Ole Miss football needs a measuring stick.

Despite crushing Furman 76-0 to start the season and beating Middle Tennessee 52-3, it is hard to tell how good the Rebels will play against an SEC-caliber opponent. Furman, after all, is an FCS team and MTSU required a last-second touchdown to beat FCS Tennessee Tech in its opener.

More clarity is on the way. Coach Lane Kiffin believes Ole Miss' road trip to Wake Forest (1-1) on Saturday (5:30 p.m., CW) will test the No. 5 Rebels (2-0).

There are other ways aside from games against low-level competition to evaluate how good Ole Miss is.

Advanced analytics rave about Ole Miss

Kiffin is keen on his players avoiding "rat poison." It's a phrase that originated with coach Nick Saban, Kiffin's former boss at Alabama, that translates to outside praise that could soften a team's work ethic and drive. Kiffin should hope none of the Rebels have a subscription to Pro Football Focus.

PFF's metrics have Ole Miss ranked as the top team in the nation, ahead of No. 19 Louisville, No. 24 Boston College and No. 3 Ohio State.

The Rebels' defense, which has been almost untouchable through two weeks, is the unit that has drawn the most praise from evaluators. Ole Miss received a 91.5 overall defensive grade out of 100, topping Boston College, Ohio State, No. 6 Missouri and No. 4 Alabama. Specifically, it's Ole Miss' rush defense that is propelling the Rebels to the top of the charts. Ole Miss has earned a 93.9 season rush defense grade which is the second best in the country.

What does that look like on a box score? Neither team Ole Miss has faced this season has rushed for more than 30 yards. Furman was held to 26 yards on 30 carries and Middle Tennesse mustered 28 yards on 25 attempts. Negative rushing yards from sacks bolster those numbers. Ole Miss' defense this season has five sacks this season for minus-27 yards. As for specific pass rushing analytics, PFF has Ole Miss' pass rush ranked as the nation's seventh best.

"I've feel like we've been doing a great job as far as stopping the run" senior defensive end Princely Umanmielen said. "We are only two games into the season. We've got just a little more stuff to clean up to be truly elite at every single phase of defense, but I think so far we've been doing pretty good."

Do advanced analytics favor running back Henry Parrish or Ulysses Bentley?

Kiffin had a simple explanation for why senior running back Henry Parrish, listed as a co-started with senior Ulysses Bentley going into the MTSU game, got 14 carries to Bentley's five against the Blue Raiders.

"We evaluate everything week to week," Kiffin said. "We have a very competitive practice field now. More than we've ever had here with depth and competition. Sometimes when a guy is hot they play more. Henry Parrish had been doing really well in practice so he had a really good game."

Parrish made the most of his 14 carries, racking up 165 yards and four touchdowns. PFF's analytics rank Parrish as Ole Miss' top running back this season. His grade of 80.0 is No. 4 in the nation.

Matt Jones and Rashad Amos, both listed as third-string running backs on the depth chart, have grades above Bentley. Jones (76.7), Amos (72.3) and Bentley (69.8) are all relatively close. Kiffin gave Jones 11 carries last week, citing his hot-hand strategy as his process for sorting out ballcarrier touches.

"Matt Jones had come off some great runs the week before (against Furman)," Kiffin said. "It's a good issue to have."

Who Ole Miss football's best players are according to advanced analytics

Senior receiver Tre Harris has been feasting this season, catching 17 of his 19 targets for 309 yards and two touchdowns. It's been enough to become PFF's No. 1 graded receiver in the country. He checks in with a 93.7.

According to PFF, Harris is the No. 1 receiver in the nation. He has gotten especially high marks when facing man coverage.

Predictably, senior quarterback Jaxson Dart's huge numbers have translated into a high PFF grade. Despite having been rested in the second half of both games, Dart leads the NCAA with 795 passing yards. He is coming off a record-breaking performance against MTSU where he completed his first 24 passes.

Dart is PFF's top-ranked quarterback through two games. Harris said he expected Dart to have a huge year.

"It honestly doesn't surprise me," Harris said. "With all the preparation and things that we've been doing throughout the offseason. That's not just with me, that's him with other guys. Constantly forming a good chemistry between the quarterback and the receivers."

Defensively, Ole Miss edge rushers Jared Ivey and Umanmielen have notched the highest individual defensive grades on the team. Ivey, the Peach Bowl Defensive MVP last year, has the No. 30 grade among all defensive players (89.9). Umanmielen, a transfer from Florida, is ranked No. 32 and has his highest grade in rush defense (80.1).

Umanmielen credited his early success in part to getting extra meetings in with analyst Lou Spanos and defensive coordinator Pete Golding, but said he wants to take his game up a notch against Wake Forest.

"I feel like playing fast with a lot of effort," Umanmielen said. "I want to show that I can play with the same effort throughout the entire game."

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why these mind-blowing stats suggest Ole Miss football is a powerhouse