2016 Opponent Previews

Rebels reload with Kelly back under center

Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly (10) throws a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, in Auburn, Ala. Mississippi defeated Auburn 27-19. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

This is the seventh piece of a 12-part series previewing Arkansas' 2016 football opponents.

Ole Miss is coming off a 10-3 year capped by a 48-20 win over Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl, earning a No. 10 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. The Rebels went 6-2 in SEC play, finishing second in the western division.

2016 Football Previews

WholeHogSports will preview all 12 of Arkansas' 2016 football opponents in the following days. Here is a schedule of when each preview will be published:

-http://www.wholehog…">Louisiana Tech: Monday, June 13

-http://www.wholehog…">TCU: Tuesday, June 14

-http://www.wholehog…">Texas State: Wednesday, June 15

-http://www.wholehog…">Texas A&M: Thursday, June 16

-http://www.wholehog…">Alcorn State: Friday, June 17

-http://www.wholehog…">Alabama: Monday, June 20

-http://www.wholehog…">Ole Miss: Tuesday, June 21

-http://www.wholehog…">Auburn: Wednesday, June 22

-http://www.wholehog…">Florida: Thursday, June 23

-http://www.wholehog…">LSU: Friday, June 24

-http://www.wholehog…">Mississippi State: Monday, June 27

-http://www.wholehog…">Missouri: Tuesday, June 28

2016 outlook

Ole Miss has a bye week prior to traveling to Arkansas on Oct. 15. The week after playing the Razorbacks, the Rebels hit the road again, this time to LSU.

ESPN’s Football Power Index projects Ole Miss to win 8.1 games, which would be a step back from last season. An offshore sportsbook, 5Dimes, does not agree, setting the Rebels’ win total at 9.5 wins when it released SEC over/under win totals last month.

Still, the FPI has Ole Miss at No. 7 in the county. That is fourth in the SEC and third in the western division.

Significant departures

In 2013, Ole Miss landed the No. 1 offensive lineman, No. 1 wide receiver and No. 1 defensive end, en route to the No. 7 signing class in the country. Three years later, that trio was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Left tackle Laremy Tunsil (26 career starts) was the 13th overall pick, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (82 rec., 1,153 yds., 11 TD) went 23rd overall and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (29 tackles, 7 QBH, 7 TFL, 3 sacks) went 29th overall.

The Rebels will also have to replace right tackle Fahn Cooper (26 career starts), who was drafted in the fifth round, and wide receiver Cody Core (37 rec., 644 yds., 4 TD), who was drafted in the sixth round.

Leading rusher Jaylen Walton (142 car., 730 yds., 5 TD) was a senior last year. He was also Ole Miss’ top kickoff returner, returning 27 kicks for 494 yards.

In the secondary, Trae Elson (70 tackles, 14 PBU, 4 INT) and Mike Hilton (70 tackles, 13 PBU, 12.5 TFL, 2 INT) are gone, as is middle linebacker C.J. Johnson (43 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 INT).

Key returners

Unlike most teams across the SEC, Ole Miss has the advantage of returning its starting quarterback.

Chad Kelly was a second-team all-SEC selection last season after completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,042 yards, 31 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also ran for 500 yards and 10 touchdowns.

While most of Ole Miss’ 2013 signing class is no longer on campus, there are still pieces of it left.

Despite being only a three-star prospect in that class, Evan Engram (38 rec., 464 yds., 2 TD) has evolved into one of the top tight ends in the country.

A few other members of that class who are expected to contribute in 2016 include wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo (38 rec., 604 yds., 7 TD), safety Tony Connor (17 tackles, 4 TFL) and running back Jordan Wilkins (72 car., 379 yds., 4 TD).

Adeboyejo and Wilkins are the top returning players at their position, while Connor played in only five games thanks to a torn meniscus.

The receiving corps will also be aided by the return of Damore’ea Stringfellow, who caught 36 passes for 503 yards and five touchdowns last season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rebels’ leading tackler, DeMarquis Gates (76 tackles, 2 forced fumbles), will be back at linebacker.

The secondary will be led by cornerbacks Tony Bridges (36 tackles, 9 PBU, 3 INT) and Ken Webster (41 tackles, 11 PBU, 1 INT), while Marquis Haynes (43 tackles, 16.5 TFL, 10 sacks, 8 QBH, 3 forced fumbles) will be a force up front.

Athlon Sports tabbed Engram and Kelly as preseason first-team all-SEC selections, while Connor, Haynes and Stringfellow landed on the second team and offensive lineman Javon Patterson and kicker Gary Wunderlich landed on the third team.

Notable additions

It may not be as top heavy as the 2013 class was, but Ole Miss’ 2016 class had the same ranking, at No. 7 in the country, according to Rivals.

A pair of five-star prospects headlines the class: offensive lineman Greg Little and quarterback Shea Patterson.

While Patterson probably won’t play much because of Kelly, Little will most likely be expected to replace Tunsil at left tackle.

Early enrollees Benito Jones and Myles Hartsfield could receive a lot of playing time in 2016 at defensive end and safety, respectively.

Ole Miss will also benefit from a graduate transfer, as linebacker Rommel Mageo joined the team after leading Oregon State with 87 tackles last season.

Coaching staff

Hugh Freeze enters his fifth season at Ole Miss with a 34-18 record. His win total with the Rebels has increased by one each season.

Including his one season at Arkansas State and two seasons at NAIA Lambuth, Freeze sports a 64-25 overall record. His career was accelerated by coaching Michael Oher at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, which is depicted in the book and movie The Blind Side.

The Rebels have co-coordinators on offense and defense. Co-offensive coordinators Matt Luke and Dan Werner have been at Ole Miss during Freeze’s entire tenure, as has co-defensive coordinator Dave Wommack. Co-defensive coordinator Jason Jones joined the Rebels staff a year later, so he is entering his fourth season.

Luke spent his previous four seasons as Duke’s offensive coordinator, while Werner has been an assistant at many programs, most notably serving as the quarterbacks coach at Miami when the Hurricane won the 2001 national championship.

Wommack followed Freeze to Ole Miss from Arkansas State, where he was Freeze’s defensive coordinator in 2011, while Jones joined the Rebels’ staff after five seasons as a defensive backs coach at Oklahoma State.

Series history

Arkansas and Ole Miss have a rich history, with their first matchup coming in 1908 – a 33-0 win by the Razorbacks. They have played at least once in every decade since and Arkansas leads the series 34-27-1.

The Razorbacks and Rebels will meet for the 36th consecutive season this year. During that stretch, Arkansas holds a 21-13-1 edge, including a 14-10 edge since they became SEC foes.

The series has also had its fair share of memorable moments, mostly ending with wins for Arkansas: the “25 little pigs” 6-0 win in 1954, the seven-overtime 58-56 win in 2001 and the “swine intervention” 53-52 overtime in last season.

Arkansas ties

Ole Miss’ roster does not feature any Arkansans, but Arkansas’ roster includes two players from Mississippi: offensive lineman Deion Malone (South Panola High/Northwest Mississippi C.C.) and tight end Grayson Gunter (Madison Central High).

Malone played with Ole Miss safety Tony Conner, linebacker Temario Strong and defensive tackle Issac Gross at South Panola High in Batesville, Miss., and linebacker Terry Caldwell at Northwest Mississippi C.C.

Arkansas punter Toby Baker and Ole Miss kicker/punter Gary Wunderlich were teammates at Memphis University School in 2010 and 2011. Baker was the team’s quarterback and punter, while Wunderlich was the team’s kicker.

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack was an assistant coach at Arkansas for four seasons, serving as the Razorbacks’ defensive backs coach in 2001 and defensive coordinator from 2002-2004.

Thoughts from a beat writer

To get an even better idea of what Ole Miss will look like in 2016, WholeHogSports reached out Parrish Alford, who covers the Rebels for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. We asked him several questions about Ole Miss. Here are his responses:

WHS: What would you consider reasonable expectations for Ole Miss in 2016?

PA: It's reasonable to expect Ole Miss to contend in the West, as reasonable as could be in Alabama's division. This is reasonable because Ole Miss returns the best quarterback in the league. They have question marks, as everyone does, but there's a good deal of talent returning at other important positions.

WHS: How will the Rebels fill the holes created by the loss of a trio of first-round draft picks?

PA: Tunsil is the biggest loss. Treadwell is a once-in-a-generation type receiver, but the Rebels have recruited very well at that position. The difference Tunsil made in last year's team is incredible. They were pretty good at 5-2 but were inconsistent without him. With him they went 6-1 and scored 52 points in the only game they lost. Hard to blame that on offense. Arkansas fans may remember that game. The Rebels have signed some OL recruits who will become good players but have not signed the level of talent on the OL that they have at receiver. However, they did sign five-star tackle Greg Little, and it's quite possible he could start in place of Tunsil. Nkemdiche is an enormous talent and will be missed for the attention he attracted from opposing linemen and defensive coordinators, but the fact remains he didn't produce big plays commensurate with his physical ability. As at receiver, the Rebels have recruited well along the DL and should be strong there.

WHS: Based on what you saw last year and this spring, what does Chad Kelly need to do to take that next step to become an All-American type quarterback?

PA: Chad Kelly was an All-American type quarterback at the end of last season. Part of that has to do with the All-American tackle that was inserted to his left. More, I believe, had to do with Kelly's growth at the position. He had trouble with interceptions the first half of the season, not so much the second. If he plays two halves this season like he played the first, he'll make some All-America teams, especially since he goes into the season as a known commodity.

WHS: Defensively, which player(s) will Ole Miss lean heavily on this season?

PA: Tony Conner's return at nickel is huge. He was a projected first-rounder before his torn meniscus against Alabama that basically ended his season. Defensive ends Marquise Haynes and Fadol Brown are active and experienced. Outside linebacker DeMarquis Gates covers ground and makes plays. Corners Kendarius Webster and Tony Bridges are back but were average last year. The Rebels like the talent they have in the secondary but will be breaking in two new starters at the safety spots.

WHS: Ole Miss was a whacky 4th-and-25 play against Arkansas from being in the SEC Championship game last year. How do you think the Rebels will fair against Arkansas this year? Is there a revenge factor?

PA: I don't think it's possible to get closer to the SEC championship game yet not get there than Ole Miss did last year. The Rebels are certainly aware of their shortcomings against Arkansas not just last year but the last two years. Opinions vary, but I don't think that matters that much after the kickoff.