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Ole Miss Football: Five Areas Of Concern Headed Into The 2018 Season

By Daniel Skipper

LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: Matt Luke the head coach of the Mississippi Rebels watches the action against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 04: Matt Luke the head coach of the Mississippi Rebels watches the action against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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OXFORD, MS – SEPTEMBER 02: Kendric Haynes #40 of the South Alabama Jaguars is tackled by Cam Ordway #28 of the Mississippi Rebels and C.J. Moore #26 during the first half of a game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS – SEPTEMBER 02: Kendric Haynes #40 of the South Alabama Jaguars is tackled by Cam Ordway #28 of the Mississippi Rebels and C.J. Moore #26 during the first half of a game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

No.1 Rushing Defense

This is a major concern for Ole Miss football headed into the 2018 season. The past two years we’ve seen a major falloff in the Rebels run defense. Last season the run defense was really bad at times and seldom looked very good. In 2017 the Rebels defense allowed 245.3 yards per game on the ground while giving up 29 rushing TDs. The Rebels allowed 5.4 yards per carry on the ground. It was horrid. You can’t give up those kinds of yards on the ground and expect to win very many games.

There is a lot of added depth across the defensive line which may help a lot. The Rebels defense doesn’t get to sit on the sidelines long between possessions because of the offense. The added bodies across the front will give the big guys more rest. Coach Freddie Roach added 7 defensive linemen in this past signing class. Of course, a lot of the run defense also depends a lot on the linebacker position and now there is coach Jon Sumrall to help shore them up. Hopefully these two things will help greatly improve our run defense.

Next: Five Games For Success!

Hopefully we don’t have anything to worry about once the season gets started but for now these are definitely areas of concern. Ole Miss football fans are ready to see the Rebels in action and it’s not too far away now. The Rebels will be back in action when they travel to Houston, Texas to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Kickoff is set for 11am CT and the game can be seen on ESPN. Hotty Toddy!

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