HOOVER, Ala. -- Ole Miss’ offense is certainly capable of being prolific.

When coach Hugh Freeze pushes the tempo and goes spread with multiple-receiver sets, the Rebs can sprint up and down the field. One first down snowballs into another and pretty soon they’re hanging points on the scoreboard.

Laquon Treadwell has become one of the best receivers in the game. Evan Engram has developed into one of the best tight ends in the country. And Laremy Tunsil is widely expected to be the first offensive lineman off the board in next year’s NFL draft.

But three star players and scores of highlights don’t paint the entire picture. A closer look at the offense reveals a rather glaring blind spot: Ole Miss can’t run the ball well.

Defensive back Mike Hilton described the last few seasons as being a “average type of running team.” But he was being too kind. Ole Miss had the highest percentage of runs for zero or negative yards in the SEC last season (29.4 percent) to go with the second-fewest rushes for 10 yards or more (50).

Among SEC teams, the Rebs had the most drives without a first down (64), the second most three-and-outs (43) and the third fewest red zone touchdowns (23).

As the league goes more and more toward spread offenses, Ole Miss serves as a reminder that you have to be able to run the ball effectively to keep opposing defenses honest. If you can’t get positive yards on first down, you’re already done for.

“That was our No. 1 priority in the spring,” Freeze said at SEC media days in Hoover, Alabama, last week. “We had to get it fixed where we didn’t have so many negative runs.”

Freeze isn’t asking for the world, mind you. He’d like to see any progress.

“In this league, you’re going to have some 1- and 2-yarders, but that’s what we need,” he said. “We need dirty runs -- that’s what we’re calling them now -- and not the zeroes or minus-ones or minus-twos.”

At 5-foot-8 and 166 pounds, starting running back Jaylen Walton isn’t likely to be the short-yardage back to get those tough yards between the tackles. But 214-pound Jordan Wilkins and 222-pound Akeem Judd could fill that role, bringing what Freeze described as a “different dimension” to the running back corps.

If a power back can emerge and the offensive line can stay healthy, there’s a chance we’ll see a more balanced Ole Miss attack in 2015.

Maybe then we’ll see all that's good about the Rebs' offense help all that has been lacking.

“Our running backs are going to get a lot better after these couple of years being an average type of running team,” Hilton said. “I feel like with the weapons we have on the outside, it’s going to cause the defense to spread out and it’s going to open up our run game.”