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Ole Miss Football: Eric Swinney steps into huge role for Rebels in 2018

By Andrew Miller

OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Matt Luke of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Matt Luke of the Mississippi Rebels reacts during the second half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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The amount of pressure on guys like Eric Swinney for Ole Miss football in 2018 ramps up with tougher SEC West competition looming this fall.

Ole Miss football has a bevy of talent returning on the offensive side of the ball in 2018. The best of that talent comes in the receiving corps with pass-catchers like A.J. Brown, DaMarkus Lodge, and D.K. Metcalf. Add a quarterback like rising senior dual-threat Jordan Ta’amu to the mix, and the Rebels look to have a real solid passing game in 2018.

The one area where things are lacking for the Ole Miss offense comes in the ground game. Ole Miss’s first 1,000-yard rusher in nearly a full decade is gone, with Jordan Wilkins running out of eligibility following the conclusion of the 2017 campaign. To replace Wilkins, the Rebels must turn to other options like D’Vaughn Pennamon and Eric Swinney.

Coming back this year, Swinney is the most experienced option in the backfield for the Rebels, and he also got a ton of exposure in their annual spring game, also known as the Grove Bowl. Although Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was sparsely filled for the Grove Bowl due to poor weather earlier in the month, Swinney did what he needed to do. It also showed that head football coach Matt Luke has some level of trust in him getting the first team reps through spring drills.

On the other hand, Pennamon has been injured for most of spring practice, and missed the spring game entirely. He should be ready for the fall, but won’t have the same level of preparation as Swinney. Since Swinney is also a rusher that averaged nearly 5.0 yards per carry last year, he has shown the ability to shoulder the load.

Moreover, Swinney can take care of the ball in the red zone, with three rushing touchdowns in limited action in 2017. The presence of a quarterback like Ta’amu in the backfield next to a group of inexperienced running backs will help ease this transition away from Wilkins.

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Yet, look out for Swinney to come up huge for the Rebels in 2018, and at least eclipse the 600-rushing yard mark for the first time in his college career. This Ole Miss offense still has tons of potential, but it needs help from Swinney and the ground game.

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