OXFORD– The No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels came away with the biggest win of coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback Jaxson Dart’s careers on Saturday as they took down the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs 28-10 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, but it was not the offense that brought home this historic victory.
Instead, it was the front seven.
The defense was led on Saturday by a dominant performance in the trenches behind the Rebels' linemen and linebackers. The Ole Miss defensive line came away with all of five of the team's sacks and six of the nine tackles for loss recorded.
Ole Miss came into this game knowing it would be a run-heavy game plan for the Bulldogs in a rainy environment, and the defense seemed to execute almost flawlessly. The Rebels held the Bulldogs' No. 1 and 2 backs to 71 yards on 18 carries, and they held everyone else to negative yardage, netting the total rushing yards at 59 for Georgia.
READ MORE: REBELS RISE: Ole Miss Football Upsets Georgia, Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive
The Rebels had multiple guys in the trenches that recorded big games, including Princely Umanmielen and Jared Ivey who recorded two sacks apiece and Suntarine Perkins who added one.
The defensive line was not alone as the linebackers joined the party as well, especially TJ Dottery and Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. who led the team in tackles, combining for 19.
“I think Pooh makes me better,” Dottery said postgame. “The tenacity he brings, I have no choice but to match it.”
Part of this duo's "tenacity" was sparked by a record-setting crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night, one that provided a home field advantage for the Rebels in the much-needed win.
“With that crowd behind us, it just brings an adrenaline rush that’s unmatched,” Paul said. “I really mean it from the bottom of my heart; we really thank you for your support.”
With this win, the Rebels' chances of the reaching the College Football Playoff skyrocket. Ole Miss is off next week, but it will travel to Florida on Nov. 23 followed by a home date against Mississippi State. If the Rebels' front seven can show up in those games like it did on Saturday, a playoff ticket could be punched in Oxford.
John Macon Gillespie is the publisher of The Grove Report and has experience on the Ole Miss beat spanning five years.
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