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The Ole Miss Rebels have a massive statement game this Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has been the savior of the Rebels in the past and has carried the team to victory.
However, Ole Miss can't just rely on Chambliss to save them against Georgia. Other players have to be better against the Bulldogs.
QBs can and will lead teams to victory with insane performances. Chambliss is the kind of QB who can do that, and he has in the past. Against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl last season, Chambliss had a performance that fans will frankly never forget.
It was the kind of performance that had fans in awe and Georgia fans just frustrated. However, Chambliss, like everybody else, is only human. The Rebels can't just ask Chambliss to save them every single game.
That is like the New England Patriots asking Tom Brady to just win every game and put the Patriots on his back. He did that sometimes, but he also had great defenses and, at times, great receivers to help him win the Super Bowls that he did. This game against Georgia is more than just Chambliss vs. the Bulldogs.
At least it has to be if the Rebels want to come away with a win by the end of the day. For the Rebels, Chambliss and the offense will be critical to success, no doubt. The bad offense in the first half against the Texas Longhorns helped contribute to a loss. But in both losses this season, there was a common factor.
And that factor, ladies and gentlemen, was none other than a terrible, no-good, ugly, befuddling defense. A good defense will be critical on Saturday.
The Bulldogs enter this game with the SEC's best offense, averaging 43 points per game behind quarterback Gunner Stockton and a strong running game. The Rebels' defense will be challenged to keep up; that's for sure.
After the loss against Texas, Pete Golding signaled that there were no major changes coming to the defense. To Golding, the struggles have been about discipline, communication, and tackling. As we all know, this team has plenty of talent to have an elite defensive unit.
The problem has been that the defense has played poorly in too many important games and situations over the past eight games. Good communication, better tackling, and just playing a more physical brand of football defensively are needed against the talented Bulldogs for a chance to win.
It is undeniable that Georgia, just like every other team, wants to establish the line of scrimmage and wants to win the time of possession. If Georgia can do that, kind of what Texas did in the first half, especially against the Rebels, then the Bulldogs will create some nice separation on the scoreboard.
In both losses, the defense was a major issue, leading to sequences in which the other team simply beat the Rebels into the ground. The defense doesn't need to play perfectly and look like a completely different kind of defense against Georgia.
But it would be nice for the Rebels to play in a game where the defense played so well that Chambliss didn't have much pressure to perform amazingly. The wins that are sometimes underappreciated are the 24-21 wins where a team's defense isn't highlighted, but it performed exceptionally well and was the main reason for the team's win.
Unfortunately, Chambliss won't always look like the greatest of all time. Sometimes, the defense needs to step up and perform well. Chambliss will still be important against Georgia, but the defense can't keep struggling in such big games.