Playoff hopes for the No. 9 Ole Miss football team came to an end on Saturday with the Rebels falling to No. 2 Georgia 52-17 on the road.
Though Lane Kiffin’s group flashed early in the contest, the spark was overpowered by an engulfing blaze in the Bulldogs’ immensely talented roster.
Ole Miss came into the game short-handed on the offensive line with the absence of starting left tackle Micah Pettus. To add insult to injury, Pettus’ replacement, Jayden Williams, had to exit the field early in the first drive after looking banged up. Kiffin and first-year offensive line coach John Garrison were forced to move some guys around in the front.
Nonetheless, the early woes did not stop the line or All-American Quinshon Judkins. The sophomore running back found the end zone to lead the Rebels to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The resiliency of the offense was not reciprocated on the defensive side. Georgia, with star tight end Brock Bowers in the starting lineup for the first time in three weeks, marched down the field with ease to tie things up.
The Rebels opened the door for the Bulldogs to claim their first lead after an unsuccessful fourth down attempt gave Georgia’s offense the ball back near midfield. Following two big rushing plays, Bulldogs’ quarterback Carson Beck hit veteran wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the end zone to take a 14-7 lead.
Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart stepped up to move the offense down the field. A 33-yard pass to Jordan Watkins and a 12-yard run set up Judkins for his second score of the night. The game was not tied for long as Georgia continued to drive the field at will against Pete Golding’s defense. Two Bulldogs touchdowns later, Kiffin found his team staring a double-digit deficit in the face nearing the half.
A rare Dart interception put Beck and company in the driver’s seat to add to the scoreboard, but a Daijahn Anthony interception off of a tipped ball slowed the bleeding, keeping the score at 28-14 at halftime.
Golding’s defense carried the momentum from the late second-quarter takeaway into the first drive of the second half, forcing Georgia’s punter to see the field for the first time in the contest. What appeared to be a quick three-and-out was elongated by Ole Miss punter Fraser Masin using his wheels to move the chain on a clever fake dialed up by Kiffin. Three plays later, the Australian was back on the field, this time to boot the ball to the Bulldogs.
The defending national champions proceeded to step on the gas, adding 10 more to the scoreboard to solidify a three-score lead and create a taller hill for the Rebels to climb to keep any playoff hopes alive. Matters went from bad to worse for Ole Miss after Dart took a brutal hit and was forced to exit to the locker room due to a collarbone injury. He did not return to action to close out Saturday’s match.
Another Georgia score later and the Rebels, with Spencer Sanders in at quarterback, found themselves in too deep of a hole. With the offensive line issues at hand, Garrison called on Reece McIntyre to handle snaps at center and moved Caleb Warren over to guard. Despite a few high snaps, Sanders was able to get the offense into scoring position, allowing Caden Davis to split the uprights to cut the deficit.
Kirby Smart’s squad did not let off, even with backups in midway through the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs tacked on another touchdown to surpass the 50-point mark and amass over 600 yards of offense.
Dart led the way in the passing game for the Rebels, completing 10 of 17 passes for 112 yards and a pick. Judkins rushed for 75 yards and scored the only two Ole Miss touchdowns of the night. Ole Miss had 352 total yards compared to 611 on the Georgia side.
Beck was an impressive 18 for 25 with 306 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. On the ground, Kendall Milton had 127 yards and two scores on nine carries — averaging 14 yards per carry.
Next up for Ole Miss (8-2, 5-2 SEC) is an 11 a.m. game against Louisiana Monroe in Vaught Hemingway Stadium. It is unclear whether or not Dart will appear in the match. The Rebels will look to get back on the winning side of things before taking on archrival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.
