Ole Miss Football: Why The Rebel Offense Is One Of Best In Nation

There is are several very good reasons why Ole Miss football has one of the best offenses in the nation and will have a great 2018 season.

You know the 2018 Ole Miss football season is drawing near when the polls rankings begin to come out. This season the Rebels offense is in the top of the nation on many college pundits top-10 lists. Recently CFB Home released their top-10 offenses in the nation and Ole Miss fell at number 8. While many Ole Miss fans were surprised by the ranking there are others who feel it should be even higher.

Oh this will be one of the top offenses in the nation by the end of the 2018 season. The Rebels could find themselves in the top-5 be seasons end. When you consider the talent, depth and experience Phil Longo has in his offense then you have believe they will be deadly. The Rebels have two First Team All-Americans in wide receiver AJ Brown and tackle Greg Little. However,  there are also other reasons why this offense is really this good.

The Rest Of The Story

Ole Miss Rebels Football

Of course, there is always more to the story and here we’ll dive into the rest. We’ll begin with the starting quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. Last season Ta’amu was extremely productive with both his arm and his legs and. In 2017 Ta’amu completed 115 of 173 passes for 1,682 and 11 TDs. He only threw 4 INTs. Add to that the 165 yards and 4 TDs rushing in a limited season. Now, Ta’amu has the entire season to run this offense.Floyd

Now lets look at some of the receivers Ta’amu will be targeting in 2018. The NWO. Of course, we already mentioned AJ Brown who led the SEC in receiving in 2017 and is now an All-American. In 2017 Brown had 79 receptions for 1,252 yards and 11 TDs.

Brown is joined by DaMarkus Lodge who pulled in 49 receptions for 698 yards and 7 TDs. Then there is DK Metcalf who had 39 receptions for 646 yards and 7 TDs. Not a bad trio when you consider between the three they had 25 TDs.

Of course, there are other receivers in the mix of the NWO this season. Braylon Sanders  is expected to have a breakout season in 2018. In 2017 Sanders had 4 receptions for 65 yards and 1 TD as a freshman. With another offseason under his belt he will be active in the NWO in 2018. Don’t forget the NWO is also adding early signee Demarcus Gregory who had a great spring. Miles Battle and Elijah Moore who were also part of the 2018 Ole Miss recuiting class will also be in the mix this fall. Both Battle and Moore were rated as 4-star receivers.

Oh There Is Even More

There has been the flurry of watchlist which are being introduced prior to the beginning of the 2018 season. One is tight-end Dawson Knox who is on the Mackey Award watchlist. The award goes to the best tight-end in the nation. Then there is center Sean Rawlings (6’5, 294)who is on the Rimington Trophy watchlist. The Rimington Trophy is awarded to the top center in the nation. In 2017 Knox had 24 receptions for 321 yards. Rawlings is the anchor of the offensive line at center. Both players are returning starters for the Rebels and are expected to build on their success from last season.

Sean Rawlings and the role he plays on the offense brings us to the rest of the starting linemen. And this group is one of the most experienced big lines in the SEC if not the entire nation. Of course, there is All-American Greg Little (6’6,325) and Javon Patterson (6’3, 314). They are joined by more great linemen like Alex Givens (6’6, 304) and Jordan Sims (6’4, 330). The five starters do an excellent job of protecting Ta’amu and do a great job blocking in the run game.

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The run game is an important part of the Rebels offense and we saw it produce a 1,000 yard rusher last season. In 2018 the run game may be even better. Running backs thrive in the Phil Longo system and this season could be a great for juco transfer Scottie Phillips who is heading in the fall as number one on the depth chart. He is backed by Eric Swinney and incoming freshman Isaiah Woullard. This trio of backs will be exciting to watch in 2018.

Next: Five Burning Questions!

Offense Will Be Fun

So you see now it takes more than just one or two great players to have one of the top offenses in the nation. No it take a very talented group and this is obviously one of the best. They are a team within a team and know how to run a very successful offense. Oh yes, this will be a fun season to be a Ole Miss football fan and especially if you like offense. If you do expect to see this offense finish in the top five at the end of the season. Hotty Toddy!