{"id":144768,"date":"2024-11-08T08:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=144768"},"modified":"2024-11-07T17:09:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T23:09:25","slug":"ole-miss-football-game-notes-vs-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/ole-miss-football-game-notes-vs-georgia\/","title":{"rendered":"Ole Miss Football Game\u00a0Notes: vs. Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WHAT TO WATCH FOR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 This is the 48th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Georgia dating back to 1940, the first in Oxford since 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Georgia leads the all-time series 33-12-1 … The original series record is 33-13-1 with Ole Miss\u2019 2016 win vacated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 This will be the sixth ranked meeting on the field between the Rebels and Bulldogs, the third in a row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss is 25-3 at home since 2021, which includes an 11-1 mark since the start of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Head coach Lane Kiffin (102) is one of three active SEC head coaches with 100 FBS wins (Brian Kelly, 192; Kirby Smart, 101) … Kiffin (41-17) recently became the fastest coach to 40 wins in Ole Miss history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The Rebels are 36-12 overall since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss broke 13 school records vs. Arkansas, including the 4th-best team passing game in SEC history (562).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 QB Jaxson Dart set Ole Miss records for passing yards (515), total offense (562) and tied the record for passing TD (6) … Dart is the only QB in SEC history with 500 yards and 6 TD passing vs. an SEC defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Dart also became Ole Miss\u2019 winningest QB of the modern era (25-9) and broke Bo Wallace\u2019s career total offense record, currently sitting at 10,805 … He\u2019s currently 36 yards shy of the all-time SEC top-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Dart leads the FBS in total offense (384.9), passing yards (3,210), efficiency (192.4) and yards\/attempt (11.6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 WR Jordan Watkins broke Ole Miss records in receiving yards (254) and touchdowns (5) against Arkansas … Watkins is one of two in SEC history with 250 yards and 5 TD against an SEC defense (DeVonta Smith).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks FBS top-10 in 13 offensive categories, leading the FBS in passing (377.1 ypg).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss leads the FBS in TFL (94) and sacks (41) … The Rebels average 10.4 TFL for 44.2 yards lost per game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 DE Suntarine Perkins leads the SEC in sacks (9.0) and is already tied for seventh in Ole Miss single-season history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lane Kiffin is in his fifth season at Ole Miss and has led the Rebels to four consecutive bowl berths, including two New Year\u2019s Six appearances, under his guidance since 2020. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 102-51, including a 41-17 mark at Ole Miss. Kiffin led the 2023 Rebels to the best season in Ole Miss history in terms of wins, notching an 11-2 overall record capped by a 38-25 Peach Bowl victory over Penn State. The Rebels finished No. 9 in both final versions of the AP and Coaches polls, the highest finish overall since 2015 (No. 9 Coaches) and their highest in the final AP poll since 1969 (No. 8). In 2022, Kiffin led the Rebels to the Texas Bowl, thanks to another dynamite offense that ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) in 2022. Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season in 2020. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GEORGIA HEAD COACH KIRBY SMART<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kirby Smart is in his ninth season as head coach at Georgia, holding a record of 101-17 during his stint in Athens. In his time at the helm, Smart led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles (2021, \u201922), 2017 CFP title game appearance, Southeastern Conference Championships in 2017 and 2022, six SEC Eastern Division titles and eight bowl victories. Smart took over the Bulldogs in December 2015 while still serving as Alabama\u2019s defensive coordinator through the end of the season. In nine seasons in Tuscaloosa, including seven as the Crimson Tide\u2019s defensive coordinator, Smart helped Alabama win four national championships and three SEC championships. Other coaching stops for Smart include the Georgia (2005), Miami Dolphins (2006), LSU (2004), Florida State (2002-03) and Valdosta State (2000-01).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BULLDOG SCOUTING REPORT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Georgia heads into the matchup with the Rebels ranked No. 2 in both the AP poll AFCA Coaches rankings. The Bulldogs are 47-3 over their last 50 games and haven\u2019t lost more than one game in a season since 2020. Offensively, Georgia averages just over 430 yards per game, with 299 yards per game coming through the air. Redshirt senior Carson Beck continues to lead the Bulldogs at quarterback, ranking top 25 nationally in passing yards (2,302), passing touchdowns (17) and completions per game (23.75). Four Bulldog receivers have hauled in three or more receiving TDs this season. Arian Smith leads Georgia with 503 receiving yards on 31 catches. On the ground, Georgia is led by Florida transfer, Trevor Etienne, and true freshman, Nate Frazier. Etienne and Frazier average 65 and 41 yards rushing per game respectively. Defensively, the Bulldogs rank No. 12 in FBS, allowing just 295.3 yards per game. Georgia limits its opponents to just a 28 percent conversion rate on third down, No. 6 in the country. Malaki Starks leads the Bulldogs in tackles, with 43 total stops. Linebacker Jalon Walker is the best Georgia player at getting to the quarterback with 4.5 sacks on the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REBS IN THE POLLS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss ranks No. 12 in the Coaches poll and No. 16 in both the initial CFP rankings and the AP poll for Week 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top-25 in 55 of the last 59 poll releases … That includes a streak of 29 across 2021 and 2022, the longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks from 2014-16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss\u2019 current ranked streak stands at 27 consecutive appearances since the beginning of the 2023 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The SEC boasts nine teams in the top 25, including three within the top-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GEORGIA REBELS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ole Miss features 16 players from Georgia: RB Rashad Amos (Atlanta), CB AJ Brown (Cordele), S Nick Cull (Donalsonville), WR Micah Davis (Atlanta), DE Jared Ivey (Suwanee), OL Jeremy James (Cumming), S Zach Johansen (Suwanee), WR Cayden Lee (Kennesaw), OL Reece McIntyre (Buford), LB Chris Paul Jr. (Cordele), P Charlie Pollock (Marietta), RB Ali Scott (Powder Springs), TE Wyatt Smalley (Milton), DT Akelo Stone (Savannah), LB Mark Trigg Jr. (Roswell) and TE Dae\u2019Quan Wright (Perry).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OLE MISS-GEORGIA SERIES HISTORY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss and Georgia will meet for the 48th time in a series that started in 1940, the first in Oxford since 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Georgia leads the all-time series 33-12-1 … The original record is 33-13-1 in favor of the Bulldogs, with Ole Miss\u2019 2016 win in Oxford vacated due to NCAA ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 This will be the sixth ranked meeting on the field between the Rebels and Bulldogs, with UGA leading such games 4-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ole Miss\u2019 2016 win (later vacated by the NCAA) snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Bulldogs dating to 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FLASHBACK: GEORGIA\u2019S LAST TRIP TO OXFORD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The last time the Bulldogs came to Oxford, it was the Rebels who came out on top in dominant fashion, besting Georgia 45-14 on Sept. 24, 2016. The 21st-ranked Rebels scored the first 45 points of the game and tallied 510 yards of total offense against the No. 11 Bulldogs. Those 45 points are still the most ever scored by Ole Miss against Georgia, and it came in front of a capacity crowd of 65,843. QB Chad Kelly was 18-of-24 for 282 yards and two touchdowns — a 55-yard strike to WR DaMarkus Lodge (2 rec., 72 yards, 1 TD) and a nine-yard connection with TE Evan Engram (6 rec., 95 yards, 1 TD) — and he added a 41-yard touchdown scamper on the ground. Defensively, the Rebels stifled a Georgia offense that featured the likes of Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. Setting the tone defensively was Derrick Jones, who picked off a Jacob Eason pass in the first quarter and returned it 52 yards for a score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOT AT HOME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ole Miss has only lost at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium three times since the beginning of the 2021 season and only six times total in the Lane Kiffin era. That includes only one loss since the start of the 2023 season back on Sept. 28 to Kentucky. In that span, the Rebels have consistently put on a show for the Ole Miss faithful, welcoming in a grand total of 781,623 fans through its turnstiles — good for a capacity crowd per game average of 65,135.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOME SWEET HOME<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium has been a safe haven for the Rebels historically, owning a 303-116-8 (.719) record all-time in Oxford before vacated wins (281-113-8), and that\u2019s been no different in the Lane Kiffin era. Ole Miss is 25-3 in its last 28 home games, and since the beginning of Kiffin\u2019s tenure in 2020, the Rebels have gone 25-6 overall at Vaught-Hemingway — which includes a 14-game home winning streak that spanned Nov. 14, 2020 to Oct. 15, 2022. That streak was among the longest home winning streaks nationally when it was snapped by No. 9 Alabama in 2022. It was also the longest winning streak in Oxford since winning 21 straight games from Nov. 1, 1952 to Nov. 7, 1959. Including a tie to LSU in 1960, the Rebels went unbeaten for 34 games over the course of 12 years (1952-64). Under Kiffin, the Rebels have recorded the first two seven-win home seasons in program history in 2021 and 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REBELS AMONG THE PFF RANKS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ole Miss ranks among the best FBS teams nationally per Pro Football Focus, ranking second in the SEC and sixth overall in team rating (93.3). The Rebel defense leads the FBS in run defense (95.6) while ranking third in tackling (86.0; SEC No. 2), fifth in overall defensive rating (93.2; SEC No. 2) and fifth in pass rushing (85.8; SEC No. 2). Offensively, Ole Miss leads in passing (92.4) while also ranking top-10 in receiving (4th, 85.4; SEC No. 1) and overall offensive rating (8th, 86.9; SEC No. 1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RACKING UP THE YARDS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lane Kiffin\u2019s dynamic Ole Miss offenses have single-handedly dismantled the Rebel record books, recording three of the top-five and four of the top-10 offensive seasons in school history. Kiffin owns 27 games during his Ole Miss tenure with at least 600 yards of total offense, as opposed to just 16 times total from the beginning of the Ole Miss football program in 1893 until Kiffin\u2019s arrival in 2020. At the 700-yard plateau, Kiffin\u2019s Rebels own five of the seven total 700-yard games in Ole Miss history, as well as seven of the top-nine performances all-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VIDEO GAME NUMBERS FOR DART<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

QB Jaxson Dart put together a historic outing against Arkansas, breaking or tying school records in total offense (562), passing yards (515) and passing touchdowns (6). In SEC history, Dart\u2019s sizzling day against the Razorbacks ranks as the fourth-best in terms of total offense, as well as the sixth-best passing performance in an SEC game. This was the 13th game in SEC history with 500 passing yards by one QB, making Dart one of two alongside Missouri\u2019s Drew Lock to notch 500 yards and six touchdowns, and the only one to ever do so against a power conference opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GO LONG!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

QB Jaxson Dart currently owns a substantial lead among all FBS quarterbacks on attempts of at least 20 yards downfield (per PFF). At that distance, Dart owns a line of 28-of-61 (45.9 percent) for 1,199 yards and 13 touchdowns. That constitutes 37.4 percent of his 3,210 passing yards, as well as 61.9 percent of his 21 passing touchdowns. Against Arkansas alone, Dart was 10-of-13 for 311 yards and four touchdowns on attempts further than 10 yards down field. Dart ranks fourth nationally in completions of at least 10 yards with 110, but he leads the FBS by wide margins at 30-plus (30), 40-plus (16), 50-plus (10) and 60-plus (8) passing plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEGENDARY STATUS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Senior QB Jaxson Dart has etched his name all over Ole Miss\u2019 record book in three highly successful seasons leading the Rebel offensive attack, but against Arkansas Dart became the winningest quarterback of Ole Miss\u2019 modern era. At 25-9 as a starter at Ole Miss, Dart has now passed Eli Manning (24-13) and Bo Wallace (24-15) for the record. For this scenario, Ole Miss\u2019 modern era is considered since the first career start by Archie Manning on Sept. 21, 1968 at Memphis. Verifying games started prior to Manning\u2019s 1968 season is inconsistent via available records, as well as considering that underclassmen rarely started and the quarterback was less of a permanent position in John Vaught\u2019s offensive scheme. One unverified source has College Football Hall of Famer Jake Gibbs at 23-3-1 as the starter of Ole Miss\u2019 powerhouse teams from 1958-60, while several other QBs during the highly successful 1950s would have potentially high (but unlikely) win totals as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNSTOPPABLE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WR Jordan Watkins didn\u2019t just have a career day at Arkansas — he had an otherworldly day. Watkins was the key cog in Ole Miss\u2019 record-breaking offensive explosion against the Razorbacks, breaking the single-game school records in both receiving yards (254) and touchdowns (5) on eight catches. His five receiving scores tied the SEC single-game record, making him one of six in SEC history to ever haul in five touchdown passes and the first since Tennessee\u2019s Jalin Hyatt against Alabama in 2022. His 254 yards, meanwhile, constituted the 12th game of 250 yards receiving in SEC history, and it made him one of two receivers in SEC history with 250 yards and five scores in the same game alongside Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith\u2019s 2019 performance against Ole Miss. Since 2013, Watkins is among five FBS receivers nationally to haul in five touchdowns in one game, and one of three total to add on 250 yards through the air. Prior to Nov. 2, Watkins\u2019 single-game receiving career-highs were 119 yards and one touchdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WIDE OPEN WATKINS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jordan Watkins has been a deep threat since first arriving at Ole Miss, as evidenced by his seven receptions of at least 60 yards during his three seasons as a Rebel. That includes an FBS-leading four catches of at least 60 this season, three of which came for touchdowns in a record-setting day at Arkansas on Nov. 2. That game, all eight of Watkins\u2019 catches went for a least a first down, averaging a whopping 31.8 yards per reception against the Razorbacks. Per PFF, Watkins has the second-highest NFL passer rating when targeted at least 20 yards downfield in the FBS at 141.4, hauling in eight of his 14 targets beyond 20 yards for 391 yards and five touchdowns. Teammate Tre Harris also ranks on this list in fourth at 138.2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DON\u2019T BLINK<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ole Miss is once again running a lightning-quick offense in 2024, currently leading the SEC and ranked sixth in FBS at 23.1 seconds per play. On the season, Ole Miss owns 24 scoring drives under two minutes and 13 under one minute. Included in the latter total are three furiously fast drives under 10 seconds: two against Furman in the season opener — a 7-second drive that featured Austin Simmons\u2019 first collegiate pass, a 35-yard touchdown strike to Cayden Lee, and a 9-second score on a 61-yard bomb from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris — as well as an eight-second score on a 62-yard strike from Dart to Jordan Watkins at Arkansas. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 34-8 when scoring first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEAD THE WAY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Senior QB Jaxson Dart stands among the more decorated signal-callers nationwide in 2024. Dart is one of four active FBS quarterbacks with 12,000 career yards of total offense, the lone QB in the SEC and the only one with 10,000 passing yards at 1,300 rushing yards, Dart owns a career line of 774-of-1,185 (65.3 percent) for 10,901 yards, 73 TD and a career rushing line of 1,300 yards and 14 scores on 346 carries. In a Rebel uniform since 2022, Dart has gone 657-of-996 for 9,548 yards and 64 touchdowns, while racking up 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing on 324 attempts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR \u2022 This is the 48th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Georgia dating back<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":35777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,17687],"tags":[2431,2883,5,7067,4,700,655],"class_list":["post-144768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-athletics","category-university-of-mississippi","tag-bulldogs","tag-georgia","tag-mississippi","tag-ole-miss","tag-oxford","tag-rebels","tag-university-of-mississippi"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/2016-09-15-Ole-Miss-vs-Georgia.jpg?fit=620%2C349&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144768"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144769,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144768\/revisions\/144769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}