OFFENSE: B-

The numbers say Ole Miss was a middle-of-the-pack offense in 2014, but the Rebels actually boasted an explosive yet inconsistent offense that happened to average out to some more-or-less average numbers.

Ole Miss produced one of the SEC’s least explosive rushing attacks this season, averaging just 143 yards per game on the ground in eight SEC contests. The Rebels relied on four different tailbacks throughout the year, but none of the four managed to amass more than 600 yards for the year (three of the four actually ran for fewer than 400 yards on the season). Two of those tailbacks — Mark Dodson and I’Tavius Mathers — have already transferred from school, and it’s fair to say the inadequacies of the offensive line were critical to the Rebels lack of success in the ground game.

The Rebels line allowed the second-most tackles for loss and third-most sacks of any team in the SEC, limiting the team’s skill players and their chances to create explosive plays throughout a given game.

Quarterback Bo Wallace may have finished fourth in the SEC in yards, but he led the conference in interceptions as the leader of an inconsistent passing attack. Without Laquon Treadwell that aerial attack became even less dynamic, and the Rebels struggled down the stretch without their top wideout.

All in all, Ole Miss showed flashes of brilliance but was otherwise an average (or below average) team when it possessed the ball this season.

DEFENSE: A

It’s been well-documented that the Rebels’ vaunted Landshark defense led the nation in scoring defense this season, allowing opponents to score just 16 points per game. However, it’s not as well-documented that Ole Miss allowed 30 or more points in three of their final five games, showing a vulnerability that many never expected to see.

There are two ways to look at those late-season struggles. On the one hand, you can say the Rebels fell apart down the stretch and were not as dominant on the defensive side of the ball as we originally thought. On the other hand, Ole Miss still boasted the nation’s best scoring defense despite those late-season woes, asserting just how dominant the Landsharks were in the first two-thirds of the season.

No team in the SEC forced more takeaways this season than Ole Miss, which forced at least one in each of its first 11 games of the year, and only two teams allowed more yards through the air pre game than the Rebels, whose secondary was led by All-Americans Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson.

Numbers never lie, and the numbers say Ole Miss had the SEC’s best defense in 2014. The eye test says the same, and although the Rebels defense grew tired late in the year (possibly from compensating for such an inconsistent offense) it still warrants an A at the end of the season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C

Ole Miss struggled in the kicking game this season, missing seven of 16 field goal tries, more than any other team in the SEC. Three different players attempted field goals for the Rebels, but none of the three managed to hold the job outright for an extended amount of time.

Will Gleeson was consistent in the punting game, averaging 43.3 yards per punt to rank fifth in the SEC in that category. He also landed 24 of his 58 punts inside the opponents 20 yard line, and only recorded two touchbacks on the year.

The Rebels ranked in the bottom 3 in the SEC in kickoff and punt return average, and failed to record a return touchdown on the year. However, they ranked sixth in the conference in kickoff coverage and third in punt coverage, redeeming the special teams by giving the Ole Miss defense an edge in the field position battle.

All in all, the Rebels special teams were merely average this year, and their grade reflects that.

COACHING: B+

Hugh Freeze has overhauled the Ole Miss program since his arrival, taking a 2-10 team in 2011 and leading it to three straight bowl appearances from 2012-14. This season was his best season yet, as he finally began to show he could translate his dominant recruiting into wins on the field.

The Rebels 2013 recruiting class began to take flight this season, as players like Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil, Tony Conner and others began to assert themselves as the stars of the team.

Ole Miss came from behind to beat Alabama and didn’t roll over for arch-rival Mississippi State despite entering the Egg Bowl with a bevy of injured players. That’s a reflection of coaching just as much as the recruiting and player development entailed above.

Freeze is still not considered an elite coach on a national scale, but his work in growing the Ole Miss program at such a rapid pace has not gone unnoticed. This season was his best yet, and if he can continue to build from this in 2015 he’ll reach the ranks of the nation’s elite coaches sooner than later.

OVERALL: B

Ole Miss began the season 7-0, broke into the top 3 in the national polls and appeared well on its way to a New Year’s Six bowl, if not an SEC West title and a playoff berth.

It lost four of its final six games to cost itself a shot at a division title and a 10-win season, and although it did indeed reach a New Year’s Six game it also lost that game by 39 points in humiliating fashion.

It’s tough to make sense of the Rebels season, weighing early season success against late-season failures star performances against injury troubles. One thing’s for certain: this season exceeded the standard set by the Ole Miss program in recent years, and for that the Rebels earn an above-average grade for their work in 2014.