Phil Longo isn't concerned about Ole Miss' running game. At what point would he be?

Mississippi Clarion Ledger

D'Vaughn Pennamon (28) rushed for 23 yards on five carries Saturday but Ole Miss finished with 53 rushing yards on 29 attempts against Cal.

OXFORD — Phil Longo didn't dismiss the question as much as he attempted to correct it.

Less than two minutes into his weekly Monday press conference, Longo was asked what Ole Miss' struggles with running the ball could be tied to.

“You say struggles in the run game, but I thought (when) you look at the rushing yardage, the sacks add in, we didn’t run the ball a lot but when we did, we converted our third and shorts ...," Longo said. "I thought the running backs ran hard. … I thought we took a step in the run game.

"If anything, we should have run the ball a little more at times. But that’s on me, not the kids.”

Longo hasn't been overly concerned about the Rebels' running game through three games. But in that span, Ole Miss ranks 126th (of 130 teams) nationally in yards per game (69.67), 123rd in total rushing yards (209) and 120th in yards per carry (2.75).

No Rebel has a run longer than 13 yards, either. So what would it take for Longo to be concerned with the running game?

“If efficiency wasn’t getting better in the run game it would concern me," he said. "It’s improved each week so I think we’re headed in the direction we want to.”

Against Cal, Ole Miss rushed for 53 yards on 29 carries. Shea Patterson was sacked five times, lost 47 rushing yards and finished with a net total of negative-8 yards, so that factors into the stats.

Running backs Jordan Wilkins and D'Vaughn Pennamon combined for 61 yards on 16 attempts, which comes out to 3.8 yards per attempt

Efficiency varies according to who you're talking to. Longo has his own view of it.

“We want four yards per carry. You always game plan so you can create some explosive runs. That’s really what we’re looking for," Longo said. "What fans or the media or anybody else think doesn’t weigh into our decision-making when we’re trying to go win a game on Saturday.”

Wilkins leads the team with 28 carries but averages 3.7 yards per rush. Pennamon averages 4.2 yards per carry but has just 14 attempts.

Of the three games they've played, Ole Miss' running backs have averaged four yards per carry once — against South Alabama, they averaged 4.1. Against UT-Martin, they averaged 3.4 yards per rush.

Matt Luke said he was disappointed with the run game after the loss to Cal Saturday night and thought the Rebels were going to run the ball better against the Golden Bears.

Luke, like Longo, said penalties disrupted Ole Miss' offensive rhythm for much of the night.

The outlook for the Rebels' running game looks pretty rough in coming weeks too. Ole Miss' next opponent, Alabama, ranks eighth nationally in rushing defense.

After the Crimson Tide, the Rebels face Auburn, which ranks 12th nationally against the run. Then they face Vanderbilt, which ranks 28th.

Contact Antonio Morales at 601-961-7117 or amorales2@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter.