No. 16 Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2 SEC) hosts No. 2 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Here are four keys to a Rebels win over the Bulldogs.
Get an early lead
It should be fairly obvious that any team wants to jump out to a lead, but against Georgia it might be even more important. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck leads the SEC with 11 interceptions. The sooner Ole Miss can turn the Bulldogs one-dimensional — they ran for 300 yards last year against the Rebels, so it’s certainly easier said than done — the sooner Ole Miss’ pass rushers can get in Beck’s face and force him into bad decisions. Turnovers can be the great equalizer in huge games.
Keep up the offensive aggression
Ole Miss had its best offensive output of its SEC schedule against Arkansas. Records were set all over the place, and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. earned a lot of praise from head coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels threw deep frequently — senior Jordan Watkins had three touchdown catches of at least 60 yards — and senior quarterback Jaxson Dart had the best deep-ball accuracy he’s shown this season. That aggressiveness combined with tempo could lead to the kinds of chunk plays that get Ole Miss that aforementioned lead.
No free yardage
Penalties have been an issue for Ole Miss all season and have reared their head at inopportune times — defensive penalties against Kentucky kept the Wildcats on the field in their upset win, and personal fouls kept Oklahoma in the game longer than it probably should have been. The Rebels have the fourth-most penalties in the FBS this season at 77. Nine penalties at Arkansas didn’t ultimately make a difference in what wound up being a blowout, but Georgia isn’t going to be as forgiving with those opportunities.
Get the crowd into the game early
Georgia isn’t going to be daunted by anything that comes its way — the Bulldogs boast arguably the best win in college football this year at Texas and nearly came back on the road at Alabama. But if Ole Miss wants to pull off the upset, it will need to get the crowd involved and keep it involved with big plays. The longer the crowd rides an emotional high, the better for the Rebels. Players can ride that high on the field, too.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
