Ole Miss came into Athens, Ga., with aspirations of an upset and a chance at the college football playoffs. Instead, the Rebels left with a 17-52 loss, an injured Jaxson Dart and shattered playoff hopes. Regardless, there are still some key takeaways to glean from the ugliest loss of Ole Miss’ season.
The Defense got Exposed
There has been much talk during the year of the Rebels’ steady improvement on the defensive side of the ball. The unit has shown flashes of brilliance and cohesion, making key plays on several different occasions. That progress seemed to be all but undone in the matchup against the Bulldogs.
The defense allowed over 50 points, 600 yards and only forced one somewhat lucky turnover — by far the worst performance from the unit in recent memory. Because of its lackluster showing, the defense forced the Rebel offense to try and keep up with the Bulldogs’ unrelenting offensive attack.
Pitting the Ole Miss offense against such a talented defensive front from Georgia and expecting them to match what the Bulldogs’ offense musters up is never a recipe for victory, especially when the Rebel Defense performs as poorly as it did versus Georgia. If the Rebels ever want to prove they can hang with the top teams in the SEC, they cannot allow the score to run up as much as it did in this game.
Sometimes you have to cut your losses
The score was 14-38, with little time remaining in the third quarter. Jaxson Dart made a heroic effort to extend the play and create a spark for the Ole Miss offense, colliding with two Georgia defenders on a scramble attempt. After he went down, he stayed there for a while, having to be helped into the medical tent several minutes later.
The heart and passion that Dart brings to the Rebel football team is what makes him such a beloved figure in Oxford. He gives his all, even in the tail end of a blowout loss in the biggest game of the season. However, on this occasion he would have been better off sliding out of bounds and fighting to live another day.
While he deserves absolutely no blame for his injury, Ole Miss fans can only hope throughout the coming days that he is fit to play the rest of the season, as the Egg Bowl and other bowl games lie just around the corner. No matter what, he is the most important person to this team on any given Saturday in Oxford.
The Rebels are not quite ready to contend
This was the game. After a season full of defying expectations, Ole Miss looked poised to prove to the world that they were ready to be among the top contenders in college football. This game pumped the brakes on that narrative, but only for now.
The amazing progress the Rebels have made this season cannot go unnoticed. This year’s team remains truly special, as they fight through adversity and show grit and determination to win. It is a stark contrast to teams of the past.
However, today showed that while Ole Miss Football has made incredible strides as a program, it still has a bit more to go before it can fight for a spot in the college football playoffs. Rebel fans can hold their heads high knowing that even though this year did not turn out perfectly, the sky is the limit for the future of this team.
