There’s a lot of pressure for the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (7-1) heading into their matchup with the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels (7-2) at 3:30 p.m. ET and it’s due to Ole Miss’s offense being considered elite.
The biggest reason Ole Miss’ offense is great is quarterback Jaxson Dart. The senior quarterback is just coming off of a record-breaking performance where he threw for 515 yards and six touchdowns in a blowout 63-31 win over Arkansas. Overall, Dart has 3,210 yards (leads the nation), 21 touchdowns, and a 192.4 passer rating.
For those of you wondering how Dart will attack the Georgia defense, here’s a scouting report on him:
Explosive Plays
Dart has a cannon for a right arm, which was on full display in his game against Arkansas. He’s shown great chemistry with his receivers. Each of the top four reception leaders are averaging over 16 yards per reception. Overall, he averages an insane 11.6 yards per attempt.
Kirby Smart said it best:
“I think Jaxson Dart is playing (like) probably one of the best quarterbacks playing in the country in terms of explosive plays. A lot of respect for how he competes. I mean, the guy runs extremely physical, like a SEC running back. He doesn’t try to avoid contact — he actually seeks it. You can tell he’s got a fiery, competitive attitude, just like his coach does, just like Lane does. So they have a lot of the same personality traits.”
Running Physicality
Dart complements his gunslinger mentality with his toughness and physicality as a scrambler. This season, he has 254 yards and three touchdowns on 77 rushes, which makes him the third-leading rushing quarterback that Georgia has faced behind Jalen Milroe (380) and Cade Klubnik (270).
When asked about Dart’s running ability, Smart had this to say:
“Jaxson Dart is their second-leading rusher and that’s just telling you, man, they got, and they get rushing yards too when he takes off and runs. And he’s a tremendous athlete, hard to tackle. And if you counted the passing yards they get on the RPOs in their run game, they lead the country because they get a lot of yards off that as well.”
So how does the Georgia defense overcome Jaxson Dart?
Malaki Starks
Dart often looks for the home run ball. He doesn’t check down to receivers unless that’s the first read and it’s open on an in-breaking route. Granted, he’s often been able to connect on these deep passes, but there are times where it can cause him to take drive killing sacks or force a pass into a tight window.
This is where Malaki Starks comes in. While KJ Bolden is more of the blitzing safety, Starks is a ballhawk safety with great range. Georgia fans have seen him capable of taking away the deep ball before, but his play has fluctuated wildly. When he’s on his A-game he can create a no-fly zone from 30-40 yards past the line of scrimmage, especially if one of Ole Miss’s awesome receiving group misses this game.
Blitz Packages
Georgia’s front seven can create havoc for Jaxson Dart. The offensive line has shown to be competent in protecting against blitz packages in the past, but they allowed six sacks against LSU. Georgia’s pass rush, with Mykel Williams and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, is one of the best in the SEC, so if they can win the matchup versus Ole Miss’s line, then they could neutralize Dart.