Will Ole Miss rushing defense be an issue against run-heavy Georgia Southern?
By Andrew Olson
Published:
If one combined the rushing yards for the opponent’s leading rusher in all eight Ole Miss games, how would that ball-carrier rank among all rushers?
He would rank No. 3 in the nation according to The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal’s sports staff.
From .@JohnLPitts, leading opponent rushers in #OleMiss' eight games have run for 1,145 yards which would rank No. 3 nationally.
— Parrish Alford (@parrishalford) November 2, 2016
Allowing 1,145 yards in eight games is concerning, but to be fair, not all that surprising when a schedule includes Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette among other talented running backs. The Rebels’ Week 10 opponent likes to run, a lot.
For the season, Georgia Southern has run the ball on roughly 72.5 percent of its offensive plays (431 rushes compared to only 163 passes). Per game, that comes to just under 54 attempts (53.9) and 239 yards on the ground.
While Ole Miss’ rushing defense woes with GSU’s dependence on the run might have some fans concerned about the makings of a potential upset, Las Vegas handicappers don’t see it happening. The Rebels are currently 27.5-point favorites according to VegasInsider.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
