No. 1 Georgia (9-0, 6-0 SEC) is set to host No. 12 Ole Miss (8-1, 6-1) this Saturday in Athens.The Bulldogs are currently one of the hottest teams in the nation, riding a 26-game winning streak. So, the Rebels will try to pull off an upset as they’re fighting for a spot in the fourteam playoff.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said he’s got a ton of respect for Ole Miss and head coach Lane Kiffin.
“They’ve got a really good team. They’ve improved. You watch them on tape, and you watch the games throughout the year, they’ve improved with every game,” Smart said. “They’ve played a tremendous schedule, some really tough teams. Lane does a great job with his program and with his team. They’ve got a great staff. They’ve got good players.”
Ole Miss has a high-powered offense that averages 38.78 points per game, ranking them No. 14 in the nation. The Rebels also rank No. 12 nationally in total offense, averaging 479 yards per game.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart is a dual threat, with 2,467 passing yards and 480 rushing yards. Dart also leads his team in touchdowns, having thrown for 16 and rushed for seven during his junior year.
Ole Miss also has a great running back in Quinshon Judkins, who’s rushed for 832 yards and 12 scores. Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, and Dayton Wade are also threats on the perimeter at wide receiver.
Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith knows how dangerous and explosive the Rebels can be on offense.
“I’m going to watch a little more film on them today, but I know they go extremely fast. Good running game,” Smith said. “I think their quarterback does a really good job at getting them into the right calls, whether that’s running or passing. I think he does a really good job at extending plays.”
Defensively, Ole Miss is a bit more vulnerable as the unit gives up 22.89 points per contest under first-year coordinator Pete Golding, who previously was with Alabama in the same position._ Still, Ole Miss is stout on that side of the ball and gets after the opposing quarterback. The Rebels enter the game ranked second in the SEC in sacks with 31. They have seven defenders with multiple sacks this year.
On the other hand, Georgia’s offensive line is one of the best in the country. Bulldogs’ quarterback Carson Beck has been sacked eight times so far this season, although four of them came against Missouri this past week.
Smart described Golding as “aggressive” and knows he likes to bring the blitz.
“He’s aggressive by nature. They’ve got the players to do it. They have good team speed on defense,” Smart said. “They will come after you with different looks, and multiple looks and try to confuse the quarterback. That’s what good defenses do. He’s been around good defenses his whole career. He does a great job defensively, so I’m sure they’ll have a plan. They study what you do, and they study what you’ve seen and (what can) give you problems. He’ll have forms of that.”
Regardless, Georgia is a 10.5-point favorite. The Bulldogs and Ole Miss will kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN._