Scoring Offense: 30.4 Points Per Game (#56)
The
Rebels improved ever so slightly from their 30 offensive points per game
average last season. That 30.4 points per game landed them at 9th in
the SEC. Adequate is probably the appropriate word to describe this year’s
offense. It was adequate because the defense was so great.
Naturally,
the mind wanders to thoughts about what could have been if just a few more
points were put on the board. Ole Miss lost by a combined 7 points to LSU and
Auburn in consecutive weeks. They ended up losing 30-0 against Arkansas, but
what would have happened to the momentum if those two interceptions in the end
zone were touchdowns instead? This offense scored on 72% of their red zone
visits. That put them at #115 in the country. That’s #115 out of 125.
One
contributor to that red zone stat is the field goal conversion rate of 66.7%
(#81). To his credit, Gary Wunderlich had an 83.3% success rate on his field
goal attempts.
Rush Yards Per Game: 167.7 (#61)
The
205 yards the Rebels rushed for against Mississippi State eased the frustration
that the lack of running game caused all year long. It seemed like Freeze was
absolutely determined to make the run game work, and his dedication was
agonizing at times. He never abandoned it like the fans begged him to, and the
offense remained relatively balanced. The Rebels rushed the ball 50.31% of the
time and passed the ball 49.69% of the time. Ole Miss was still 12th
in the SEC in rushing attempts per game.
That
discipline was likely the reason why the Rebels had a completion rate of 61.6%
(#33), yards per completion of 13.39 (#28) and pass yards per game of 275.6
(#29). They finished 4th in the SEC in passing yards per game. Keeping
defenses focused on stopping the running and passing games helped Bo Wallace
make plays through the air.
Ole
Miss rushed for 190 (#42) yards per game in 2013. That was 22.3 yards per game
better than this season, and it was done with almost the same set of running
backs. I’Tavius Mathers, Jaylen Walton and Jeff Scott were last year’s top
three running backs. This year Jordan Wilkins took Scott’s place in that list.
Many
fans look at the small size of the Ole Miss running backs versus other SEC
backs as the issue, and that certainly seems like a valid point. Some more size
in the backfield might have helped break some tackles and push the pile.
The
fact that the average yards per game decreased with a similar crew of running
backs seems to point to the offensive line as a possible culprit. Also, Ja-Mes Logan
and Donte Moncrief were part of a group of wide receivers in 2013 that were
known for their run blocking abilities. Losing them might have been a part of
the reason that the Rebels struggled running the ball outside the tackles with
the same success.
Bo Wallace’s 8.7 Yards Per Attempt
Bo
Wallace finally got healthy. He tried to do too much against Boise State and
LSU, but his strong shoulder did more good than bad. That 8.7 yards per attempt
was up from last season’s 7.7. His QBR, for people who care about that kind of
thing, was also as high as it has been in his three seasons. It was evident
that he had more power, and that was an important key for an offense that
struggled to run the ball. His value to this team probably can’t be overstated.
By Tyler Slay @slaytyler