Princely Umanmielen breaks down Ole Miss’ stellar defensive performance against Georgia
OXFORD, Miss. – When Ole Miss defeated the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday, 28-10, perhaps the main story of the game was the Rebel defense, which accounted for five sacks, nine tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and an interception.
Ole Miss defensive lineman Princely Umanmielen brought pressure all night long on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. In the game, he tallied six total pressures, two sacks, and had one sack taken away due to a facemask penalty on the Rebels. He finished with a 90.1 pass rush grade according to PFF.
Ole Miss EDGE Princely Umanmielen vs Georgia:
🔵 2.0 Sacks
🔵 6 QB Pressures
🔵 25% Win Rate
🔵 90.1 Pass Rush Grade@OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/Aqu7uwt8Qi— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 11, 2024
For his efforts, Umanmielen was named SEC Co-Defensive Linemen of the Week, joined by fellow teammate Jared Ivey.
The only Georgia touchdown occurred on the Bulldogs’ first drive of the game after Jaxson Dart threw an interception at the Ole Miss 21-yard line. The Bulldogs, with great field position, drove the ball into the red zone and eventually scored on fourth down. Even after allowing the touchdown, Umanmielen said the defense remained extremely confident.
Keep up the fight 😤@PoohPaul4 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/8t16gfGsM3
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 9, 2024
“I mean, we knew that we were put in a bad position, and we really almost stopped them. They got lucky on the fourth down. And we, like I said before, we love those types of moments. So after that, after we stopped them the first time, I told some of our guys, I was like, ‘they’re not going to score again. This game doesn’t even need to be close. I don’t think they’re on our level.’“
– Umanmielen on the Georgia touchdown
For the remainder of the game, Georgia’s offensive success came in the form of one field goal in the Bulldogs’ first drive of the third quarter to come within six points of the Rebs. From then on, Pete Golding’s unit forced two fumbles and an interception, completely taking the life out of quarterback Carson Beck and the Georgia playmakers. According to Umanmielen, seeing Georgia’s ability to respond in big games motivated the defense to keep the pedal to the metal.
“To be honest, I think we just — I like how you put it — you know what I’m saying? It got easier. But I think we knew that Georgia is a team that has been down more than we were up on them today. And we know that they’re a team that has come back from great adversity. They came back from losing games by a big margin and things like that. So we just knew as a defense and as a team that we had to keep our foot on their necks and not give them any room to breathe. And we did that.”
– Umanmielen on the second half defense
Defense dominated 🦈#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/4cYfgH5Jgo
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 10, 2024
Looking at the stat sheet, the Rebels, in fact, did not give the Dawgs any room to breathe. Kirby Smart’s squad averaged 1.8 rushing yards per carry, scored one touchdown, and totaled 245 yards of offense on the day. For Princely, who was on the 2020 Florida team that beat Georgia, he’s never seen anything like what unfolded in Vaught-Hemingway Saturday.
“Um, have I ever been a part of a win like that? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I think yeah, man, it was just great. Like, that’s why I came here to play big-time football, to play in big-time games and win games like this. And the feeling is just unreal.“
– Umanmielen on the huge win
(RELATED: Princely Umanmielen discusses his faith and its importance in his life.)
Looking ahead for the Rebs, Ole Miss will have a bye week and return to action in preparation for Umanmielen’s former school, Florida, on November 23. As always, be sure to stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for all of your Ole Miss sports needs.
