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The Ole Miss Rebels had a lot to be proud of in 2015. They won 10 games for the first time since 2003 and redeemed themselves in bowl season with a big victory over Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl.
In 2016, Ole Miss has its eyes set on bigger things. Here are five areas the Rebels need to improve to take their program to the next step.
1. Red-zone offense: The Rebels finished first in the SEC and eighth in the country in scoring with 40.8 points per game, so it is hard to argue that Ole Miss left any points on the field. But they did. On 62 red-zone attempts, the Rebels offense scored a touchdown just 37 times. The 59.68 touchdown percentage was just 72nd in the nation. More efficiency in the red zone could lead to an even more points.
2. Limit turnovers: Part of the red-zone problem, everywhere on the field for that matter, were turnovers. In 13 games, the Rebels had 23 turnovers. The Rebels defense also forced 23 takeaways, so the turnover margin was zero. But ideally, coach Hugh Freeze would like to see his team’s turnover differential return to around plus-7, which is where it was in 2014.
3. Pass defense: The Ole Miss secondary also took a step back in 2015. The Rebels allowed 258.8 passing yards per game, second-worst in the SEC and 105th in the country. That stat, however, is a little misleading. Ole Miss was ranked sixth in the SEC in yards allowed per pass attempt, indicating the secondary wasn’t absolutely terrible. Teams just had to pass more often against them in order to keep up with the Ole Miss offense. Still, the pass defense could improve.
4. Third-down defense: This probably goes hand-in-hand with the pass defense, but the Rebels had a hard time getting off the field on third down. Opponents converted 38.94 percent of their third downs against Ole Miss, ranking the Rebels 65th in the country. Opponents converted only 32.99 in 2014.
5. Return Game: Ole Miss was one of the worst return teams in the country. The Rebels were 117th in yards (3.63) per punt return and 119th in yards (17.71) per kick return with no TD returns. Better returns would give Kelly and the offense improved field position, making scoring easier.
Dave covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
