Ole Miss Football: Report Card for 2016 Season
Nov 5, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) drops back to pass against Georgia Southern Eagles during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Ole Miss had a rough season this year, but how does their report card look?
Remember when you were a kid and you tried to hide a bad grade from the teacher? That was Ole Miss this year. The Rebels struggled at nearly every position this season.
From coaches to players, the whole team was a let down this season.
Can Ole Miss overcome these struggles they experienced? Or will they define the team and the organization?
If the Rebels can make the correct moves on the coaching and player personal, then things could improve for the Rebels rather quickly.
They have an impressive quarterback in Shea Patterson leading the way, with sophomore receivers AJ Brown, DK Metcalf, and Tre Nixon joining him on the offense.
The defense has some positions to fix, but the groundwork is there. Deontay Anderson will be a stud at the position, maybe even seeing time in the NFL in the future.
So how did Ole Miss do this season in my eyes? Well, the offense kept the Rebels in games, but the defense was atrocious.
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Changes had to be made within the coaching staff, and those changes have been made.
While the new coordinator has not been announced yet, things are looking up for the Ole Miss defense, something that has been needed for a while.
Nov 26, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Shea Patterson (20) moves in the pocket during the second quarter of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterbacks
QB, Last Year: A
Chad Kelly and Shea Patterson both saw meaningful time as the quarterback of the Ole Miss football team this season.
Kelly, who started the season as a Heisman darkhorse, went down with a knee injury against Georgia Southern, an injury that would end his career at Ole Miss.
Before that, Kelly had been struggling with his accuracy and was not timing his passes with his receivers very well.
He all but assured himself that he would not be getting drafted next year when the NFL draft takes place after a poor performance in his senior season.
Patterson took over for Kelly after the injury and faced the Texas A&M Aggies in his first career game.
Shea was magnificent in the second half of the game, but outside of that, he was nothing too special. The kid is a freshman though, so he does get some leeway.
But overall, the position played poorly this season. Things did not go Ole Miss’ way and the quarterbacks did not help that cause.
With quarterback coach Dan Werner gone, the Ole Miss quarterbacks will have a new QB coach to work with next season after the new offensive coordinator takes over.
Nov 12, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Akeem Judd (21) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs
RB , Last Year: C+
The running game for Ole Miss has struggled in year’s past, and this year was no different.
From the get go, Ole Miss was struggling with its running backs, after Jordan Wilkins was ineligible due to an academic issue.
Akeem Judd, Eric Swinney, and Eugene Brazely were expected to take over as the lead backs once Wilikins was ruled out.
Swinney went down with a torn ACL on his first career rushing attempt and D’Vaughn Pennamon was then called on to run the ball for the Rebels.
Akeem Judd had flashes of brilliance this year, especially after being pushed by his backups for playing time.
Is it coaching? The run game for Ole Miss is always suspect, even with a stud like Judd in the backfield.
Ole Miss is trying to fix this issue by signing Cam Akers, but how much can Akers help the position?
The offensive line will have to improve on their run blocking if Ole Miss ever wants to run the ball effectively.
Nov 5, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver A.J. Brown (1) carries the ball against Georgia Southern Eagles cornerback Darius Jones Jr. (5) during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receivers
WR , Last Year: A
Ole Miss has been known for their wide receivers, and this year was no different. After losing Cody Core and Laquon Treadwell, the Rebels had to replace them with some fresh bodies.
Freshmen AJ Brown and DK Metcalf stepped up to the plate. Junior Damorea’ea Stringfellow also played an important role for Ole Miss.
The receivers would have received an A if they had not started dropping the balls late in the season. Around the Arkansas game, things got messy for the group.
Quincy Adeboyejo also regressed and was nearly non-existent this season.
Ole Miss has a commitment from 4* WR DD Bowie out of Morton, MS, but the Rebels will have to keep fighting for him late in the recruiting season.
With some questions regarding the offensive coaching staff, this group of players could be trying to learn under a new staff.
Shea Patterson will rely on the receivers next season, a position of strength currently for Ole Miss. Junior Damarkus Lodge will have to step up for Ole Miss if he wishes to contribute at all.
Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Evan Engram (17) runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tight Ends
TE, Last Year: A
Evan Engram has been the premier tight end in college football for the past four seasons. While he was not listed as a finalist for the Mackey Award, many in the country believe he should have won it.
Ole Miss will have a huge hole to fill once Engram leaves Ole Miss for the NFL. The Rebels are hoping that sophomore Octavious Cooley will be the answer in the future for Ole Miss.
Cooley looks a lot like Engram, but has to shed some extra pounds if he wishes to play at an elite level.
Engram is the one player Ole Miss will miss the most on the offense, as he was the key to a lot of offensive drives this season.
He was a primary target for Bo Wallace, Chad Kelly, and Shea Patterson while at Ole Miss.
It was hard not to give this position an A+, but with Cooley’s play and Engram’s injury late, the tight ends receive an A this year.
Hopefully next season will bring out an A+ from the group.
Nov 12, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Mississippi Rebels offensive lineman Javon Patterson (79) celebrates after a play during the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Offensive Line
OL , Last Year: B+
The offensive line for Ole Miss was very young this season, after the loss of Laremy Tunsil to the NFL draft.
Freshman Gregory Little was called upon to shore up the blind side of the line, and did a good job of it once the season progressed. Javon Patterson is growing into a star on the line, as he played most of the season at guard and at center.
Robert Conyers will be the sole loss from the offensive line this year, after Conyers gave everything he had to Ole Miss for 4 years.
Sean Rawlings and Alex Givens also saw extended time on the line.
Rod Taylor was the one letdown of the group, as I thought he played well late last season and struggled this season.
Matt Luke and staff have a lot of young players on the team to work with, and if done correctly, the line could vastly improve next season.
Shea Patterson will need the line to be great next year if he wants to stay healthy, and the line will have to learn not to hold when he leaves the pocket.
The offense for the Rebels is looking bright next season.
Nov 12, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive tackle Benito Jones (95) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Line
DL, Last Year: A
The defensive line was the only defensive group that showed any promise this season.
Led by DJ Jones, Benito Jones, Victor Evans, and Fadol Brown, the defensive line was nasty early in the season, but regressed late.
Chris Kiffin has been recruiting some good lineman, but the Rebels have not been as aggressive as years past.
The biggest disappointment on the line was Breeland Speaks this season. Speaks came into the year looking to be the replacement for Robert Nkemdiche, and ended it as a no name.
Ole Miss is bringing in some good recruits on the line this year, such as Markel Winters.
If the new defensive coordinator can get the Rebels in position to force some pressure on quarterbacks, the defensive line should be greatly improved next season.
The rushmen are looking to improve vastly next season.
Oct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels linebacker Detric Bing-Dukes (43) tackles LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Linebackers
LB, Last Year: C-
Where do I begin with the linebackers? Constantly out of position, poor tackling, and just a poor performance overall.
This was easily the worst group of players on the Ole Miss team.
Led by transfers Rommel Mageo and Detric Bing-Dukes, Ole Miss struggled greatly at the position.
Demarquis Gates also played the position when he was not injured, and led the team in tackles this season. Accounting for 8.1% of the team’s tackles.
Bing-Dukes, Mageo, and Taylor Polk all had 30 tackles this season.
Ole Miss need some serious help at this position, on the staff and on the field.
The LSU game was the worst for the linebackers, who were constantly exposed by the LSU offensive line and Leonard Fournette, who gashed the Rebel linebackers all night.
With Josh Clarke already committed, Ole Miss is looking to bring in Willie Gay and Jeremy Burley to help the linebacker position. It is the #1 focus in recruiting this season.
Is it all coaching? Is it all the players fault? Who knows, but I know that they are not happy with their performance and will look to improve next year.
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Zedrick Woods (36) waits for play to resume during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Backs
DB, Last Year: B
This position group was young, and so that did play into my grading, but the defensive backs struggled this season along with the linebackers.
Carlos Davis, Tony Bridges, Tony Conner, and Derrick Jones are the only four DB’s Ole Miss loses this year, retaining Zedrick Woods, Myles Hartsfield, AJ and CJ Moore, Deontay Anderson, Jaylon Jones, and Jalen Julius for next season.
The group was bad after Ken Webster went down with an injury early in the season against Florida State. Ever since that happened, the defensive backs were bead.
With mega-bust CJ Hampton seeing playing time this season, you know things are bad.
But there were some bright spots.
Zedrick Woods reminded my of Senquez Golson this year. Deontay Anderson showed promise, despite being eaten alive by Fournette earlier in the season.
Hartsfield attributed to the team’s tackle total, but that is probably because the LB’s were so bad that the defensive backs had to make tackles.
The DB’s will have to improve for Ole Miss, but the groundwork is there and if Jason Jones can work with the new coordinator, then OM could be set up for success.
Nov 19, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Mississippi Rebels kicker Gary Wunderlich (97) kicks a field goal during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Special Teams
ST, Last Year: C
D
Gary Wunderlich
PK/P, Last Year: A
I am breaking up the grade for this group because Wunderlich does not deserve to be in the same group that Carlos Davis and Will Gleeson are in.
The special teams defense and coverage unit were atrocious this season. Giving up handful of yards on every return.
Punting was not a strong suit for Ole Miss this year, prompting the creation of the Chad Kelly punt.
That should have been a sign right there that Ole Miss was going to struggle with punting.
Carlos Davis still has yet to return a touchdown as a Rebel, extending the streak to 4 years without a return TD for Ole Miss.
But Gary Wunderlich, man he was special this season. If not for Daniel Carlson of Auburn, Wunderlich would have won every award for kickers this year.
Going 22-23 on field goals and 41-43 on extra points, Wunderlich was automatic this season. I really hope to see him return for his senior season.
Oct 15, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas defeated Ole Miss 34-30. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Coaching Staff
Coach, Last Year: A-
Man did the coaches struggle this season. From calling some bizarre plays to making head scratching reactions online, the staff struggled.
Both coordinators have been let go from the staff after the season, which is never a good sign for a program.
Freeze will have to make the right hires if he wants to continue his success at Ole Miss. Right now it is looking like Wesley McGriff will be the new DC and Phil Longo will be the new OC.
Some of the plays on the defense were so bad this year, I’m not sure who called them. Surely the DC did not, but I put nothing past this staff.
Freeze continues to meddle with the offensive playcalling and it is hurting the team offensively as well. From pulling Patterson/Kelly for Pellerin in the redzone to the passive play calling, Freeze does not need to be calling plays.
Ole Miss has an opportunity to fix things here, let us see if they do it.
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