By Elijah Klepczyk
Emmerich Newspapers
Georgia got its revenge against Ole Miss, as the Bulldogs demolished the Rebels 42-7 in Oxford. This must have felt good for UGA, as the last time it faced Ole Miss, the Bulldogs were sent packing from the College Football Playoff.
“I did not see that coming,” Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding said after the Rebels’ largest loss of the season. “I thought we had a good week of practice, I thought the preparation was good,” he added. “We obviously did not have them ready to play.”
The loss ended Ole Miss’ 16-game home winning streak, the longest among Power Four programs in the sport.
Trinidad Chambliss struggled to do much of anything against the staunch Bulldogs defense, completing only 18 of 34 passes and not eclipsing 200 yards through the air.
Tailback Shekai Mills-Knight, Kewan Lacy’s stand-in, was responsible for the Rebels’ lone touchdown in the fourth quarter but had only 52 rushing yards for the game.
Chambliss was not happy about the performance, calling it “embarrassing.” He noted that the team has to have a “short memory” when it comes to the loss.
The Rebels move to 6-3 overall (4-3 SEC) and will head to Norman, Oklahoma, next week to face the Sooners in their last road game of the season.
Oklahoma will come into the game with new life after firing offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle last week and turning that momentum into a 23-7 win over Florida over the weekend.
Golding said the Sooners have “simplified” their new-look offense and have started to rely more on their quarterback’s legs.
John Mateer had 56 yards on the ground last week and was the Sooners’ leading rusher. Golding said limiting that part of the new offense will be a major key to victory.
Oklahoma also poses a major defensive threat with its secondary, which ranks first in the SEC in pass defense. With the Rebels’ offense relying heavily on the air and Lacy confirmed out for this week’s matchup, Ole Miss will have its hands full at the Palace on the Prairie.
Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
According to Golding, the problems began right away. “It started from the first play of the game,” he said, referencing Nick Frazier’s 46-yard run on Georgia’s opening snap.
That would be the theme for the rest of the matchup, as the Bulldogs seemingly did whatever they wanted for four quarters against Ole Miss.
Georgia held a 28-0 lead at halftime, with the Rebels’ only chance at first-half points ending when Lucas Carneiro’s 56-yard field goal try sailed wide left.
The Bulldogs started to lean on Ole Miss in the second half, milking the clock on every possession and taking the air out of a sellout crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Down 35-0 in the fourth quarter, the Rebels finally found some momentum and put together a 16-play drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by Mills-Knight, allowing Ole Miss to avoid the shutout.
The Bulldogs were not done with their meal yet, as Gunner Stockton found Talyn Taylor for a 65-yard touchdown to put salt in the wound.
It will be an uphill climb now for the Rebels to reach the College Football Playoff again, as they will have to hope the committee lets in a three-loss team for the first time in the history of the CFP.
