Ole Miss WR Jordan Watkins discusses the loss to Georgia, looks ahead to final two regular-season games: ‘We left a lot of things out there’
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins spoke to the media Monday after practice and talked about the Rebels’ second loss of the season against the Georgia Bulldogs and how he thinks the team will respond.
After watching the game film, Watkins broke down what he saw, saying he was impressed by the Georgia players and coaching staff, who did not make many mistakes throughout the game.
“Playing a team like Georgia, they don’t make many mistakes, especially on defense. Kirby is a really smart defensive coach. They don’t make mistakes, and I think that we were able to capitalize on the times they did make mistakes early on in the game, and I don’t think we capitalized on those mistakes later on in the game and think that’s what cost us,” Watkins said.
Ole Miss was successful in scoring touchdowns on two of their first three drives of the game, but as Watkins mentioned, they struggled to find holes in the Georgia defense from that point on. After Ole Miss scored its 14th point, the Rebels did not have a possession that lasted over three minutes until they kicked a field goal in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Ole Miss was unable to sack Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and only forced one punt in all four quarters. Watkins commented on the Rebels’ lack of success in the game.
“We left a lot of things out there offensively and defensively. We made some plays on special teams, but just looking at the film, there was a lot left out there. You look at the score, and (after) going back and watching the tape, that game could’ve been much much closer if we would’ve just executed better and focused in on the small details. That’s what they did really good, they focused on the small details, and I think that’s what got us beat.”
Jordan Watkins
On a positive note, Watkins discussed his perspective on the spectacular Dayton Wade catch, which is arguably the best catch of the 2023 college football season.
Another week, another insane Dayton Wade catch 🤯@__vierr | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/AdTnL7RJs9
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 12, 2023
“That was awesome. I was on the other side of the field, so I couldn’t really see if he caught it or not. I thought he dropped it just because the whole stadium got silent. Then I see the referee waving his arms, and I was like, ‘holy crap, he caught it.’ Going into the locker room and looking at it—that’s a spectacular catch. D-Wade is a great athlete, and he has made plays like that, I think three times now. It’s unbelievable.”
Jordan Watkins on Dayton Wade’s catch vs. Georgia
Last season after Ole Miss lost to Alabama in a top-15 matchup that dropped the Rebels to 8-2, the team went on to lose to Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Texas Tech to finish with an 8-5 record.
Watkins talked about why he thinks that scenario is unrealistic for this experienced group of Rebels.
“This is a much more mature team. Looking back from last year, I don’t like to compare, but just looking at it, we are a way more mature team, and I think that we will be able to handle it really well.“
Jordan Watkins
Despite the tough loss to Georgia, this Ole Miss team still has a chance to finish the regular season with 10 hard-fought wins. Their next two matchups come against ULM on November 18th and Mississippi State on November 23.
The Egg Bowl is the one game the Rebs annually get short rest for, something that can entirely throw off how a player feels on gameday. Fortunately, after last year, Ole Miss has all of the leadership it will need to be prepared come Thanksgiving night.
“I think the biggest takeaway (from last year) is being able to take care of your body. Having that quick of a turnaround, going from playing a game on Saturday and then playing a game on Thursday, you have to make sure you take care of your body, get in the training room, and make sure you’re fresh for that Thursday to go out there and play against a really good opponent,” Watkins said.
Ole Miss will take on ULM this Saturday at 11 a.m. for the final home game of 2023!
