Ole Miss Linebacker Duo Credits Team Standards, Preparation and Communication for Defensive Success
OXFORD, Miss. – Following a victory that will be remembered as a defining moment in the Lane Kiffin era at Ole Miss, linebackers Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul Jr. and TJ Dottery discussed the standard of the Rebel defense, their preparation and the communication that all help prepare them for the big moments.
“Coach (Pete) Golding lays out the standards for each and every week, and we just go out there and we dominate. That’s what I feel like we did (against Georgia). I feel like we played Ole Miss defense football.”
~ Paul Jr. on the Rebel defensive standard
Keep up the fight 😤@PoohPaul4 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/8t16gfGsM3
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 9, 2024
All season long, Rebel linebackers TJ Dottery and Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul Jr. have covered every inch of the field for Pete Golding and the Ole Miss defense. Manning the middle of the field, Paul Jr. has tallied a team-leading 72 tackles this year with Dottery not far behind in second place with 69 tackles in 2024.
On Saturday against Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs, the linebacker pair flew to the ball with intent, combining for 19 total tackles against a team that had not lost to anyone other than Alabama over the past two years. After the win, Dottery credited defensive success to the close bond within the defensive unit, saying it started the day Paul Jr. walked in the door.
“We just kept continuing to build our relationship on and off the field. And I think our relationship off the field is what makes us even better on the field. Just being able to talk about anything, man. So when I come to him, I can ask him questions, he can ask me questions, and I think that just makes us play better.”
~ Dottery on his relationship with Paul Jr.
Dottery and Paul Jr. joined one another at the podium, something you do not usually see at the standing podium in the Manning Center. With the pair playing side-by-side on the field in 2024, Dottery stressed the importance of their relationship with the senior transfer as they stood together.
“I say it a lot, man. I think Pooh makes me better. And I just love playing with him, the communication and then the tenacity he brings. Man, I have no choice but to match it.”
~ Dottery on his relationship with Paul Jr.
Although the Rebel linebacker pair leads the team in tackles, the defensive front for Ole Miss continues to put on a show on a week-by-week basis, as well. The Rebel defense has tallied 47 sacks thus far which leads the country, adding five of those on Saturday when getting after Bulldog quarterback Carson Beck.
Too many stats to list for the Defense 🦈#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/hLJhlJBc7o
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 11, 2024
Dottery talked about what it’s like to play behind the fierce Rebel front.
“I saw a quote from (defensive lineman) Princely (Umanmielen) about him saying we don’t have any backups on the D line. And that’s true, man. Once one guy goes out for a break, the next guy goes and he could be a starter, too. So it’s just amazing to keep seeing every guy that comes in be able to be efficient and really play and stand out.”
~ Dottery on playing behind the Ole Miss D-Line
The Rebel defense did not just stop the Georgia offense, they held them to 10 total points, forcing three turnovers while making it a point to poke the ball free and shutting the Bulldogs down for a large portion of the game. Ole Miss held Georgia to just 245 yards of total offense, the lowest yardage total for the Bulldogs in a single game since 2017.
Dottery said that had always been in the game plan for the Rebels. Although not recovering all of them, the Ole Miss defense forced four fumbles on the night.
“The coaches harp on it a lot about turnovers. And even with their (Georgia’s) last games, with their losses, they were negative in the turnover margin. So they harped on that a lot about just being able to get takeaways. And as far as sacks and TFLs, I think everybody comes out and we’ve got a mentality where everybody does their job and everybody’s play is going to come. So that’s how everybody eats.”
~ Dottery on the Rebel turnover margin
A very different-looking Ole Miss defense tallied 35 sacks just a year ago in 2023, which seemed impressive at the time. However, the pressure to recruit at a high level came from Rebel head coach Lane Kiffin so Ole Miss went to work assembling this year’s team.
Bringing in multiple premier defensive transfers with Power Conference experience, the Rebels surpassed last year’s sack total a few weeks ago. Now with two regular season games left and a potential playoff berth, the Ole Miss front could possibly double the 2023 total.
After the win, Paul Jr. discussed what it meant to him to be one of the top transfers that Kiffin and Golding were relying on when entering the 2024 season.
“Oh, it means a lot to me, especially with him having that much faith in me, with me being a new transfer and things like that. Guys like TJ (Dottery), Jared Ivey, just guys like that, taking me up under their wing and just welcoming me with open arms. It means a lot. Like TJ said, we have that bond to where we can just talk each and every day about or not about football. You know, it’s all we talk about, life things as well man. So I feel like with us creating that bond, it just it just put us in places to where we can make those big plays, especially with those transfers that all came in with me. So, I’m excited to keep going to war with these guys. I can’t thank them enough.”
~ Paul Jr. on being an impact transfer
The Rebels were a two-point underdog heading into Saturday’s matchup according to the Vegas odds. Against Alabama and Georgia, Ole Miss was winless in the Kiffin era — until Saturday.
With the recruiting efforts of the Rebel coaching staff, the playing field felt leveled this time around when the Bulldogs took the field against Ole Miss. Paul Jr. credited the win to the standard set in place when the “Last Dance” season was just beginning.
“I believe that’s just the way that we prepare for teams. Like, like you said, no-name opponents, man. We just go out there and we play Ole Miss standard of football. So I feel like, yes, the intensity was a little bit higher… just because of the team, you know, Georgia’s a great team. They have a great offense. You know they ran the ball pretty hard…as well as they have a defense out there that runs around the field. So you know, just keying in on the small details and just harping on communication and things like that really set us apart…”
~ Paul Jr. on setting a standard
The win over the Bulldogs ultimately marks the most significant victory in the Kiffin era at Ole Miss. On Sunday during his media availability, Kiffin said the coming 48 after the game could be the biggest recruiting period in program history.
Dottery claimed a win such as this one means a lot; a win that can completely change the trajectory of a program.
“Speaking for myself and a lot of the guys who are on the team, I think these are the games that we came here for, honestly. And, just being able to show up in these moments is huge, man. And it’s just another opportunity. And we just take advantage of every opportunity.”
~ Dottery on beating UGA
Once again, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium set a new record capacity with 68,126 fans filling the seats to witness the biggest Rebel win of the decade. The energy in the air was unmatched and Paul Jr. had nothing but love for Rebel Nation who stuck it out through a day’s worth of rain.
“With that crowd behind us, man, it’s just bringing that adrenaline rush that’s unmatched, man. Just seeing those guys out there, just really supporting us even throughout the rain, they pulled up and made a new attendance record. So that really just tells you how much support that we really have behind us. We’re very thankful as a team. I speak for everybody when I say that, and I really mean that from the bottom of my heart. We really, really thank you all for your support and everything that y’all do. And we try to thank y’all by the way we play on Saturdays.”
~ Paul Jr. on the Vaught atmosphere
Thank you to our record crowd of 68,126! 🏟 pic.twitter.com/vcIZS814Ge
— Ole Miss Athletics (@OleMissSports) November 9, 2024
The rowdy Rebel crowd played a huge part in the Ole Miss victory over the Bulldogs, erupting anytime the Rebel defense swarmed to the ball to make a play. Paul Jr. stated the crowd energy gets the Landshark defense going, like fuel for the fire.
“We put in a lot of work this off-season to showcase to the fans what we were, what we’ve been working on, man. So to see them out there with their support behind us and just raising chaos out there, It was nice. It really brought energy to us as a defense and offense as well. You know once they got on their feet, man, the adrenaline started to rush and we just kind of go out there and make those big-time plays. So we can’t thank them enough for their support. We can’t thank them enough.”
~ Paul Jr. on the feeding off of the Vaught crowd
Rebel fans stormed the field twice on Saturday, the first time being 16 seconds too soon which forced the SEC officiating crew to stop play until the fans made their way off of the playing field. When the clock finally hit triple zeros, a sea of Ole Miss fans overtook the field as many Rebel players celebrated with them, including Paul Jr.
“I’m going to be honest with you. I remember I was talking to TJ, and we were going to get a picture in the middle of the field. I turned around and I got grabbed by, like, five people, and then they pulled me to the sideline and everybody just started surrounding me, so I really don’t know where I was to be exact, but I know I was out there celebrating with the fans, which I wanted to do.”
~ Paul Jr. on the fans rushing the field
LET THE PARTY BEGIN. pic.twitter.com/9n92ZmP9Rm
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 10, 2024
Up Next
After a bye week this week, Ole Miss prepares to head to Gainesville for a November 23 game vs. the Florida Gators for the final regular-season road game of 202. Kickoff is set for 11 am CT.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
