On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Georgia Bulldogs rolled into Oxford to play the Ole Miss Rebels. Little did they know, the Rebs would shock the world and pull off a dominant win, beating them by 18 points. This loss was the first loss to a team that isn’t the Alabama Crimson Tide in over two athletic seasons. The victory came as a surprise to everyone in the college football scene except the Ole Miss team, student body and fans nationwide.
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (which has a capacity of 64,000) held 68,126 people for the game and many of them made their way onto the field one play early. According to new rules from the SEC, the school responsible for the field rush owes a fine to the conference and the team they played against. Many people took to social media joking about the possibility of an extra fine since Ole Miss students technically stormed the field twice.
And it happened.
The SEC considered there were two offenses in the same night so the university’s fine jumped up to $250,000 instead of the original $100,000 for a single offense. With the extra money that will be given to UGA Athletics, the Ole Miss Athletic program will have to shell out a total of $350,000 after that night.
However, that hasn’t phased the Rebels at all. With a bye week scheduled for Week 12 of the season, they are resting well with very confident hearts. Players and coaches alike seem to be reignited after taking down Georgia in a game they needed to win to have a shot at the 12-team CFB playoffs.
With that under his belt, Jaxson Dart became the winningest quarterback in school history. He threw for 199 yards, rushed for 50 and had a passing touchdown. Dart made a comment about their current momentum in a press conference after the game and said, “Absolutely we’re peaking and I think everyone sees that. I’m just proud of our guys and our coaching staff right now.”
Head Coach Lane Kiffin sat down with Paul Finebaum this past week to continue reflecting on the massive win and how Oxford has embraced him in his five seasons so far. “I needed Oxford a lot more than it needed me…It’s been really special and it’s been a really special place. I’m very appreciative of them for bringing us here and embracing us. It’s been awesome.”
Oxford, Miss., has the nickname “Velvet Ditch” from local residents and students that choose to study at the university. It was coined in the 1950s to describe the city and surrounding areas as places that are easy to fall in love with but incredibly hard to leave. As an Ole Miss alum, I have experienced that firsthand and know it to be a bona fide fact!
With all of that being said, the football program is more alive than they have been all season. Despite their two losses to LSU and Kentucky, they were able to roll back into the CFB Playoff rankings on Nov. 12 with the 11th seed. They currently sit ahead of Georgia and behind Alabama, who they will not play this season. Having an off week is a great thing for the team since they can watch their contenders shuffle around as they prepare to travel to Gainesville for Week 13.
Georgia had a tough home game for Week 12 as the Tennessee Volunteers came into Athens. The Dawgs found themselves in a must win situation as they now have two losses from the Crimson Tide and the Rebels. They managed to pull off the win and stay in the race.
The Rebs’ final home game of the season will be the Egg Bowl, the annual rivalry game against Mississippi State, on Black Friday this year instead of on Thanksgiving Day. It is very possible for the team to win out and be selected to play in the playoffs for what could be the first time in the modern CFB era.
A new slogan on campus, from former baseball player Tim Elko, is simple: “Don’t Let the Rebs Get Hot.” It seems that they are past getting hot; they are on fire and simmering to get to the postseason by any means necessary.
Edited by Breanna Ebisch