Key Ole Miss Defensive Players to Watch Against Georgia Football

The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels are known for their offensive attack but have some key defensive guys who could make this Saturday an issue.

After the College Football Playoff rankings committee released their new rankings for this week, the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs will see their first top-ten matchup this season. The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels come to town and are known for their explosive offense with multiple weapons they could use against Georgia. Aside from their explosive offense, the Rebels also have plenty of key defensive players to watch against the Bulldogs this weekend.

The main issue that could give Georgia's offense an issue this weekend is the entire pass rush unit from Ole Miss. The Rebels are coming into this game with a team total of 31 sacks, which ranks them fifth in the NCAA in this stat. Ole Miss has four defenders with over 3.5 sacks, but the main guys to watch would be Cedric Johnson (4.5 sacks), Jared Ivey (5.5), and Suntarine Perkins (3.5). These guys have been creating many issues for opposing teams on the pass rush, especially Perkins, Kiffin's highest-rated recruit in his tenure with Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have an excellent pass-protecting squad with only six sacks given up for the year, but Ole Miss could change that this Saturday to help out their zone coverage players. 

Brooks Austin's film study of Ole Miss mentioned that their secondary is primarily a zone coverage unit. The leader of this unit would be the Rebels' safety Trey Washington. Washing has forced three of the 14 turnovers the Ole Miss defense has this season, ranking them second in the SEC behind Auburn. Washington is also the team's leading tackler, with 59 tackles for the year. Though this is a positive note for Washington, this is also a positive note for Georgia's offense when looking at this. This shows that opposing offenses are able to break past the first and second levels of the Rebels' defense, meaning they may not be the best-tackling team. This is backed up in multiple games this season, like Alabama and Auburn. 

Ole Miss' best tackler comes in the form of linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk. He has played a vital role in the success of the 8-1 Ole Miss team this year, racking up 49 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and an interception he returned for 28 yards. He has been the more versatile linebacker for Pete Golding and his defense, playing him in zone coverages and blitzes. Golding has used some linebackers, like Perkins, in strictly blitz or run-based assignments, but that hasn't been the case with Cistrunk. He has had his two biggest games against Alabama and LSU this season, which are the two ranked opponents Ole Miss has faced this season. Cistrunk has shown up in the big moments this season and could do so again against Georgia. 

The Bulldogs' offense is the best it has been under the Kirby Smart regime, averaging about 40 points a game this far into the season; Ole Miss and Golding will have their hands full defensively. But a stout pass rush unit from the Rebels could make this game interesting for Georgia offensively. 

Other Georgia News:

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• Player Profile: How Can Oscar Delp Contribute to Georgia's Success?
• Reminder of What Georgia Has With Delp, Luckie, and Spurlin

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