University of Mississippi quarterback Bo Wallace has to be the most underrated player, possibly, in the country. Actually, underrated isn’t an appropriate description to describe the amount of venomous attention the senior signal-caller has received virtually throughout the duration of his time in Oxford.

Critics point to the abundance of interceptions — which totaled 27 — he threw in his first couple of season on campus as a major reason why, but when you factor in he also threw 40 touchdowns you can plainly see they he has some talent.

Former University of Georgia QB Aaron Murray threw 41 interceptions in his career and we rarely heard a peep about that part of his game.

That’s not to say Murray was a bad player, as he’s the greatest in his program’s history, it’s merely shedding light that we may put too much emphasis on mistakes for certain players (especially if we have a preconceived notion about them).

Additionally, Wallace’s near 65 percent career completion rate is glossed over in favor of quips about his inaccuracy — which again makes very little sense — and perceived lack of arm strength.

Furthermore, Wallace’s appearance has been mocked, ad nauseum, on social media and message boards alike. When you take into account that the 6’4″ 217-pound athlete could probably model for urban clothing outfitter Abercrombie & Fitch, it seems kind of backwards when most of those people are walking around looking like the Super Creepy-version of actor Rob Lowe.

To put it mildly: It’s time for Wallace to start garnering praise for what he’s currently doing opposed to what some may have perceived as sub-par play in the past.

I stated that Wallace has all the tools to take Ole Miss to the promised land, at the beginning of the season, I feel even stronger about that sentiment as the season has progressed; Wallace is that darn good.

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The first thing that should come to mind about Wallace, at least from those using level-headed analysis, is his ability to make something out of nothing.

And it should be highlighted that he’s doing so in head coach Hugh Freeze’s multiplistic offense: assorted personnel groupings; a hurry-up no-huddle approach; spread-option based outfit with plenty of pro-style reads and throws.

While Wallace is counted on to be the bus driver of the offense, many believe he should take the path of a “game manager” despite limitations from a personnel standpoint.

As talented as Ole Miss’ offense is presently, it doesn’t possess the overall talent of teams like Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Georgia; the most common theme between those squads is the ability to soften up defenses with hardcore between-the-tackles runs.

Not to mention all those teams are in possession of a host of NFL-caliber running backs that are able to take games over on an individual basis.

Wallace, much to his team’s detriment, should be considered the best inside-running threat.

While he’s rarely given credit for it, Wallace is a very good athlete with a great feel for running lanes and concepts: inside power, read-options and QB draws. While wallace won’t be confused for an athlete like former Auburn QB Cam Newton, he can be deployed in a similar manner due to his running prowess.

InsidePower

Here we see Wallace running inside power (from a draw); Sometimes being a great runner is about wanting to run the ball at all costs. Wallace has zero fear of being hit and it shows up time and time again in his jaunts.

He runs with patience which allows him to better utilize his blocks. He’s not the quickest runner you’ll ever see, but once he gets that long stride going he does build up a good amount of speed.

That’s why his 4.7 40-yard dash time is misleading; once Wallace clears about 15 yards, he’s clearly much faster than he was at the start of his run.

58YDReadOption

Check out Wallace’s wheels on this read-option keeper out of “11 personnel.” Not only does he break tackles by two NFL defensive backs — Eric Reid (San Francisco) and Craig Loston (Jacksonville Jaguars) — he outran current Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Kevin Minter for a 58-yard touchdown in a 2012 game against the Tigers.

Coincidentally speaking, the Rebels play LSU this weekend in what is undoubtedly a pivotal game on the way to Ole Miss procuring a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Wallace’s ability to affect a tilt with his legs is an underrated part of his game that teams must take into account. This aspect only adds to his value when meshed with his accuracy and timing in the throwing department.

Outside of Donte Moncrief, who was ultimately drafted in the third round of this past NFL draft, Wallace hasn’t had the benefit of having a top-flight receiver, either. That is, until super-freak of an athlete Laquon Treadwell showed up on campus.

The 6’2″, 230-pound Treadwell is the prototypical receiver for a team that likes to dominate the short-to-intermediate area of the field. While most fans equate accuracy with downfield throws, putting the ball on the money on hitches, curls, slants and crossers is what authentic accuracy is all about.

Those type of routes are designed to get yards after the reception; inaccurate throws are counterproductive to that.

Progressions

Another aspect that’s glossed over in regard to Wallace’s ability is his talent going through progressions. Look at how quick the game moves in the above sequence.

Wallace’s initial read was covered; he promptly re-read the safety; his secondary option was theoretically bracketed by the Cover-1 safety; he climbed the pocket and found Treadwell on a dig route.

Wallace doesn’t get enough credit for his aptitude of the technical side of the sport. Although he he possesses a gun-slinger’s mentality, the film reveals that he’s well-coached in everything from his mechanics to his reads.

Where Wallace gets himself into trouble is when he tries to force the issue. Of his six interceptions this season, three of them came in the first half of the season opener versus Boise State, when Ole Miss was struggling to generate any offense, while two more came against the University of Memphis in what was more of an aberration than anything else.

While there’s never an excuse for turnovers, you can plainly see that Wallace has a ton of Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers fame) in him opposed to lacking talent like, say, Blaine Gabbert (Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round bust).

Many critics place Wallace’s turnovers on a lack of arm strength. While Wallace doesn’t have as strong an arm as a Matthew Stafford, he has more than enough arm strength to put the necessary velocity on any NFL-type pass Freeze installs.

Between Treadwell and sophomore receiver Cody Core, Wallace has shown that he can stretch the field despite the lack of a between-the-tackles run game.

TreadwellPostAgainstMemphis

Case in point: Wallace hit Treadwell, in stride, on a deep-post off a play-action fake against Memphis.

The Rebels, as an entire program, are an extremely talented outfit that’s in possession of the top defensive unit in the entire country. While the offense lacks a championship-caliber run game, Wallace’s skill set — coupled with the talent at receiver —  is enough for Ole Miss to make a serious run at winning it all.

It may be time to bury what you once thought of Wallace. But if not, he will undoubtedly take his respect.