Auburn football: Ole Miss rushing attack could present early test for Tigers defense

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Jon Haynes #5 of the Mississippi Rebels (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Defending the pass was Ole Miss’ biggest struggle last season. The team ranked dead last in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game (278.3) and 13th in opponent completion percentage (66.4).

To make matters worse, two of the team’s top DBs, Myles Hartsfield and Jalen Julius, are now in the NFL. Additionally, Rising junior Deantre Prince, whose two interceptions were tied for the most on the team in 2019, has decided to transfer.

Senior strong safety Jon Haynes will arguably be the team’s best defensive back next season after a 2019 campaign that saw him record 55 tackles and an INT.

Jaylon Jones, another rising senior, will likely lead a group of inexperienced Ole Miss cornerbacks next season after he appeared in 10 games last season, making four starts.

Overall, there’s a reason why Auburn QB Bo Nix threw a season-high 44 passes and 340 yards in his game against the Rebels last season. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, I’m not too confident that this group will fare much better in 2020 and it’ll be up to Nix and the Tigers to exploit this weakness in week three.

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