Highlights from the No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels’ 45-14 beatdown of the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Following a pair of excruciating losses, the No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels bounced back with an impressive all-around team effort in a 45-14 blowout win over the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday in Oxford.
Ole Miss got off to another strong start, as two long completions set up a short Gary Wunderlich field goal on its opening drive. On the ensuing Georgia drive, freshman quarterback Jacob Eason was pressured into a major mistake by the disruptive Rebels front seven, as Derrick Jones scored on a 52-yard pick-six to quickly put Ole Miss up 10.
After another short Georgia possession, Ole Miss moved down the field quickly with the help of a big play on a double pass, and Akeem Judd scored from one yard out to push the advantage to 17. Georgia’s offense could do nothing in the first quarter, as Eason looked rattled and star back Nick Chubb found no room against the swarming Land Shark defense.
Sony Michel provided a bit of a spark on Georgia’s first drive of the second quarter, but Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 36-yard field goal as the Bulldogs remained scoreless. Chad Kelly then found DaMarkus Lodge on a 55-yard touchdown pass, Ole Miss’ sixth completion of 20 yards or more of the game.
The Rebels are the first Power Five to blow a pair of 21-point leads in the same season in a decade, so even the huge advantage didn’t feel safe. Hugh Freeze didn’t slow things down this time, as Evan Engram made a spectacular grab on a nine-yard touchdown pass to put Ole Miss up 31-0 at halftime.
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Georgia was outgained 323-181 in the first half, and Chubb went out with an ankle injury near the end of the first half to make things worse. Eason didn’t get any help, as the Georgia receivers tallied five drops in the first half, and Ole Miss dominated the trenches on both sides of the ball.
It took the Rebels less than two minutes after halftime to extend the lead to 38-0 on Eugene Brazley’s five-yard touchdown catch, as Georgia just couldn’t keep up athletically on the perimeter. Following another Ole Miss score on a 41-yard scamper from Kelly, Georgia would at least get on the board with five minutes left in the third on Brian Herrien’s touchdown run, but it was far too little too late in the eventual 45-14 loss.
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Ole Miss racked up 510 yards of total offense, as Kelly could generate big plays down the field at will. While Eason struggled, Kirby Smart has to be more concerned with the state of the offensive line and wide receivers, as the Bulldogs look nowhere close to competing for the SEC East title.
Three stars
3. Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss. Five-star recruit asked to replace Laremy Tunsil played his best game yet on Saturday, helping to totally neutralize the Georgia defensive line.
2. Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss. Spread the ball efficiently to his very talented group of receivers, completing 18 of 24 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns, plus 53 yards and a score on the ground.
1. Detric Bing-Dukes, LB, Ole Miss. Swarmed all over the field to lead a complete team effort by the Land Shark defense, racking up six tackled in the first half alone against his former team.
Highlights
What’s next?
Georgia needs to figure things out in a hurry, as it plays Tennessee at home next week in a critical SEC East matchup. Ole Miss will try to get above .500 when it hosts Memphis, which beat the Rebels a year ago.