Why Ole Miss' Secondary Has a Stiff Test This Week Against Georgia Southern

The Ole Miss Rebels will need to be firing on all cylinders in the back half of their defense against Georgia Southern on Saturday.

Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Trey Amos (9) and defensive back Jadon Canady (28) react after a pass break up during the first half against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

If there is one needed area of improvement you could single out on this Ole Miss Rebels team, it's the secondary.

The No. 5 Rebels (3-0) have not played poor defense. In fact, they've been graded as the top unit in the country through three weeks of the season, but the eye test tells you that there are a few things in the defensive backfield that could be shored up before conference play begins next week.

Ole Miss has allowed 661 passing yards through three games this season. That's not awful, but the average of 220.3 YPG through the air has the Rebel secondary ranked 82nd among 133 FBS schools in pass defense so far.

If defensive coordinator Pete Golding's secondary wants an opportunity to put that narrative to bed, they have one this week.

Georgia Southern comes to Oxford on Saturday for a game that marks a reunion for former coworkers Lane Kiffin and Clay Helton. Kiffin (the head coach at USC from 2010-13) hired Helton to be his quarterbacks coach in Los Angeles, so the dueling head coaches are both strong offensive minds.

The Eagles bring quarterback JC French into the contest this weekend, and he has been the definition of efficient through three weeks of the season. French has thrown for 776 yards and six touchdowns at a completion rate of 61.82 percent along with no interceptions. He's also distributed the ball evenly as 12 different Georgia Southern players have recorded at least one reception thus far.

The most prominent targets for French in the passing game have been Dalen Cobb (175 yards) and Derwin Burgess Jr. (172 yards), and Burgess is averaging 17.2 yards per reception on 10 catches.

This is a game that Ole Miss should win as it's favored by about five touchdowns in Vegas, but Georgia Southern has enough weapons to break some plays against the Rebels on Saturday night.

Ole Miss has a chance to right the ship some in its secondary as a result, and it couldn't come at a better time. SEC play starts next week when Kentucky comes to town, and sloppy play in the back end could prove costly within the league.

That being said, I think this secondary has been just that: sloppy, especially last week in the penalty department. I don't think this is a bad unit, but it can certainly play tighter football, and it has an opportunity to prove that this weekend.