The Ole Miss Rebels scored 28 fourth quarter points to salvage an otherwise ugly offensive performance, topping the Boise State Broncos 35-13 in the Chick Fil A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. Here are a couple of thoughts on the game:

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What it means: The Ole Miss defense is for real. The Rebels kept Boise State out of the end zone for three and a half quarters, and held the Broncos to six total points on their first three trips into the red zone. Ole Miss intercepted BSU quarterback Grant Hedrick four times on the night, and laid a few monstrous hits on Broncos in the open field. What’s most impressive is the defense played the entire game without the suspended Denzel Nkemdiche, and played most of the game without All-SEC linebacker Serderius Bryant, who was ejected in the first quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Hedrick. By the time Boise State scored its lone touchdown of the night, the Rebels had already seized a 22-point lead, putting the game out of reach.

What I liked: Bo Wallace’s second half. The Rebels quarterback played an absolutely atrocious first half, throwing three interceptions while leading Ole Miss to just seven points for the half. However, the senior signal caller rebounded in the second half, throwing three touchdowns and zero interceptions to lead Ole Miss to 28 points in the fourth quarter. Turnovers have been Wallace’s Achilles heel in the past, and his inconsistent first half looked to be more of the same. But if Wallace can play the way he did in the second half for an entire game, this team will be very difficult to beat. Wallace showed poise and maturity in overcoming a rough start to the season in a nationally televised game, proving that even at his lowest moments he is still a threat to lead the Rebels to victory.

Who’s the man: There are a few members of the Ole Miss defense who could qualify as “the man” after the win over Boise, but the nod ultimately goes to All-American safety Cody Prewitt. The senior hauled in one of Hedrick’s four interceptions on the night and made plays all over the field, hitting Broncos with more force than any other player on the defense. A few Boise State players will head home to Idaho with nightmares of the hits Prewitt laid on them. He had an opportunity at a second pick on a wide receiver pass by BSU’s Matt Miller, but lost control of the ball in mid-air. If Prewitt can play like he did against Boise for the entire season, he will be a lock to repeat as an All-American honoree.

Key Play: Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golson pulled in a one-handed interception in the end zone to keep Boise State from taking a first half lead. The Rebels were stuck at seven points heading into the fourth quarter, and had Boise gotten even three points on that drive in place of the Golson interception, it might have led on the scoreboard for most of the game. The Rebels defense ultimately saved an Ole Miss offense that took a while to get in gear, but Golson’s play directly took points off the board for the Broncos and kept the Rebels in front.

What’s next: Ole Miss opens its SEC schedule next week with a road trip to Vanderbilt. The Commodores offense did not look good early in its game against Temple Thursday night, and if Wallace can play with more consistency against the ‘Dores the Rebels should be able to easily improve to 2-0.