miss mid-season point also saw their off week arrive. Not a bad time to have your bye week.
And after a hard-fought battle, the Rebels managed to avoid the massive upset against Bye Week. Despite avoiding the upset, the pesky opponent did bring its own share of problems. Especially in one specific position group that’s already been decimated by injuries. Ole Miss leading receiver Jordan Watkins broke his hand in practice Wednesday. At this time, the timetable for his return is unknown. If he ends up missing substantial time, it could prove to be a major blow for the Rebels.
However, as Ole Miss gears up and gets ready to start its second half of the season, let’s take a look at the midseason grades for each facet of the Rebels team we’ve seen up to this point.
Ole Miss Mid-Season Grades
The Offense Mid-Season Grade: B-
The Rebels offense is what gets a lot of attention to Oxford. Under the Lane Kiffin system, they’re expected to put up a lot of points. It’s a fast-paced, fun offense to watch. But if you go by those expectations, they haven’t lived up to them to this point.
Based on the numbers, you can argue they have. They sit at second in the SEC in points per game (41.7.) They’re fifth in the conference in yards per game (489.3.)
However, the eye test tells a different story. If you based your opinion on the eye test, they’ve struggled mightily at times. In fact, if you take out the offensive explosion in the opener against FCS Mercer and the LSU victory in which no defense was played, their PPG drops to 30.5. That’s not a bad number, but it’s low for Ole Miss standards.
On top of that, the rushing attack was virtually nonexistent for the first three games of the season. That’s a staple of a good Kiffin-led offense, and they missed that for the first three weeks. Luckily for Rebel fans, it seems they may have finally found that.
In addition to a sporadic rushing attack, the play-calling simply goes in the tank at times. Whether that’s a Kiffin thing, or whether that’s a Charlie Weiss Jr. (offensive coordinator) thing, it has been problematic reasonably often so far this season. It’s as if they simply get scared to try to push the ball downfield.
When the playbook gets opened up, the offense becomes the juggernaut it’s expected to be. When it stays conservative, the Rebels tend to tighten up. Because of the sheer numbers, they get a B- grade, but it could easily be better (or worse) week by week.
The Defense Mid-Season Grade: B+
This has been the biggest surprise of the season for Ole Miss. The Rebels have consistently been towards the bottom of the SEC in most statistical categories for much of the last decade. That has actually shifted this season.
Under new defensive coordinator Pete Golding, the defense is simply playing faster and more physically than we’ve seen in the past few years. Golding and Kiffin utilized the transfer portal in a major way this offseason, especially on the defensive side of the ball and it has shown in a major way. Specifically in terms of rush defense.
The Ole Miss front seven, featuring Isaac Ukwu, Jared Ivey, and Suntarine Perkins, has become a legitimate force that makes it difficult for opposing to run the ball. And as the season progresses, expect the Rebels to lean heavily on that front seven to be the catalyst, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If this were solely a defensive line grade, they would get an A.
However, we do have to address the secondary. While they have the size and the physicality, the Ole Miss secondary struggles in coverage. This leads to them giving up too many yards, and oftentimes too many points. Because of this, the defensive grade as a whole drops to a B+.
But with where they’ve been in the past, a B+ for the Rebel defense is a massive improvement.
The Special Teams Mid-Season Grade: C
The Rebels special teams have been a mixed bag of good and bad.
On the place-kicking side of things, they’ve hit 11 of 14 field goals. That sounds decent, but based on percentages, it puts them at seventh in the conference. It’s also worth pointing out that two of the misses have come on makeable attempts at crucial points late in the first halves of two separate games.
In terms of punting, it gets no better. They sit at 12th in the league based on yards per punt (41.33.) Put bluntly, that’s certainly not very good. However, on the flip side of that, they sit fifth in the SEC in their yards per punt return. That helps improve the overall look of the special teams.
The Rebels’ special teams have shown flashes of brilliance (56-yard FG vs Tulane, plenty of solid punt returns), but overall, the unit needs work. The good news for Ole Miss fans is that, to this point, special teams haven’t directly cost them any games yet.
The Coaching Mid-Season Grade: B-
The coaching staff has been another mixed bag of tricks for the Rebels. As mentioned earlier, the offensive side of the ball has been as inconsistent as one could possibly imagine. One drive they look electric, the next drive they look scared. This inconsistency has led to frustration among the fan base.
But despite all of that, the numbers have remained reasonably solid. This has given the offensive coaches a bit of a pass, and will likely do so as long as the overall numbers stay up.
On defense, the scheme is much improved, as is overall production. They’re stopping the run more effectively, and actually look like they belong on the field with the powerhouses of the SEC. The defensive line is also much more aggressive, which has been a good sign. But the secondary still needs work, and that starts with the coaching staff. Huge cushions on the outside receivers, especially on 3rd and short, have made getting off the field a bit of a troublesome task for the Rebel defense.
When they’re being aggressive, both offense and defense, the team looks more like they belong. This is where they see the most success. However, because of the inconsistency in play calling at times, the coaching staff gets a B-.
The Overall Mid-Season Grade: B
There have been plenty of bright spots from the Rebels at the halfway point. The defense is improved, the offense puts up a lot of points, and the coaching staff looks competent (most of the time.)
But there’s also plenty of room for improvement. The secondary needs work, the rushing attack needs to stay more consistent, and the coaching staff needs to get away from wanting to be too conservative at times. If they can get past these (somewhat) weak spots, this is a really good football team that makes noise through the second half of the season.
If not, then they’re likely to slip up a few more times along the way. It’s up to them as to how it all turns out.
