Ole Miss might have the most favorable path in the College Football Playoff of any team in the field. They got one rematch against Tulane, a team they whooped in the first meeting and doubled down on their dominance in the first round of the College Football Playoff just before Christmas. In the quarterfinals round, they’ll get to another shot at Georgia. Though, this time around, they might not have the same offensive success they had back on Oct. 18.
Trinidad Chambliss had the biggest impact in that game as a true dual threat, throwing for one touchdown and rushing for two more. He'll need more help in the Sugar Bowl. Aside from Kewan Lacy's two rushing touchdowns, the Bulldogs effectively took him out of the game. If the Rebels want to continue their hot run through the CFP, they will need Lacy and these three other players to step up.
The New Year’s Day clash will ultimately determine which team gets to the semifinals. Here’s who the Rebels will lean on as they hope to continue their CFP debut magic.
Princewill Umanmielen
The biggest talking point from the first matchup between Georgia and Ole Miss was that it was an offensive shootout. Gunner Stockton played one of his best game of the seasons, and it could possibly be because the Rebels were missing their top defensive lineman. I couldn’t find exactly why he was out, but it was the one game he didn’t play, and that will absolutely factor into the rematch.
Umanmielen leads the team with eight sacks and has 34 total tackles this season. The Rebels defensive line will have to play better in the CFP quarterfinals if Ole Miss wants to win. The Rebels didn't really pressure Stockton like they needed to and as a result, he torched them. Having Umanmielen this game should help the defensive line.
In the first meeting between the two teams, Zxavian Harris had the only sack in the game. This game will come down to how well the defenses play and Ole Miss can’t be happy with letting Georgia’s offense get hot.
Wydett Williams Jr.
Wydett Williams Jr. has been the best player in the secondary for Ole Miss this season. He's equally talented at helping in the run as he is defending the pass. He leads the team with three interceptions with eight passes defended. He was absent in the passing game the first time against Georgia. Ole Miss can't afford another dud performance from the secondary.
In the first game, though Williams did have the third most tackles on the team in the loss, he was a non-factor in defending the pass. I’m not sure if Georgia will plan on throwing all over Ole Miss again, but if they do, he’ll have to step it up. Ole Miss's corners aren't great so the pressure will be on Williams to truly be the sweeper down field.
Kewan Lacy
The biggest question around Kewan Lacy is if he'll be available for Thursday’s game. He was listed on the first injury report as probable and for Ole Miss’s sake, he needs to be active. I doubt he won’t play at all despite a shoulder injury and if he does, he needs to be the difference on the offense.
This season, Lacy rushed for over 1,300 yards and set the school record for rushing touchdowns (21) in a season. He’s truly an x-factor and he really didn't impact the game at all back in October, recording 12 carries for 31 yards. Though he did score two touchdowns, he has to be more impactful between the 20-yard lines.
That was Lacy’s worst game of the season and he's only had five games all year with less than 80 rushing yards. Running against Georgia is always a battle, but good players find ways to break through and Chambliss can’t have all the pressure of terrorizing Georgia as both a runner and passer.
Trinidad Chambliss
The Rebels turned to Chambliss in their SEC opener against Arkansas with Austin Simmons’ injury and they haven’t looked back. In his 11 starts this year, he has more than 300 passing yards in seven of them. One of the four games he didn’t reach 300 passing yards was against Georgia. He may need one of those types of games this time around to keep the Rebels' season alive.
Georgia is going to force him out of the pocket so he’ll need to rely on his playmakers down field. With Lacy not being 100 percent, he will have to be the difference for the offense. He’ll need to continue to be a threat as a runner too, but how well he can throw against Georgia's secondary will determine Ole Miss's fate.