Ole Miss Football: 5 bold predictions for the Rebels in 2017
Ole Miss football won’t be going to a bowl this season. That doesn’t mean their won’t be interesting football to watch in Oxford. Here are five bold predictions.
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There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Ole Miss football program this year. On one hand, the national media might very well just write them off. They aren’t bowl eligible and they won’t contend for a conference championship.
On the other, the Rebels posses a swagger that makes them intriguing regardless of expectations. The guys left in that locker room have been through the battles already this offseason and they’re ready to make a name for Ole Miss on the football field. Here are five bold predictions for the Rebels in 2017.
No. 5 – Ole Miss allows more than 34 points per game
The Rebels defense was a sieve in 2016. So much for the “Land Shark” nickname that was popular in the Robert Nkemdiche days. It’s been replaced by a sea of lukewarm pass coverage and zero run defense.
Ole Miss finished near the bottom of the conference in just about every major statistical category in 2016. They allowed 246.3 yards rushing per game, dead last in the SEC. They allowed 7.4 yards per pass attempt (11th) and 214.9 passing yards per game (7th) as well as surrendering 34 points per game, worst in the SEC.
The Rebels lost a pair of senior defensive backs last season, but do return a good amount of their front seven. Experience is going to help, but it can only help so much. Ole Miss simply isn’t a sound defensive team and they’re going to feel the ramifications of that both this year and beyond.