OXFORD — After seven games, No. 18 Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 SEC) is finally at its first bye week. The Rebels have lost two games by a combined six points this season, the latest a 29-26 defeat at LSU last weekend.
With five games left in the regular season, here is my midseason-ish report card. Please keep in mind these are just my opinions and are, of course, subjective.
Quarterback: B+
If this was through the first four games, senior quarterback Jaxson Dart would be worthy of an A+. His three SEC games have been a bit uneven, however, completing 58.3% of his passes for 830 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He entered SEC play completing just under 80% of his passes for 1,554 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions in four nonconference games. Dart’s numbers were bound to take a hit once league play began, but the lack of elite production through three SEC games is a bit concerning. Despite coming down to earth recently, Dart still ranks in the top four nationally in passing yards, efficiency and total offense per game.
Running back: B
Senior Henry Parrish Jr. has been stellar overall since transferring back to Ole Miss; he is second in the SEC with 612 yards, which ranks 16th nationally. Outside of Parrish, however, the productivity in the running back room has been a bit hit or miss. A large part of that has been the lack of usage of senior Ulysses Bentley IV, who had 540 rushing yards last season but had just 62 yards on 16 carries through the first six games of the season but broke out for 107 yards against LSU with junior Matt Jones out. Jones played well in the nonconference slate but has 13 carries for 21 yards in two SEC outings.
Wide receiver/tight end: B/B+
Most of this positive grade comes from Tre Harris, who leads the nation in receiving with 987 yards. The next closest receiver on the Rebels is sophomore Cayden Lee, who has 27 catches for 429 yards. Seniors Jordan Watkins and Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. have been a bit inconsistent this season — Watkins, who missed the opener with an injury, has yet to surpass 75 receiving yards in a game, while Wells has been held without a catch in two of three SEC games. Senior tight end Caden Prieskorn, a preseason first-team All-SEC pick, has three combined catches in SEC play.
Offensive line: C
Injuries have no doubt played a part in this grade — the Rebels have been without seniors Jeremy James and Caleb Warren for all or most of the season, and starting left tackle Jayden Williams has missed all of SEC play thus far. The Rebels are tied for 94th nationally in sacks per game allowed, which includes the six they surrendered against LSU. Dart has been under pressure for much of the last three games, and if that doesn’t change, the Rebels’ offensive fortunes might not, either. Ole Miss is averaging 23.3 points per game in SEC play after averaging 55 in nonconference games. It was impossible to expect the Rebels to match the stats from their first four games come conference play, but those numbers should be closer. Shoring up the offensive line will go a long way toward accomplishing that.
Defensive line: A+
This very well may be the best individual unit on the entire roster. Junior defensive tackle Walter Nolen has been as good, if not better, than advertised. When healthy, senior edge rusher Princely Umanmielen has been a menace. Senior tackle JJ Pegues has lived in opposing backfields, and senior end Jared Ivey already has a team-high five sacks. Sophomore defensive end Suntarine Perkins was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season and already has 4.5 sacks himself. The Rebels are tied for third nationally with 24 sacks.
Linebacker: A-
Sophomore TJ Dottery and junior Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. have been tremendous up the middle for Ole Miss, having made a combined 91 total tackles. Senior Khari Coleman has chipped in 27 tackles as well. Paul is the third-rated linebacker in the nation, per Pro Football Focus, with a 90.9 grade. He is tied for second on the team with seven tackles for loss and also has 2.5 sacks.
Secondary: B-
The overall numbers for Ole Miss’ pass defense aren’t bad — 222.9 yards per game allowed ranks 81st nationally, while the Rebels’ team passing efficiency defense is 12th in the country — but there have been moments where the secondary didn’t hold up its end of the bargain. The long pass to Barion Brown on fourth down against Kentucky comes to mind, as do the crucial, late fourth-down conversions by LSU and the subsequent game-winning overtime touchdown pass from Garrett Nussmeier. Ole Miss is the seventh-most penalized team in the nation this year (8.71 per game), and more than a few of those have been defensive holding or pass interference calls.
Special teams: B+
Senior kicker Caden Davis has missed a few kicks this year, but he’s tied for second nationally with 13 made field goals and hit a 57-yarder in overtime against LSU. The miss against Kentucky stung, but he’s done a good job overall. Senior punter Fraser Masin has only punted 16 times but is averaging 44.9 yards per kick, which would place him in the top 25 nationally if he had enough attempts. The Rebels have done a solid job in both kick and punt-return coverage but have not broken through on many kick or punt returns themselves.
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