There Is No Doubting Ole Miss' Landshark Defense After Win over Texas A&M

Lack of respect? 

No. 3 Ole Miss' defense certainly played like one that felt disrespected on Saturday night in a 35-20 win, as the Rebels defense—known as the "landsharks"—dominated the high-octane Texas A&M offense on the road at hostile Kyle Field.

What's that? Texas A&M gained 455 yards, and quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 401?

As NFL.com's Chase Goodbread notes, Hill's stats lie:

Ole Miss picked off Hill twice, including a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Cody Prewitt early in the second quarter that put the Rebels up 21-0.

Hill was sacked twice and constantly pressured by the fast and physical Rebels front seven, led by sophomore defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. Hill also fumbled on the first play of the fourth quarter, which Keith Lewis returned for a touchdown to make it 35-7.

Bob Levey/Associated Press

It was the Rebels' rush defense that really led the charge.

The Aggies managed just 54 rushing yards and a mind-boggling 1.5 yards per rush. Holes at the line of scrimmage were more myth than reality for running backs Tra Carson, Trey Williams and Brandon Williams.

“That was really important," Nkemdiche said in quotes emailed by Texas A&M. "To come out there with great intensity in a hostile environment, it was crazy. I couldn’t even hear at the beginning of the game. Defense was great. We came out and we didn’t let them get anything. Going into halftime 21-0 was really big for us."

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin credited the Rebels for forcing the Aggies to be one-dimensional by shutting down the ground game, according to Mike McCoy of ABC 40 in College Station.

There's no doubt that this defense is not only a championship-caliber one, it's also the best in the nation. Throw the statistics out the window; this defense changes games. 

This team has a disruptive interior lineman in Nkemdiche, an ultra-athletic linebacking corps and a secondary—led by Prewitt—that is great in coverage and against the run. 

Ole Miss' defense is the most complete in the nation, and whether the "good Bo" or "bad Bo" version of quarterback Bo Wallace shows up, the defense is going to not only keep the Rebels in games, but could also determine the outcome.

It's rare that a defense can do that.

The Rebels still have several challenges in front of them, including home tilts vs. the potent offenses of Auburn and Mississippi State. At this point, is there any reason to doubt Ole Miss?

If the defense keeps playing this way, nope.

It's the best defense in the country, and there isn't a close second.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.