Georgia's Kirby Smart Praises 'Combination' Of Ole Miss Football's Consistency

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart knows he's in for a challenge when he travels to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels this weekend.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is held back by another personnel during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football matchup Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators 34-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Who is the top threat that Georgia will face in 2024? According to Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart, Ole Miss is making a strong case.

One year after their debacle in Athens, the No. 16 Rebels are built for a rematch. Fresh off a 30-point road victory over Arkansas, Ole Miss is salivating for the opportunity to avenge its loss and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff conversation.

Smart knows this, too.

"The more you watch them, the more you respect them," Smart said during Wednesday's SEC teleconference with reporters. "They're probably, when you look at offense and defense, both sides of the ball, they're probably the best combination of those two things in our conference. They are really good at both and are playing really good football right now. We'll have a great challenge over in Oxford."

Smart's wise for calling out the balance of the Rebels. Outside a Week 5 loss against Kentucky, the offense has been near-unstoppable once in a rhythm.

Numbers back that up. Through nine games, Ole Miss leads the SEC in total offense (555.44 yards per game), points per game (42.11) and yards per play (7.71). Defensively, the Rebels remain one of the top units in red zone scoring (66.67 percent) and rushing yards allowed.

Oct 5, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive tackle Walter Nolen (2) recovers a fumble by South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Ole Miss' offense has remained a staple under Lane Kiffin for four years. Last season's 11-2 success was headlined by Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris, but the defense hindered its chances of making the playoff.

After a 52-17 beating at Sanford Stadium last season, the Rebels focused on upgrading their defense, both in the pass rush and secondary. Ole Miss secured commitments from defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen, linebacker Chris Paul Jr. and defensive back Trey Amos as headliners to a rebuilding unit.

Smart credited that to be the difference in preparation for Saturday's matchup at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

"They're really good, arguably the best defense in the country in terms of sacks and tackles for loss in the SEC. It's a product of back to their line of scrimmage play," Smart said of Ole Miss. They upgraded all the way across the board. Second year in the system [defensive coordinator] Pete Golding has, last year was the first year and he didn't have the personnel to play like he wanted to. He had to do it with smoke and mirrors. Now, he's got really good players. Players make schemes better.

"If anything, they've relied on their defense. [Defense] has kept them in games, and they almost won games for them. They can very easily be undefeated. They did what they went out to do for sure."

The Rebels will kick off at home at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, and Georgia enters as a 2.5-point favorite. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.