Here’s how No. 16 Ole Miss has its biggest win of the Lane Kiffin era and boosts its College Football Playoff hopes: We beat number 3 Georgia 28-10 on Saturday.

Georgia’s comeback hopes were snuffed out with 7:22 remaining when Carson Beck was intercepted on fourth down. The Bulldogs took fourth-and-10 at the Ole Miss 27-yard line, but Beck’s pass was intercepted before John Saunders Jr. intercepted it and wisely slid downfield as Georgia players approached him.

The Ole Miss offense then sealed the game despite Jaxson Dart stepping up. Playing most of the game with a left ankle injury. Dart broke the ball on a 28-yard run and the Rebels put the game away, trailing Georgia by 15 with 3:22 left in the game, going out of timeout.

It was the first home victory in Ole Miss history against a team ranked in the top two in the AP Top 25 and the first time Georgia (7-2, 5-2 SEC) lost to an SEC team other than Alabama since the defeat. To Florida in 2020.

Ole Miss fans were so excited about the win that they stormed the field a little early. With 16 seconds left, students and fans filled the field because the Bulldogs still had the ball. The end of the match had to be postponed to remove fans from the field before the final game.

Finally, fans got the chance to celebrate on the field.

Ole Miss defense superior

The Rebels (8-2, 4-2) were embarrassed in Athens in 2023. A season ago, Georgia totaled more than 600 yards rushing and rushed for 300 yards in a 52-17 win over seven-ranked Ole Miss. That’s lower than the Bulldogs, who sit at No. 9 in the CFP rankings.

This game was an offseason focus for Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin made a point of strengthening the defensive line through the transfer portal, adding players like Florida’s Princely Umanmielen and Texas A&M’s Walter Nolen.

The improvement in the offseason was clearly evident. The Rebels entered the game leading the SEC and added five more to their tally on Saturday. The pass rush was constantly getting in Beck’s face – especially on the left side of the Georgia line – and the Bulldogs couldn’t get anything going down the field either.

Less than a year ago, Georgia was averaging nearly 10 yards per game in this matchup. On Saturday, the Bulldogs rushed 33 times for 59 yards after sacks were taken into account.

Jaxson Dart’s return

The game couldn’t have started any worse for Ole Miss. On the second play of the game, Dart was ejected due to his left foot turning outward during the tackle. On third down, Dart had a defender in his face and did not step on a throw that went straight into the arms of Georgia’s Dan Jackson after Dart’s arm was hit.

Georgia quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead as the senior QB limped off the field and into the locker room.

Freshman Austin Simmons replaced Dart on the second drive of the game and led Ole Miss to a TD. However, Dart returned from the locker room and played the rest of the game.

He also played well, although he was clearly limited. Dart became Ole Miss’ leading rusher, completing 13-of-22 passes for 199 yards and a TD to Juice Wells.

How good is Georgia’s offense?

A superficial look at Georgia’s offensive statistics will show an offense that is not bad by any means. The Bulldogs are still averaging over six yards per play this season, and their quarterbacks have completed two-thirds of their passes.

But Georgia’s offense has struggled against the SEC’s top teams, save for an explosive second half against Alabama. And especially there is a trend towards turnover.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over four times against the Crimson Tide and forced three turnovers against Texas. The Bulldogs flipped three times again on Saturday, as Beck fumbled while making that interception and running back Nate Frazier also fumbled.

Beck fell short of a Heisman candidacy in the preseason, and it’s clear that Georgia’s offense could use an explosive playmaker or two. There’s no Ladd McConkey, Brock Bowers or George Pickens to catch passes, and Frazier and Trevor Etienne haven’t replicated the combative ground game we’ve seen from the Bulldogs in recent seasons.

But the playoffs are still in the Bulldogs’ sights if Georgia rebounds with a win over No. 7 Tennessee in Week 12.