Amid a busy college football weekend, one of the biggest games of the day is Ole Miss vs Georgia. For the Bulldogs, it’s a chance to remain a top-five team and stay atop the SEC standings. But for the Rebels, it’s a must-win if they want to stay in the College Football Playoff picture. So while it may be a crazy thought, the question becomes: Is this the biggest game in school history for Ole Miss?
Sure, Ole Miss has had big games. The 2014 win over top-ranked Alabama at the time comes to mind. The Rebels have seen a few New Year’s Six bowl wins along the way. They’ve played a few through the years with chances to secure bids in the SEC Championship Game. They even have three claimed national titles (1959, 1960, and 1962.) But those came before college football turned into what it is today.
Now, hosting a top-three opponent, with a chance to keep playoff hopes alive, the stakes arguably couldn’t be bigger for the Rebels.
Needless to say, Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi is going to be a wild time.
Series History Between Ole Miss and Georgia
Lately, this series has been about as one-sided as they come. Excluding one vacated Rebel win in 2016, Georgia has taken eleven straight over Ole Miss. To make matters worse, there’s only been one meeting between the turn of the century that single digits have decided.
As for the record, the Bulldogs hold a commanding 33-10-1 record over the Rebels. Simply put, it’s been pure domination in this one.
The silver lining for Ole Miss fans though is that many of those came when the football program wasn’t in the spot it is in now. Apart from the late ’50s and early ’60s, this has been the most consistent period for Rebel football.
But now it’s time to show that they belong. So far under Lane Kiffin, they haven’t been able to do that. Now in his fifth season in Oxford, Kiffin is currently 0-4 against top-five opponents. But he gets another chance to remedy that on Saturday.
What to Expect From Georgia
For the Bulldogs, there are two focuses to pay attention to.
First is the defensive pressure. The weakest part of the Ole Miss team is its offensive line. For Georgia, that has to mean plenty of pressure. Getting pressure on Jaxson Dart will likely be enough to disrupt the entire passing attack. And with the Ole Miss offense struggling to run the ball, as well, disrupting the passing game could wreak havoc with the entire offense.
The second thing to keep an eye on, similarly, is the Bulldog offensive line. Despite oftentimes being considered as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has thrown eight interceptions over his last three games. And many of those have come under pressure. That falls back to the offensive line. When they can hold up, Beck has been extremely solid. When the protection breaks down, Beck’s numbers take a nosedive. Against Ole Miss, this unit will be facing the team that currently leads the nation in sacks.
Keeping that in mind, it’s safe to say this game, one way or another, is going to be won in the trenches.
How Does Ole Miss Get the Job Done?
As mentioned, this game starts on the defensive side of the ball for Ole Miss. Simply put, the Rebels have to put pressure on Beck. If they can’t get that pressure, there’s a good chance Georgia can move the ball relatively easily, which complicates everything else for the Rebels.
On the offensive side, they need to establish a running game. If they can, it could ease some of the pressure the Georgia front seven is going to be looking to bring. The problem is that so far this season, unlike in years past, the Rebels have struggled to run the football. If that continues, it could be a long day for the offense. And to hurt matters, starter Henry Parrish Jr is out after injuring his leg last week vs Arkansas.
Which then leads to injury concerns. Tre Harris hasn’t played in two and a half weeks and is currently listed as questionable. Despite that, he still leads the SEC in receiving by 130 yards. Tight end Caden Prieskorn is another guy to look out for. He missed last week’s game but is listed as probable on the latest injury report. Then there’s Jordan Watkins. In the win over Arkansas last week, Watkins had a breakout performance, bringing in eight catches for 254 yards and five touchdowns. However, he’s also listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup.
If these guys are able to go, it’ll give an improving Rebel offense a huge boost. However, if any of them can’t play, the Ole Miss offense will be facing an even taller mountain to climb.
Ole Miss vs Georgia: Bottom Line and Prediction
This game comes down to play in the trenches. Which offensive line can hold up better against elite defensive line units? But there’s also one aspect that can’t necessarily be addressed through numbers and metrics. And that is experience.
Despite improving and growing on a national scale, games like these are relatively new to Ole Miss. On the other side, Georgia has lived in these moments over the past several years, including winning two of the last three national titles. We can all rest assured knowing that the moment won’t be too big for the Bulldogs. We have no assurance of that on the Rebel sideline.
Expect a solid football game between two extremely talented teams. But at the end of the day, Georgia is the more consistent, better all-around team, and that plays out on Saturday. The Bulldogs end up winning more of the big moments, en route to a huge road win.
Ole Miss keeps it close throughout, but Georgia pulls away in the fourth.
Georgia 33, Ole Miss 20
