Let’s cut right to the chase: Ole Miss struggled to run the ball a year ago, and as it aims to replace its starting quarterback of the last three years it will need to run the ball better in 2015 to keep the offense humming.

Are the Rebels capable of establishing a threat on the ground this fall? The answer to that question is two-fold. First, they must find a tailback, or a small handful of backs, who can carry the load in the run game on a weekly basis. Second, they need an offensive line to help pave the way for a dangerous rushing attack.

If the Grove Bowl earlier this month was any indication, Ole Miss has the tailbacks on the roster it needs to run the ball effectively in the SEC. Jaylen Walton returns as last year’s starter, and he possesses the speed and elusiveness to get to the edge and make defenders miss in space. He’s also the Rebels best pass-catching back.

Walton is not a traditional every-down back, though. He can run between the tackles, but it’s not where he’s best. He’s not scared to take on bigger defenders as a blocker, but it’s not his bread and butter.

Lucky for Ole Miss, the trio of Eugene Brazley, Akeem Judd and Jordan Wilkins is in place to supplement the holes in Walton’s game. The Rebels thought they had a similar trio a year ago in I’Tavius Mathers, Mark Dodson and Wilkins, but aside from a few flashes from the latter that trio was relatively ineffective, especially in conference play.

This year’s trio of reserve backs is a much better complement to Walton. Judd is the power back, something Ole Miss greatly lacked in short-yardage situations a year ago. Wilkins is the closest thing to a traditional tailback out of the four in question, and he’s shown improvement throughout his Ole Miss career that should have fans feeling excited about what he has in store for his junior season, as the only returner from last year’s trio of backups.

Brazley is another player with great quickness and agility who can be used in a number of ways, much like Walton. Together, those four backs have all the tools to combine to form an adequate rushing attack in the SEC. With the talent Ole Miss has stockpiled at wide receiver and tight end, all the Rebels run game has to do is be adequate, just good enough to warrant respect from defenses cheating to stop the pass.

However, while the tailbacks may be better than a year ago, the offensive line is not. The Rebels spent much of spring practice with only eight healthy offensive linemen, and they’ve had to prepare for the fall without crucial starters like All-American candidate Laremy Tunsil as well as Robert Conyers and Aaron Morris.

Last year, the Rebels offensive line did the run game no favors. Regardless of what the end-of-season totals say (some of which were padded by blowout wins against the likes of Presbyterian), Ole Miss had the fourth-worst yards per carry average in the SEC a year ago, only better than Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Tennessee, which allowed the most sacks and tackles in the conference.

Those teams all suffered the same fate as Ole Miss: mediocre numbers running the ball due to lackluster offensive line play. Kentucky’s Boom Williams, Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd and Vanderbilt’s Ralph Webb are three of the brightest young tailbacks in the SEC and weren’t the reason their teams were at the bottom of the conference in yards per attempt. It was the offensive line play that held back those rushing attacks, and Ole Miss is in jeopardy of suffering the same fate this fall.

Tunsil should be 100 percent by Week 1, and he is far and away the Rebels’ best offensive lineman, but his left tackle position is predicated on pass protection first and foremost. Four-star 2015 early enrollee Javon Patterson got valuable reps at guard this spring due to the plethora of injuries, and there’s a great chance he’ll start immediately this fall. That’ll benefit Ole Miss in the long run, but considering Patterson is only a freshman it’s unfair to assume he alone can ignite the rushing attack in his first games at the collegiate level.

The line lacks cohesion and unity, and it may take a few weeks for the starting five to develop that rapport every great line relies on. Don’t be surprised if once again Ole Miss struggles to run the ball during those games.

It’s all still a work in progress. The Rebels may show improvement running the ball this fall, but they won’t be the SEC’s pace-setters in that regard. And that’s okay. They don’t need to be. They just need to be adequate, and they appear on their way.

The search for a new starting quarterback remains the biggest storyline in Oxford, but the run game could make all the difference come the fall.