Ole Miss Football: Is Rebels' Tenacious Defense Enough to Compete with Alabama?

Conversations about the elite defenses of the SEC have been traditionally reserved for Alabama, LSU and Auburn. 

But true to their name, the Ole Miss Rebels are going against the grain to start off the 2014 season and after two blowout wins against Vanderbilt and Boise State look like the league's best defense. 

Now, the Rebels have two tuneup games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Memphis before facing off against Alabama in a game that is becoming more and more significant. 

The Rebels have smothered the Broncos and Commodores in their first two contests, allowing just 16 total points. Against Vandy, the Rebels' secondary, which is composed of just one senior in free safety Cody Prewitt, held their opponent to just 60 yards through the air. 

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While Boise State quarterback Grant Hedrick tossed for 264 yards, four of his passes ended up in the hands of Rebel players. 

It's not just the secondary that is locking down and pinning their ears back in 2014 for Ole Miss. The Rebels have one of the best defensive lines in the nation, from sophomore Robert Nkemdiche to freshman Marquis Haynes, this unit is one of the scariest in all of football. 

The Tide is coming in, though, and ask anybody in the SEC and they'll tell you the road to an SEC title runs through Tuscaloosa. 

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So the question remains, can the Rebels' defense give Bo Wallace and Co. a chance at upending one of college football's greatest dynasties? 

Well, the answer can be found not only in how well Ole Miss' defense has performed up to this point but how unstable Alabama's offense is. 

On Saturday in the Tide's blowout over FAU, Alabama let both Blake Sims and Jake Coker see significant playing time, and both played well. 

But it was Florida Atlantic. 

Against West Virginia in Week 1, the Tide's offense looked stagnant at times against a defense that ranked 102nd in total defense a year ago, according to USA Today. And Ole Miss' defense, which ranked 44th in the same category in 2013 despite playing a heavy dose of underclassmen, is far superior to the Mountaineers. So whoever starts the game at quarterback for the Tide will be facing their toughest test of the season up to that point. 

Also, according to Kevin Scarbinsky of AL.com, the Tide are also considering using both Sims and Coker as the season goes on. There are certainly arguments to be made that both gunslingers are worthy of playing time. 

But as one of the oldest sayings in football goes: If you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any. 

There's a reason the 2013 recruiting class for the Rebels was ranked eighth in the country, per 247sports. Guys like Nkemdiche, safety Tony Conner and defensive tackle Lavon Hooks were all part of that elite class. 

Now with a full season under their belts, this defense is starting to emerge as one of the most youthful but also one of the most experienced and talented units in all of college football. Add two more games and the Rebels will be firing on all cylinders come October 4, when the Tide make their way to town for what is now becoming an early-season decider in the race for an SEC title.