Ole Miss' defense as a whole has struggled during the consecutive losses that dropped it out of SEC West contention, but the run defense in particular has been glaringly deficient. LSU averaged 9.3 yards per carry while piling up 316 yards in Baton Rouge. A week before, an Arkansas ground game that had been bad all season averaged a healthy 4.3 while running for 209. Ole Miss ranked top-20 against the run last season but has dropped to 58th in rushing S&P+ in 2016.
The challenges for this group continue on Saturday against an Auburn offense that leads the SEC in rushing yards per game and ranks 18th in the country in rushing efficiency.