After a whole month of controversy with former head coach Lane Kiffin, the Ole Miss Rebels are finally back on the playing field, hoping to continue the best season in program history.
They face a familiar matchup this weekend against a Tulane team that they blew out 45-10 earlier this year, and should cruise through their first round College Football Playoff game on Saturday.
They’re a significant favorite and deservedly so. They outgained the Green Wave by nearly 250 yards in the first matchup, while
completely shutting down their passing attack. Offensively, Trinidad Chambliss and Co. were dominant, throwing for over 300 yards while getting 241 more on the ground.
Ole Miss scored on eight of its first nine possessions, and Tulane just had no answers defensively. But, the blowout win did show a glaring concern: Ole Miss’s run defense.
The Rebels could not contain the Tulane ground game, as the Green Wave went for 178 yards on 4.6 yards per carry. And that wasn’t a one-game problem.
After being a dominant force up front in 2024, ranking first in rushing yards allowed per game (85.1) and in yards allowed per carry (2.4), Ole Miss has significantly slipped this season. They rank 71st in rushing yards allowed per game (157.1), while being 92nd in yards allowed per carry (4.7).
Now, the issue hasn’t shown up as much this year because Ole Miss’s offense has been elite, and the pass defense has been a top-30 unit in the country this year.
But, in Ole Miss’s close games this season, they struggled to defend the run. Against Kentucky early in the year, they allowed 172 rushing yards and 4.6 yards per carry. Arkansas went for 221 yards and four scores on six yards per carry in Ole Miss’s 41-35 win. Washington State had 127 yards on 4.5 yards a carry. Oklahoma went for 136 yards and two scores on nearly five yards a carry.
Then, there’s Georgia, who went for 221 yards and a touchdown on the ground in Ole Miss’s lone loss of the year. And that’s who the Rebels will play in the second round of the Playoff, assuming they beat Tulane.
Now, the Rebels are still a stellar 11-1 in the SEC. They’ve managed to win behind that elite defense and good pass defense. And they should run through Tulane this weekend, whose defense can’t keep up with Ole Miss.
But, if there’s a reason why Ole Miss’s magical season might end earlier than fans hope, it’s the run defense, which can certainly be a prevalent issue against the top teams in the country.
