In the first half of Ole Miss’s Week 11 game against No. 3 Georgia, it was announced inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and on ABC that the stadium’s attendance record was broken. A record 68,126 fans packed the stands on a rainy day in Oxford to watch the No. 16 Rebels jump out to a 16-7 lead over the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss’s 12-team College Football Playoff life is on the line in Week 11 at 7-2. A third loss would all but eliminate Lane Kiffin’s team from a chance to play for a national title in the expanded CFP. A win would vaunt Ole Miss back into the playoff picture and toward the top of the SEC. That could make this the biggest home game of the Kiffin era so far and despite the poor conditions, the fans were up to it.
Ole Miss came into this matchup star wide receiver Tre Harris dealing with an injury and without starting running back Henry Parrish Jr. and on its first drive of the game, starting quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a leg injury while throwing an interception that set up Georgia’s first score. He limped to the sidelines and struggled to put weight on his leg.
Backup QB Austin Simmons led the Rebels on a touchdown drive, Dart returned and the Rebels score 16 unanswered before halftime. Most of the 68,000 fans braving the elements for this one will be hoping that Dart and Kiffin can hang on for a program-defining SEC victory over one of the best teams in the country.