2013 Ole Miss Rebel Football in Review: Final Statistics

[ED: Thank you, Fit4LifeLLC, for your continued dedication to numbers.]

After finishing with an 8-5 record and a win over Georgia Tech in the Music City Bowl, Ole Miss fans have mixed reviews for the season that was. The Rebels finished about where many of us suspected they would at the beginning of the season, however, just as with last season, there were some opportunities for additional wins that slipped through the Rebels' grasp. Turnovers against Auburn doomed the Rebels to a mere 8-point loss to the SEC Champions; a losing field position battle gave Texas A&M what they needed to kick a game-winning field goal in a shootout; and the worst all-around game the Rebs have played under Hugh Freeze led to an overtime loss in the Egg Bowl - the only loss to an underdog the Rebels have suffered in two years.

Injuries this season certainly played a role in this season's outcome, but if for nothing else they served as a reminder of just how far the Rebels have to go in team depth to consistently compete against SEC competition.

All things considered, Hugh Freeze and his staff have made significant improvements to Ole Miss football after the past two seasons, something which most Ole Miss fans easily recognize. Seeing a team that plays hard and competes each game is a testament to coach Freeze, his staff, and the players - it's also a very welcome site even two years removed from 2011 (never forget).

Looking at the season from a statistical standpoint reveals why the Rebels finished with a winning record for the second straight season. Starting with Bo Wallace and the passing offense, the Rebels made improvements in completions, attempts and yards. Although, Wallace only improved less than 1% in completion percentage, he made significant improvements in reducing his turnovers, despite having more attempts on the season. Wallace took some deserved criticism for how he finished the season, particularly after the Egg Bowl loss, but on the whole he had a pretty great season.

Don't forget to consider Barry Brunetti's touchdown tosses too when looking at the Rebel passing offense. A touchdown to interception ration of 18/10 looks pretty good, but 24/12 looks even better. Barry got plenty of snaps in the red zone which allowed the Rebels to take advantage of mismatches in scoring opportunities, giving Brunetti a reliable role as a deserving senior.

Looking at the run game, Jeff Scott missed roughly half the season with injuries and only finished 70 yards behind the team lead over 28 fewer attempts. The Ole Miss running game struggled to show a consistent inside run game in the games they lost, and we believe that injuries to key players and poor depth on the OL were the major factors here. The rushing attack was simply not what it could have or should have been.

Overall, the receiver corps was pretty solid this season. The main concern for the year was drops, but outside of that there were many players who contributed a lot to the Rebel offense. With Donte Moncrief leaving to take on the NFL this year, freshman all-American Laquon Treadwell will likely lead the Rebels receiving corps that will have to find a way to replace 2 of its top 3 receivers in 2014.

When compared to last season, the Rebels actually scored 19 fewer points, but did allow 41 fewer points. Similarly, Ole Miss had more 1st downs than last year but also gave up more, and gained more rushing yards while giving up more. The areas where this team improved the most were in passing offense and defense. Last season the Rebels gave almost as many passing yards as they gained, but this year there was nearly a 1000 yard differential.

(And, yes, strength of schedule and the nature of the teams we played have a lot to do with all of that. We didn't normalize these numbers to reflect that.)

One the biggest differences this year defensively was the health of the defensive line. Having lost the most consistent pass rushing threat this year in CJ Johnson, the Rebels finished with nearly half the sacks as the 2012 Rebels. One encouraging stat, however, is returning experience. Assuming that all-American safety Cody Prewitt returns for his senior year, Ole Miss will return five of its top six defenders. Also of note is that many other Rebel defenders missed time this year due to injury, most significantly linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, who was one of the Rebels' top defenders in 2012.

In looking at SEC comparisons, it is easy to see where and why the Rebels lost the games they did. Most significantly, the Rebels woes in the red zone, an area where Ole Miss only bettered the Florida Gators

Of note, the SEC does not yet list bowl games in these statistics.

Still, 2013 was an improvement on 2012, and with so many key players from this season returning for 2014, it isn't unreasonable to expect continued progress in Oxford.