Georgia’s defense has become the headline act, and Chris Cole is the name driving that conversation.
The Bulldogs opened the season with an offense that spent time near the top of the NCAA in total points per game, but the defense has since forced its way into the spotlight. That unit made its presence felt against Florida by keeping the Gators off the board until late in the fourth quarter, even after Aaron Murray said at the start of the season that Florida’s offense could be one of the best in the SEC.
At the center of it all is Cole, Georgia’s star linebacker and one of the most disruptive defenders in the country. He has 49 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and two scoop-and-score touchdowns this season. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, the athletic linebacker has turned heads all year, and Saturday’s matchup with Ole Miss could be the stage where he locks down the Butkus Award.
Cole has already delivered his biggest performances when the lights are brightest. Against Oklahoma earlier this season, he posted two fumble recoveries, a touchdown and eight total tackles. Over Georgia’s last three games against Alabama, Auburn and Florida, he has piled up 27 tackles and a touchdown, with 19 of those tackles coming solo.
That kind of stretch is why this game matters so much. If Cole keeps rolling against Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss on Saturday, he could secure the Butkus Award for 2026 and become the fourth linebacker to do it during Kirby Smart’s 11-year run at Georgia.
The Bulldogs have also seen what Cole can do against the Rebels before. In each of Georgia’s last two meetings with Ole Miss, he finished among the team’s top three tacklers. This trip to Vaught Hemingway Stadium could demand even more from him, especially with Heisman hopeful running back Kewan Lacy out.
Cole’s rise has been just as striking off the field as it has been on it. At the start of the season, he was barely on draft boards as a potential first-rounder and was even viewed by some as a second-round prospect. Now, nearly every mock draft has him in the top 15 and pegged as the top linebacker in the class.
Known as “The Tarantula,” Cole has become a fixture of this Georgia defense. Without his impact, it’s hard to say what this team would have looked like heading into November.
In Other News...
Georgia Fans Got An Ugly Glimpse Of The Oxford Atmosphere
Georgias trip to Oxford brought the usual SEC road-game heat, but the atmosphere turned uglier after a pass interference call went against Ole Miss. Fans in the stands responded by throwing trash and bottles onto the field, forcing a pause in the game while stadium officials and officers worked to calm things down and get the crowd to stop.
For Georgia supporters, it was a jarring look at just how volatile that environment can get when the tension spikes. The incident quickly spread across social media, where fans and observers weighed in on the scene and the broader behavior in the stadium, adding another layer to a rivalry setting that already carried plenty of edge. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Wont Like What The SEC Just Did To Sanford Stadium
Georgias trip to Ole Miss ended in a 42-7 rout, and now the Bulldogs are headed back to Sanford Stadium for a home date with Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 14. The matchup is set for 3:30 p.m. EST, with ABC carrying the broadcast and streaming available through the ESPN app and Fubo TV.
The timing and setup only add to the intrigue for Georgia fans, who will see their team return home as a sizable favorite. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Bulldogs laying 13.5 points, a number that reflects both the recent blowout in Oxford and the expectation that Georgia should be in control again in Athens. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Defense Turned Ole Miss One-Dimensional From The Opening Series
From the opening series, Georgias defense made Ole Miss look like a team trying to solve a problem with one hand tied behind its back. The Bulldogs were disruptive from the start, piling up pressure on Trinidad Chambliss, forcing him off his spot and repeatedly knocking the Rebels behind the chains with sacks and tackles for loss on the way to a 42-7 win.
Kewan Lacys absence only sharpened the imbalance, leaving Ole Miss without its injured tailback and putting even more on Chambliss to carry the offense. Georgia never gave him much room to settle in, and the Rebels spent most of the afternoon chasing the game rather than threatening to change it. [Read more 🡒]