No. 5 Ole Miss has opportunity to take ‘another step’ in crucial SEC showdown against No. 9 Georgia
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ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A No. 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 confirms coach Lane Kiffin’s assessment that Mississippi has “done some good things” this season.
Kiffin says finding a way to win on Saturday at No. 9 Georgia would take that progress to another level.
“You know, this is the elite,” said Kiffin of Georgia (5-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference). “This isn’t coachspeak, It’s stats, or facts. This is the elite program in college football.”
Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0) took a 28-10 home win over Georgia last season. Kiffin says winning at Georgia is more difficult.
Georgia had a 33-game home winning streak under coach Kirby Smart end with a 24-21 loss to then-No. 17 Alabama on Sept. 27. It was the Bulldogs’ first home loss since 2019.
Georgia, which won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, is 10-0 at home against top-10 teams under Smart.
“There’s another step that’s, you know, can you go beat an elite program like we were able to do last year in Georgia, but now do it at their place?” Kiffin said. “So it’s a great opportunity.”
The Bulldogs relied on dominant defense to win the national championships. This year’s team has earned a reputation for toughness, including from quarterback Gunner Stockton.
Resilient Dogs
Smart likes his team’s ability to be resilient, including in last week’s 20-10 win at Auburn when Georgia trailed 10-0.
“We haven’t started real well at times, and that can be attributed to a lot of factors, but … we have played really physical and out-conditioned and out-executed teams down the wire, which is a great trait to have,” Smart said. “But we’ve certainly got to play better earlier in games.”
Leaning on Chambliss
The Rebels also showed comeback skills last week as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score in a 24-21 win over Washington State. Ole Miss trailed 14-10 late in the third quarter.
Smart said Chambliss is an “explosive” dual-threat challenge.
“He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s tough, he’s got great lower body, great instincts,” Smart said. “There’s a difference in being a fast guy and being a runner. He’s patient behind blocks, quick when he needs to be. Some guys can only run perimeter runs well, some can only run internal well. He runs both.”
Bad memory
Ole Miss fans surged onto their home field following last season’s win over the Bulldogs.
Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson said that memory provides motivation for Saturday.
“I feel like the players that returned that played last season have a chip on their shoulder, so you could say that,” Wilson said.
Big-game atmosphere
ESPN’s Gameday will be in Athens for the matchup.
“This is one of the games why you transfer here, to play in these big games,” said Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, a transfer from Oklahoma State who led the Rebels with six receptions for 63 yards in last week’s win over Washington State.
Contrast of running games
Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy has emerged as the dominant lead running back for Ole Miss. Lacy, a sophomore, has 126 carries for 587 yards and eight touchdowns. Chambliss is second on the team with 61 carries for 287 yards.
Lacy, who had 24 carries for 142 yards against Washington State, said he’s preparing for “just the physicality” of the Georgia defense.
“It’s going to be a real chippy game,” Lacy said. “So just coming out with the right mindset and being physical all four quarters.”
Georgia’s running game has been more balanced, with Chauncey Bowens recently gaining more playing time while Nate Frazier has made five starts. Each has 60 carries while Stockton is close behind with 48 carries.
Bowens was slowed by a calf injury against Auburn. Smart confirmed the injury was “kind of nagging” Bowens and said the freshman “has done everything” in practice.
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