Ole Miss fans storm the field early, causing larger fines that Georgia will receive from Ole Miss as a consequence
Ole Miss Rebels fans were looking to celebrate their 28-10 win against the Georgia Bulldogs, but they jumped the gun. With 16 seconds left, Ole Miss fans stormed the field. Officials had to clear the field before the fans stormed again, which resulted in the goalpost being taken off the field.
As a result, the SEC has fined the Rebels $350,000 for the incident. This was Ole Miss’s second offense, which meant they already had a $250,000 fine for this incident, but another $100,000 was tacked on for the fans deciding to storm the field early. Their first incident occurred against LSU last year, and if they storm the field again, they’ll be fined $500,000.
All of this current incident’s fine ($350,000) will go to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The fan-storming incident has also brought with it some controversy from the Georgia Bulldogs, as Georgia safety Jake Pope was caught celebrating with Ole Miss. Kirby Smart has already lambasted Pope in his most recent interview, but Pope has since apologized and explained he surprisingly ran into a longtime friend.
The Georgia Bulldogs drop in ESPN’s Football Power Index rankings after their 28-10 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels.
ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index) is out after Week 11’s college football action, which featured several games that shook up the ACC and SEC.
According to ESPN, FPI is defined as “a predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward.” In the FPI, nine of the top 25 teams are in the SEC, including five of the top 10. The SEC is again looking like the best conference in college football.
Thanks to the previously No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs’ 28-10 loss to the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels, they slide down to No. 6. That puts them behind three teams in the SEC: Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss. Alabama earns the No. 1 spot after their dominating 42-13 win against LSU and they have the highest percentage to make the playoffs outside of Texas.
There was a major upset that took place in Georgia with the previosly undefeated Miami Hurricanes losing to Georgia Tech and hurting their ACC championship hopes.
The Yellow Jackets took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter and never let go. Miami did have a chance to drive down the field with two minutes left in the fourth, but Cam Ward was strip sacked by Tech’s Romello Height.
For Georgia Bulldogs fans, Week 12 will be a do-or-die matchup vs. the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers. A loss could doom Georgia to miss the College Football Playoff for the second straight season.
Georgia is no longer a top 10 team according to college football analyst Rece Davis
ESPN “College GameDay” analyst Rece Davis released his top 10 rankings after Week 11 of the college season. Davis has a vote for the Associated Press and agreed with the media consensus for his top team this week. He ranked the Oregon Ducks No. 1.
Unfortunately for UGA fans, he ranked the Georgia Bulldogs outside of the top 10 for the first time in nearly four years. It was well-deserved after a rough 28-10 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, where Carson Beck and the Georgia offense turned the ball over three times. Ole Miss, for their part, usurps Georgia for the No. 10 spot.
Georgia is in win-or-die mode heading into their home matchup vs. Tennessee, who is the No. 5 team in Davis’ rankings. A loss to Tennessee could eliminate Georgia from the College Football Playoff picture, but a win would keep Georgia alive in the SEC championship race.
Two other big matchups took place this weekend. Alabama and LSU matched up in a must-win game and it appears only Alabama got the memo, sinking the Tigers 42-13 thanks to 185 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns from quarterback Jalen Milroe. Alabama is ranked No. 9. LSU, is outside of the top 10 and has no hope of making the playoff now.
The other big matchup was Miami at Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes were looking to keep their undefeated season alive. They were in position to prove all the preseason doubters wrong and go on a magical run, but their undefeated run ended with a 28-23 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Now, Miami also falls out of the top 10, plummeting to No. 12 behind Georgia on the list.
Week 12 will feature some more games with massive implications. Georgia’s matchup versus Tennessee will have the most coverage on it, but Clemson’s matchup versus Pittsburgh is another one to keep an eye on.
Thanks to Miami’s loss, the Clemson Tigers find themselves in the second spot in the ACC and a win against Pittsburgh would go a long way in making sure they play in the ACC championship against SMU or Miami.
Rece Davis’ top 10 college football rankings after Week 10
Georgia loses to Ole Miss, tumbling down the SEC standings. Here are some things people should take away from the loss
The Georgia Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2 in SEC) had a lot to prove coming into an away matchup versus the Ole Miss Rebels (7-2, 4-2 in SEC). Despite some great wins versus the Clemson Tigers and Texas Longhorns, who are two teams in College Football’s latest top 25 rankings, Georgia’s lost against Alabama and looked sloppy against Kentucky, Florida, and Mississippi State, three teams near the bottom of the SEC.
No one knew which version of the Bulldogs fans were going to see, but people were expecting the championship contender they looked like against Texas.
Safe to say, that didn’t happen. Georgia was defeated again in an ugly 28-10 loss. Despite what looks like a blowout score, this game was actually close. Georgia started with a 7-0 lead. Unfortunately, the offense shut down essentially the rest of the way. They couldn’t get anything going in the first half, and while the second half was bettter, but turnovers doomed Georgia.
Despite a fumble by Nate Frazier, Georgia was driving with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter of a 22-10 game, but on the 4th down try, Carson Beck’s pass was intercepted, and Ole Miss went down the field to kick a field goal with 3:25 left to make it 25-10. On the next drive, Beck was strip sacked and Ole Miss used the great field position to kick a field goal to reach the final score of 28-10.
Carson Beck wasn’t as turnover prone as past games, but he was too hesitant, only racking up 186 yards and an interception on 31 passing attempts. Of course, his offensive line did him no favors, allowing five sacks, including the strip sack.
The all-reliable running game was also rendered obsolete in this one. Trevor Etienne was sparingly used since he was dealing with an injury, but Nate Frazier didn’t succeed in his first taste as a lead back. Despite scoring a touchdown, he only had 47 yards on 12 carries and fumbled the ball twice, once recovered by the Ole Miss defense. Overall, the running game had just 59 yards on 33 carries, a dreadful 1.8 yards per attempt.
The defense was also weaker in this one. Although they were solid in the red zone, they still allowed seven scoring drives. Ole Miss gunslinger Jaxson Dart suffered an injury in the first quarter, but was quietly efficient. He threw for just 199 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, but it was only on 22 attempts, as he was aiming for more deep in-breaking routes. Austin Simmons was also efficient in backup, with 64 passing yards on just six attempts.
This loss puts Georgia at 7-2, with their SEC championship ambitions on life support. Next week’s game against No. 7 Tennessee is essentially a do-or-die game, and even if they win, they’d need one of Texas A&M/Texas (these two play each other for the final week of the season), Ole Miss, or Alabama to lose another game down the stretch. If they lose, Georgia could be out of the College Football Playoff and finish outside of the top ten for the first time in recent seasons.
Here are four takeaways from this matchup:
Quarterback Carson Beck couldn’t get in a rhythm
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
There should be some blame on offensive coordinator Mike Bobo for this loss. After all, the team only racked up 245 total yards. However, Carson Beck still couldn’t get in a rhythm. Even with a more cautious approach, he wasn’t able to get anything going.
Beck had just 49 passing yards by halftime and in the second half he had an interception and a fumble. Beck now has 12 interceptions against SEC opponents (seven games), the most by any quarterback in a seven-game span since former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in 2019. Sure, it’s not entirely his fault, but as the driver of the offense, he could afford to be more careful with the ball.
Offensive line was not effective
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Unfortunately for Beck, the Georgia Bulldog offensive line did not show up. They easily had their worst game of the season, allowing five sacks for 40 yards lost. Not only did they let up in pass protection, their run blocking was flawed too, with Georgia running backs picking up a combined 1.8 yards per attempt. Even with several adjustments and tackle rotations, nothing worked.
Ole Miss was coming into this game leading the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss, but Georgia’s offensive line has always been strong. In this game, they had their worst showing in years.
Turnovers killed Georgia
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The offense had a fast start with a 7-0 lead off of a Jaxson Dart pick, but it was fool’s gold, as Georgia punted on every other drive in the first half while Ole Miss racked up 16 unanswered points.
However, Georgia’s offense finally woke up for a few drives, kicking a field goal and driving down the field again down 10-22, but freshman running back Nate Frazier fumbled the ball in Ole Miss territory. On their next drive, UGA got the ball again in Ole Miss territory, but on a fourth down try, Carson Beck’s pass was tipped an intercepted.
Even if Georgia were to kick field goals on both of those drives, they would’ve only been down by one score (22-16), but the turnover game made it out of reach for Georgia. It not only killed momentum on some drives, but it also made the defense’s job harder.
Georgia in danger of missing playoffs
Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
What a difference a week makes. Georgia looked in prime position to be the home team in the SEC championship. Now, they’re in no-mans land in the SEC standings.
Georgia is currently behind Texas A&M, Texas, and Tennessee, and they’re only ahead of Ole Miss and Alabama due to playing just one more SEC game.
Only Tennessee and Texas have a better record than the Bulldogs. If Georgia beats Tennessee, then they’ll be more in the fold. However, Ole Miss and Alabama would have the tiebreaker over them with their wins against Georgia over the year.
There is a lot riding on this matchup against Tennessee. If Georgia wins this game, then Tennessee would be in the pile of two-loss teams, potentially putting Georgia ahead of them, but if Georgia loses, then thate could be the nail in the coffin for their College Football Playoff hopes.
“We planned for this game for a year, game-planned all offseason,” said Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin after the Georgia game
The Ole Miss Rebels dominated the Georgia Bulldogs 28-10 in a huge home win to keep Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff hopes alive. Ole Miss forced three Georgia turnovers and shutdown the Georgia offense after the Bulldogs scored an opening drive touchdown.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin deserves credit for rebuilding the Rebels after Georgia embarrassed Ole Miss 52-17 in Athens a year ago.
“A year ago we lost to these guys by like 30,” Kiffin said to ESPN reporter Molly McGrath after Ole Miss’ 28-10 upset win. “We made a decision, we’ve got to recruit differently. We’ve got to go shopping. We planned for this game for a year, game-planned all offseason.”
So what changed since 2023? Ole Miss upgraded its defensive line while maintaining a strong offense. The Rebels bullied Georgia in the trenches. Ole Miss outrushed Georgia 134 to 59. The Rebels’ unleashed their elite pass rush on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who took five sacks.
Georgia deserves some criticism as well. The Bulldogs’ offense has been inconsistent this season. Dropped passes, interceptions and an inefficient rushing attack has plagued the Dawgs’ offense all season.
What went wrong for Georgia football in the Bulldogs’ loss to Ole Miss
The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs were defeated by the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels, 28-10, in Oxford. Lets take a deep dive into why.
Lost the battle of the trenches
This game was going to be won the trenches, and Ole Miss dominated. Offensively, Georgia had no answer to the Rebels’ defensive line. When the game started in heavy rain, you knew it would be a ground and pound game. It started out well for UGA, but the tables turned.
Ole Miss’ defensive line lived in the backfield, causing the Georgia offense to be put in third and long instead of third and manageable. Princely Umanmielen and Jared Ivey had two sacks and two tackles for losses. This was arguably the worst performance by the UGA offensive line in the past three years. Left tackle Earnest Greene struggled.
On the defensive side, Chaz Chambliss and Nazir Stackhouse combined for a sack, and Jalon Walker tipped a pass into a Dan Jackson interception that led to Georgia’s first (and only) touchdown of the game. Other than the first possession it seemed as the UGA pass rush was nonexistent today. Jaxson Dart found holes in the rush to escape the pocket. Also, the Rebels rushed for 134 yards yards without their starting running back, Henry Parrish Jr.
Turnovers
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Turnovers have been a consistent issue for the Bulldogs this season. Ball proved costly with freshman running back Nate Frazier having a crucial fumble just as Georgia was building serious momentum. The turnover came during a promising third-quarter drive that spanned seven plays and looked poised to put points on the board.
Frazier’s miscue, combined with quarterback Carson Beck’s struggles, marked a day plagued by fumbles. Both players lost two apiece, leading to valuable possessions for Ole Miss. These errors handed the Rebels the ball at pivotal moments, stalling the Bulldogs’ progress and putting additional pressure on their defense.
Dropped Passes
Dropped passes have been a persistent issue for this Bulldogs’ wide receiver room and they continued at critical moments against Ole Miss. Georgia leads the nation with 29 drops this season. It highlights the team’s need for more consistent execution in the passing game.
In a game in which every possession mattered, tight end Ben Yurosek had a significant drop on second down during a drive on which putting points on the board was essential. This missed opportunity set the offense back, putting added pressure on the following downs.
Another pivotal drop came from Dillon Bell on a third down, a catch that would have extended the drive and potentially led to points. Instead, the very next play saw quarterback Carson Beck’s pass intercepted by John Saunders Jr. These dropped passes underscored how thin the margin for error is for the Bulldogs, and cleaning up these mistakes is essential if they hope to make the playoff.
Georgia defense has massive test against nation’s leader in yards in Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
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:
Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
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.”
Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
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?
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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.
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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.
Several media outlets share their opinions on Georgia Bulldogs football ahead of their game at Ole Miss
Throughout the season, the Georgia Bulldogs have been a massive talking point for any college sports show. Georgia is 7-1 and atop the SEC, but many folks are wondering about their staying power as SEC champions.
Georgia has a loss to No. 11 Alabama (6-2) and close wins against Kentucky (3-6), Mississippi State (2-7) and Florida (4-4).
Much of the media buzz has been around Carson Beck, who has struggled mightily with six interceptions in his last two games. A great deal of praise has been given to the defensive side of the ball: KJ Bolden, Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker have gained recognition.
Ahead of the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, here are some media takes about Georgia or the matchup between UGA and Ole Miss:
Paul Finebaum believes this game is big for Lane Kiffin
Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Via the DawgNation podcast, Paul Finebaum gave his thoughts on the game, hinting this will be a referendum on Lane Kiffin’s career.
“Ultimately, I think this is the biggest game of Lane Kiffin’s career. He has a chance to come closer to punching his ticket to the College Football Playoff, or letting it all slip away. You’re going to hear about this in the game in Baton Rouge, but this is really about the opportunity for Ole Miss.”
Uncle Lou on Bleacher Report shares opinion on Carson Beck
On Bleacher Report, Uncle Lou went on his show to discuss the Bulldogs, and he had an interesting take on Carson Beck.
“The turnovers are obviously a problem. You just can’t talk about Georgia without addressing it. It’s just mind numbing, and it’s hard to understand why. It’s like a golfer with the yips. If you look at him last year, there’s a reason why every single top returning quarterback list anyone put out had Carson Beck on it. There’s a reason why he was considered a top-10 pick, potentially No. 1! But he’s far from that now, looking at third- or fourth-round pick. He might be the worst quarterback in the SEC.”
“Bell is a do-it-all player for the Georgia Bulldogs, lining up in the backfield, slot, and out wide with the ability to hit a big play every time he gets the ball.”
Safety Malaki Starks
“The strong safety for the Dawgs is one of the leaders of this defense, and he has been all over the field to start 2024. Starks tallied two tackles for loss in the loss to Alabama but was a key part of the victory in Austin, racking up seven total tackles and one TFL.”
Linebacker Jalon Walker
“Walker was a man amongst boys in the win over Texas, tallying three sacks and absolutely harassing the Longhorn offensive line. The Rebels offensive line hasn’t been great but has improved in pass protection in the past two weeks. To really have a chance on Saturday, however, the Rebels need to find a running game.”
Georgia Bulldogs versus Ole Miss Rebels football series history: Dawgs on top
The Georgia Bulldogs lead the all-time series history over the Ole Miss Rebels 33-13-1. Georgia has won 11 of the last 12 meetings in the series, but the Bulldogs did not win their last trip to Oxford.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is 1-1 in his career against Ole Miss with his only loss to the Rebels coming in 2016. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is 0-1 against Georgia.
Let’s take a look back at some of the recent meetings between the two SEC foes.
Nov. 11, 2023 – Georgia 52, Ole Miss 17
Georgia entered as the No. 1 team, facing a top-10 ranked Ole Miss. Georgia controlled the game from start to finish, with quarterback Carson Beck delivering a standout performance, throwing four passing touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ defense effectively limited Ole Miss’ rushing leader Quinshon Judkins and forced multiple turnovers.
Judkins scored two rushing touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to stop Georgia’s dominant offense. This victory continued Georgia’s long winning streak and strengthened their College Football Playoff hopes.
Sept. 24, 2016 – Ole Miss 45, Georgia 14
Ole Miss achieved a major victory over Georgia, with quarterback Chad Kelly showcasing his skills by passing for 282 yards and three total touchdowns. Ole Miss took an early lead with three first half touchdowns and built a commanding 31-0 halftime advantage over Kirby Smart and Georgia.
The Rebels’ defense held Georgia scoreless until the fourth quarter, where the Bulldogs scored twice but remained far behind. This game snapped a 10-game losing streak for Ole Miss against Georgia, though the result was later vacated due to NCAA sanctions.
Nov. 3, 2012 – Georgia 37, Ole Miss 10
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Tavarres King celebrates a touchdown in the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Sanford Stadium. Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia pulled away in the second half after being down 10-0 early to Ole Miss. Quarterback Aaron Murray threw for 384 yards, leading a scoring surge that saw Georgia outscore Ole Miss 37-0 after the Rebels’ early advantage. The Bulldogs’ defense tightened up, intercepting passes and shutting down Ole Miss for the rest of the game. Georgia won at home to maintain its lead in the SEC East race.
Sept. 24, 2011 – Georgia 27, Ole Miss 13
Georgia overcame a slow start with running back Isaiah Crowell and quarterback Aaron Murray leading the way offensively. Crowell’s rushing and Murray’s passing helped Georgia establish a lead, while their defense contained Ole Miss, which struggled to find momentum on offense.
Georgia held a 17-7 halftime lead and maintained control in the second half. The game secured Georgia’s first conference win of the season, and the Bulldogs gained momentum toward a strong SEC finish.
How an SEC rule change benefits Georgia football ahead of the Bulldogs’ game at Ole Miss
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and the conference are cracking down on faked injuries, finally addressing an issue that has plagued the league for years.
“Play football and stop the feigned injury nonsense,” Sankey said in a memo to the league teams.
The rule change comes at the perfect time for the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs, who face the No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday. Ole Miss is the SEC’s most well-known offender of the feigned injury rule. Under head coach Lane Kiffin, the Rebels have had several occasions this season when players went down at the insistence of a teammate.
Ole Miss utilized the practice both on defense and offense. The most common time a fake injury benefits a defense is when the opposing offense is in a rhythm and running no-huddle plays. Offenses have also begun using the tactic to save valuable timeouts.
Any team that violates the policy faces a fine of $50,000 on the first offense, $100,000 on the second offense and a head coach suspension for one game on the third offense.
“I respect commissioner Sankey and what he sends out. We don’t condone that on our team or within our program, so we don’t have to address it. We just tell them that if they’re injured stay down and if not, you get up and go play. That’s just our philosophy,” Kirby Smart said about the SEC’s rule change.
Ole Miss not having the fake injury tactic (without punishment at least) certainly helps Georgia. The Bulldogs will need every advantage they can get against Ole Miss, which has the No. 1 scoring offense in the SEC (42.1 ppg).
