Ole Miss Football: Can the Rebels improve the defense?

There are 34 days till college football season, and today we talk about a team that has dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

We’re not trying to pile on to the Ole Miss football program. They’ve been on the receiving end of all sorts of criticism as of late. First, it was the NCAA investigation, then it was the Houston Nutt lawsuit, then finally it all boiled over and Hugh Freeze was fired, even if that wasn’t exactly related.

And that was without even talking about their play on the field in 2016. They were one of two teams in the SEC to miss a bowl game last season, and statistically, they had the worst defense in the conference. And that leads us to no. 34 on the Southbound and Down College Football Countdown.

Ole Miss Rebels allowed 34 points per game last season

Must Read: How many miles are left on the Gus Bus?

You can’t say enough about Ole Miss’ offensive attack last season. The Rebels averaged 32.9 points per game last season, which was fourth in the SEC. They also scored 30 or more in seven of their 12 games.

But the defense was another story.

More from Southbound and Down

• Texas A&M vs. Auburn: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
• 3 Up’s, 3 Down’s from Georgia’s 24-14 Win Over South Carolina
• Ole Miss Football: Looking back at the Rebels career of Zedrick Woods
• Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Line, Prediction, TV Channel & Live Stream for SEC Football
• “Horns Down” will not be a Penalty in the SEC

The 34 points per game that they allowed were the worst in the SEC and 100th in the country. Ole Miss allowed less than 27 points in only two games last fall. They beat Wofford 38-13 and beat Georgia 45-14.

The Rebels’ blown leads were well-documented last season. They led Florida State 28-6 in the season opener before being outscored 39-6 in the final 32 minutes of the game to lose 45-34.

Then, two weeks later, Ole Miss had Alabama on the ropes with a 24-3 lead in the second quarter. But from the 2:30 mark in the second quarter to the 5-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide outscored the Rebels 45-6 to beat Ole Miss 48-43. But that cant be entirely blamed on the Rebels’ defense. Alabama’s defense and special teams scored 21 points in that game.

So while the offense did score 40+ points three times last season, the defense allowed 40+ points four times. Expect more shootouts for this Ole Miss football team in 2017. And if they can figure out how to stop somebody, they could actually make some noise in the SEC West.