Ole Miss Rebels Make Case For Playoff Football With Huge Take Down Of No. 3 Georgia, Goalposts
OXFORD, Ms. - Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium included a sea of smoke, a premature celebration, a mass of humanity, two goalposts that left the stadium and a statement made by the Ole Miss Rebels in a massive victory over No. 3 Georgia.
Don’t be fooled by the 28-10 final score. This was a curb-stomping. A butt-kicking. An announcement to the college football world that the Rebs aren’t dead yet, and have their sights set on a berth in the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff.
That seemed like a pipe dream less than a month ago when a promising four-game winning streak to open the season came to a screeching halt after losing two of three games heading into the first bye week. We have never been in the 12-team playoff era, so we don’t know for sure what this game means for the postseason. It’s fair to say, though, that it was likely a do-or-die game for coach Lane Kiffin’s Rebels. A three-loss SEC team would have a hard time making a compelling case considering how the landscape of the season has developed, especially when, in Ole Miss’ case, one of those losses was at home to Kentucky.
They knew it.
OXFORD, Ms. - Jaxson Dart of the Mississippi Rebels hands off to Ulysses Bentley IV during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 9, 2024. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Quarterback Jaxson Dart left after the first series with an ankle injury that he suffered on the second play of the game. He came back after missing one series and, like Freddie Freeman and Kirk Gibson hobbling around the diamond after home runs, found a way to fight through it. Not only did he throw for 199 yards and a touchdown, he led the Rebels in rushing with 50 yards.
"It didn’t look good to me. I didn’t know if he was coming back. I thought he was done."
He wasn’t done.
The Ole Miss defense wasn’t done either.
Complementary football wins championships, and the Rebel defense was par for the course on Saturday. In years past, that might be considered an insult. This year, though, it’s a massive compliment. The Rebels had five sacks, nine tackles for loss and made life miserable for former Heisman Trophy candidate and star Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. That defense was the catalyst to a 28-3 run to end the game.
I guess that’s fitting considering the Rebels were playing a team from the Peach State.
This is the first year of division-less football in the SEC, and the conference office better read, re-read and quadruple check the verbiage in the new tiebreaker scenario. Ole Miss’ head-to-head win over Georgia after it dropped the Bulldogs into two-loss territory could make things very interesting.
Even if Ole Miss doesn’t make it to Atlanta for the first time ever, potential wins over Florida and Mississippi State to close out the season with a 10-2 record would almost certainly be enough to punch a ticket to the playoffs. If that happens, maybe another home game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium could end with this scene.
As Jaxson Dart ended his press conference, he had one final thing to say before leaving the room.
"What did Tim Elko say? Don't let the Rebs get hot?"