SEC Preview: Ole Miss is all gas

If you love old school Big 12 or Pac-12 football, where they put up a kiddy amount of points and no-one plays any defense, then Ole Miss was your favorite team last year.

Averaging 39.2 points per game and 555 yards per game, the Rebels worried every defense in the country. And boy (if you love your offense) was it fun.

But Ole Miss was lousy at defense. They were worst in the SEC in giving up points, rushing yards allowed, second-last in passing yards allowed, and total yards. Nationally, the best they had defensive (points allowed), ranked…..117th. So boy (if you love your defense) it was miserable.

So in an effort to not make any depressed, we’re not going to touch much on things defensively.

OFFENSE

Matt Corral’s seen as being a front-runner as a Heisman, thanks to Lane Kiffin and that breakneck offense of his. Corral threw for 3,337 yards and 29 TDs last year. Some forget that Corral also threw for 14 INTs.

In other words: On his good days Matt Corral was very, very good (513 yards, 0 INTs vs South Carolina), and on his bad days (like his 200 yard, 6 picks against Arkansas and 5 against LSU), he was very, very, very bad. If it hadn’t been for his performances in those games, Ole Miss would probably have finished with a 6-3 SEC record instead of an under-par 4-5 one.

Look, we know he’s a gunslinger. He’s probably got the best arm in the SEC, and one of the best arms in the country. But what Corral didn’t have last year was a poise. He fell into the ego trip of making it more about himself than the team at the time, trying to take them on his back by making horrible throws straight to receivers…on the other team.

Even if Lane Kiffin calms him down, Corral has a problem. His best receiver, Elijah Moore, is now playing at the New York Jets. He caught 59 more passes than anyone else on the team. TE Kenny Yeboah, Ole Miss’ second-best receiver, has also gone to the NFL.

Regardless of what people might say, that’s a big pair of shoes for Ole Miss’ receivers to fill. Jonathan Mingo (tied 2nd with 27 last year) will be pushed to do the job with Dontario Drummond (25) and senior Braylon Sanders (15), although we also like 6-3 frosh four-star Bralon Brown and JJ Henry.

What Kiffin has done for himself is raid Missouri for their second-best receiver Jalen Knox, who had 31 receptions for 305 yards (no touchdowns) in Eli Drinkwitz used him a slot receiver.

On the floor might be an under-the-radar strength for Kiffin, too. Jerrion Ealy, who had a 745, 9 TD season was excellent. He’s also a receiver and good kick-off returner. Oh, and he plays baseball, too. Behind him are Henry Parrish and battering ram Snoop Connor, who between them had 10 TDs last year.

Helping them will be the consistency of the offensive line, which returns four starters. They were mediocre in sacks allowed (19, 63rd in the country), but they will be a year more experience.

DEFENSE

Since last year’s defense was such drivel, there’s no real point in telling you how wonderful it is that the team returns 7 starters to the defense.

What might pique the interest is that Georgia transfer S Otis Reese, who wasn’t even permitted to play until later in the season, should help to improve a secondary that was gashed last year. Free safety AJ Finley and CB Keidron Smith aren’t woeful.

Also, Kiffin’s recruited D-Lineman Isaiah Huton, the best in his position at JUCO Level and 6-4, 305lb freshman Twyone Malone (four-star) should help to plug some of the gaaps on the line, too.

Anyway, if can only be marginally better than it was last year, it would seem like a vast improvement.

SCHEDULE

Louisville (in Atlanta)

Austin Peay

Tulane

at Alabama

Arkansas

at Tennessee

LSU

at Auburn

Liberty

Texas A&M

Vanderbilt

Mississippi State

For pure fun, pencil in the November 14th home game against Liberty for titillating viewing. The scoring will be off the charts, and it’ll be Hugh Freeze’s home-coming (sorry/not sorry about the triple innuendo there!) to Oxford.

Otherwise, Ole Miss should go 3-0 before getting thumped at Alabama. They will then avenge the stunning loss to Arkansas they had in 2020, win a fun one on the road to Tennessee. They will beat LSU, lose at Auburn, before beating Liberty, losing to Texas A&M at home, and then going 2-0 in the last two games of the season against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.

FINAL PREDICTION: LANE LIGHTS UP THE LEAGUE, GOES 9-3.