A second-half momentum swing in favor of No. 9 Georgia propelled the home team to 17 unanswered points and a 43-35 victory over No. 5 Ole Miss on Saturday.
The Rebels (6-1, 3-1 SEC) had a 35-26 lead over the Bulldogs with the clock dwindling in the third quarter. Facing a crucial fourth and one on his team’s side of the field, Bulldog frontman Kirby Smart rolled the dice, and the risk paid off. Running back Josh McCray was met at the line of scrimmage by a slew of Rebel defenders but managed to Houdini his way around the edge to secure the first down.
One play later, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton delivered on a 26-yard pass to Zachariah Branch. The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC), fueled by a raucous home crowd at Sanford Stadium, cut their deficit to two points six plays later. Ole Miss, led by standout Division II transfer quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, failed to rebuild its lead, and the Bulldogs pounced by reclaiming a scoreboard advantage they had not possessed since the first half while never looking back.
Lane Kiffin’s offense had been red-hot all night, scoring touchdowns on its first five drives. Chambliss and his cornucopia of weapons had been lights out until their final three possessions. With just under 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Rebels’ first three-and-out allowed Georgia to take a 40-35 lead. A consecutive stalled drive paved the way for the home team to add to its advantage. An ensuing turnover on downs by Ole Miss resulted in Stockton kneeling out the game clock.
The three straight fruitless offensive possessions were certainly no help in the Rebels’ pursuit of a major road victory. Pete Golding’s defense was arguably the biggest stumbling block for Ole Miss. While the Bulldogs being held to a pair of field goals and stopped on a two-point conversion attempt seemed to be small victories that could be just enough for the Rebels to play road spoiler, the feats were overshadowed by an inability to stop the run and a struggle to defend the deep ball.
The defense surrendered 510 total yards and failed to stop the Bulldogs on all but one offensive drive. The lone stop was negligible, as it came when Georgia was kneeling out the clock. Georgia had 289 passing yards and 221 rushing yards.
Stockton, who was limited in practice this past week after being banged up in his most recent outing at Auburn, completed 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Five of his tosses resulted in 19 or more yards. Stockton’s top target was Branch, who had eight receptions for 71 yards. Tight end Lawson Luckie was the hot hand in the end zone, with three touchdowns.
In the ground game, the home team was led by Nate Frazier, who had 72 yards on 17 carries. Chauncey Bowens logged 61 yards on 10 carries, and Stockton used his legs to score a 22-yard touchdown in the game.
For Ole Miss, Chambliss completed 19 of 36 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown. Aside from a shaky fourth quarter, the Ferris State transfer was sharp most of the afternoon. His top target was De’Zhaun Stribling with three receptions for 96 yards and a score. 75 of those yards came on an explosive play at the start of the second half.
Chambliss also led the Rebels in rushing with 42 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Ole Miss Running back Kewan Lacy recorded 31 yards on 12 carries in the SEC showdown.
Defensively, both teams struggled mightily, though Ole Miss’ struggles continued into the fourth quarter, while Georgia’s didn’t. Zxavian Harris had a team-best two tackles for loss for the Rebels, while Suntarine Perkins led his group with 10 total tackles. CJ Allen had a Georgia-best 10 tackles in the game. Georgia place kicker Peyton Woodridge was a perfect three-for-three when his name was called, with his longest field goal coming from 51 yards out on the opening drive.
Former Ole Miss starting quarterback Austin Simmons made a random debut in the game, coming in for a couple of red zone snaps late in the first half, though he never touched the ball. Simmons continues to be Chambliss’ understudy as he recovers from a week-two injury at Kentucky.
Scoring summary
Georgia opened things up with a 51-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring to take a 3-0 lead. A costly offensive pass interference penalty on Bulldog wideout Noah Thomas hampered the home team’s hopes of reaching the end zone on its debut drive.
Ole Miss rebutted, methodically moving downfield to find itself in the red zone in eight plays. Disaster almost struck, though, when Trinidad Chambliss fumbled a ball he was attempting to pull from running back Logan Diggs’ grasp on a second-and-goal play. Nonetheless, Chambliss used his legs on third down to evade an unblocked defender and trot into the end zone to put the Rebels up 7-3 with 5:47 left in the first quarter.
Pete Golding’s bend but don’t break defense was put to the test once again by Mike Bobo’s offense. Georgia effectively worked into Ole Miss territory, and after a Zxavian Harris sack seemingly gave the Rebels’ defense a boost, Stockton found a wide-open Lawson Luckie in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown on third and long. The Bulldogs led 10-7 to start the second quarter.
Chambliss, playing in his first-ever Division I road game, answered the bell, completing three 10-plus yard passes — one of which was a 24-yard toss to freshman Winston Watkins Jr. — to land the Rebels in the red zone once again. Ole Miss capped a 10-play drive with a one-yard score by Lacy to go up 14-10 with 10:57 on the second quarter clock.
The Rebels’ lead was short-lived, as Stockton continued to pick apart his opponent’s secondary. After moving the chains on three long passes, the Bulldog signal caller used his rushing skills to score a 22-yard touchdown.
Ole Miss, once again, found early success on an offensive drive and worked into enemy territory. A couple of chain-moving passes to tight end Caleb Odom, along with two defensive pass interference penalties, found the Rebels in a position to score. Lacy reached the end zone a second time, and Ole Miss went up 21-17 with 2:10 remaining until the midway break.
The game clock was no issue for Georgia. On second and six right after the two-minute timeout, Stockton completed a 19-yard pass to Oscar Delp. The Bulldogs carried the momentum of that play into a series of successful short-yardage plays to move into field goal range. Woodridge knocked in a 35-yard kick to send the game to the intermission, with Ole Miss leading 21-20.
Ole Miss built upon its lead early in the second half, with Chambliss connecting with De’Zhaun Stribling on a short pass that resulted in a 75-yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter, putting the Rebels up 28-20.
As proved to be the case in the game, Georgia was poised to respond. The Bulldogs marched down the field in nine plays. A three-yard pass to Luckie cut into the Ole Miss lead. The Bulldogs attempted a two-point conversion, but were unsuccessful, courtesy of a sack by Rebel linebacker Suntarine Perkins.
The magic continued into the third quarter for Lane Kiffin’s offense. A crafty play call on fourth and short found Chambliss rushing for more than enough yardage to secure the first down on Georgia’s side of the field. The Rebel quarterback later scored on a two-yard carry, giving the red and blue a 35-26 lead.
The Rebels almost recorded the first defensive stop of the game, when a slew of Ole Miss defenders got to Georgia’s Josh McCray on fourth and one on the Bulldogs’ side of the field. However, the running back pulled a rabbit out of his hat and worked around the right edge to move the chains.
A subsequent deep pass from Stockton to Zachariah Branch helped set up a three-yard score by Nate Frazier. Georgia cut its deficit to 35-33 early in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss was the first team to fail to score on an offensive possession, paving the way for Georgia to come back. And that the Bulldogs did, with Luckie securing his third touchdown catch of the game, putting Georgia up 40-35 with 7:29 left in the game. Woodridge scored the final points of the game, nailing a 42-yarder late in the fourth quarter, leading Georgia to a 43-35 win.
Takeaway
Ole Miss will certainly drop in the rankings, but may have a chance to remain in the top-10, as a loss at Georgia won’t be viewed too unfavorably by analysts. However, the defensive display by the Rebels, one that mirrored an earlier performance against Arkansas, could prove costly if it carries over into future matchups. Pete Golding will have to find a way to have his secondary more disciplined in pass plays, while better preparing his linebackers to win at the point of attack and make tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Offensively, while Chambliss effectively bounced back from last week’s subpar performance against Washington State, the lights appeared to be too bright in the fourth quarter. After leading five straight scoring drives, the pressure of the Georgia crowd, along with the surprise blitzes Glenn Schumann dialed up, seemed to get the best of Chambliss with the game on the line. Assuming Kiffin continues to roll with Chambliss as his starting field general, he will have to be more clutch in late-game situations.
Overall, there were positives and negatives Ole Miss can come away with after a one-score loss in a venue it has not won in since 1996. Regardless, College Football Playoff hopes are very much alive, and the team will benefit from flushing this loss, and sticking to its mentality of looking to go 1-0 each week.
Next up
Ole Miss will remain on the road, with a stop at No. 14 Oklahoma being next on the docket. The contest will kick off from Norman on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 11 a.m. CT and will air on ABC, along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
