The Ole Miss Rebels entered 2014 with the SEC’s most veteran quarterback in Bo Wallace and a bevy of dynamic athletes at the skill positions. Yet the Rebels offense has not put up anywhere near the numbers most expected when the season began, ranking in the bottom half of the SEC in total offense, scoring offense and passing offense this year.

So where lies the disconnect between talent and on-field results? The answer is simple: it’s the Rebels lackluster offensive line.

Ole Miss’ inability to block in the run game or protect Wallace in the passing game has cost the team all season. The problem is not a new one; Saturday’s hideous 10-7 loss to LSU was just the first time the “Landshark” defense couldn’t overcome the offense’s inconsistencies this season.

The Rebels rank 12th out of 14 SEC teams in rushing this year, but it’s not as though the Rebels don’t have the athletes capable of leading a premier rushing attack in the SEC.

Tailbacks I’Tavius Mathers and Mark Dodson were both four-star recruits in the classes of 2012 and 2013, respectively, and fellow tailback Jaylen Walton was a three-star recruit in 2012. The Rebels have the star power at running back, yet those three highly touted backs have combined to rush for just 704 yards this season, fewer than six individual rushers have amassed by themselves in 2014.

That’s an indictment on the Rebels offensive line, which has given those backs little room to work with in the ground game this season. If you missed last week’s game against LSU, it was mostly a lot of Walton and company running into the line for no gain or even a loss. Again, this isn’t new for Ole Miss, which has allowed the second most tackles for loss in the SEC this season with 59 in eight games, an average of more than seven per game.

The lack of a rushing attack has caused a lack of balance on offense, and in an SEC loaded with talent on defense, a one-dimensional offense is far too easy to stop. The Rebels have found that to be true this year, as evidenced by the 7-point output in Death Valley.

Ole Miss has run the ball the eighth-most frequently among SEC teams this season, yet ranks 12th in the conference in rushing; the Rebels have thrown the ball the sixth-most frequently in the conference, and rank fourth in rushing.

What does this say about the offense? It says the Rebels are heavily reliant on the passing game due to the line’s ineptitude.

Unfortunately for Ole Miss, the offensive line hasn’t been much better in pass protection either.

The Rebels have allowed the third-most sacks in the SEC with 19 on the season, which has thrown off the timing in the passing game all year long. Ole Miss is obviously more successful through the air than on the ground; if it weren’t it might never score, and it certainly would have lost more than once this year even with the nation’s best scoring defense.

However, just because Ole Miss throws better than it runs doesn’t mean the offensive line is any better in pass protection than it is in run blocking.

Left tackle Laremy Tunsil is a former five-star recruit, and he’s played like one in his two seasons at Ole Miss. Watch five minutes of any Ole Miss game this season and it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Tunsil getting beat by his opponent.

The rest of the line, however, has not held up its end of the bargain. Wallace has been rushed in the pocket far too often this season, and the Rebels have failed to protect against some lackluster pass rushing teams in 2014. They allowed three sacks against Vanderbilt, which has just 14 in eight games this season, and six to Tennessee, which has just 19 in eight games on the year. Outside of their games against Ole Miss, neither team has averaged even two sacks per game in 2014.

LSU only got to Wallace twice on Saturday, but the Tigers recorded a whopping nine tackles for loss in their home victory, stifling the Rebels game plan entering  Death Valley. Ole Miss could never establish a rushing attack against a Tigers defense ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in run defense, and as a result LSU dropped a number of players into coverage, making Wallace’s job that much harder as he desperately sought out open receivers.

That’s been the Achilles heel of the Rebels all season — they allow their opponents to stop the run, which then permits their opponents to approach the Rebels passing attack however they like once the threat of a run has been eliminated.

Ole Miss has been working with three new starters along the line this season, so the slow start to the year is justified to that end. However, we are now nine weeks and eight games into the season, and it’s time for the Rebels line to sink or swim.

Ole Miss must block better in the run game to provide balance to the offense. Otherwise, the pressure is going to continue to come as Ole Miss falls into obvious passing situations (the Rebels could stand to protect better in those situations, too).

With the “Landshark” defense behind them, the Rebels don’t need many points to win games nowadays, but they can’t have another 7-point outing against tough SEC defenses like Auburn and Mississippi State down the line. Ole Miss has the talent, but if the line doesn’t start holding up its end of the deal the Rebels may find themselves on the outside of the inaugural College Football Playoff come December.