Ole Miss Football: 3 takeaways from loss to Auburn in Week 6

2. Ole Miss defense is worse than we thought

It really didn’t seem like the Ole Miss defense could be much worse than they were against Alabama, but they just might have against Auburn. The Rebel defense could not contain Kerryon Johnson. They allowed explosive plays all over the field. And they shot themselves in the foot with penalties.

On one series the defense jumped offsides twice, in a row, giving the Tigers an automatic first down. To be fair, it was a tall task for Ole Miss to go back to back against Alabama and Auburn.

What is most frustrating is the lack of tackling ability. Kerryon Johnson consistently shock off multiple defenders on long runs; and Ryan Davis couldn’t be tackled on a 75-yard catch and run. Auburn also had running lanes open that even I could have ran through. Linebackers aren’t in place and defensive lineman aren’t getting off their blockers.

There simply is not a ray of hope with this defense. It looked like the defense had turned a corner against Cal, but they have been ran over in consecutive weeks since that game. Ole Miss cannot hope to win, even if the offense gets things going, if the defense cannot get stops.

The Ole Miss defense has talent in spots but the lack of quality play from their linebackers is what’s really killing them right now. If the linebackers were to improve then the defense as a whole could improve as well. The slate get’s a little easier over the next three games, as Vanderbilt, LSU and Arkansas aren’t exactly known for their offenses. Will the Rebel defense do better? We’ll know soon enough, but for now I don’t see it.