Previews and Predictions: No. 9 Ole Miss set to play No. 2 Georgia Between the Hedges

OXFORD, Miss. — One of the most fascinating games this season is set for Saturday night in Athens, a top-10 matchup that could have key implications for the postseason. No. 9 Ole Miss travels to take on No. 2 Georgia between the hedges in a game that will draw the attention of millions. The stage has been set as ESPN’s College Gameday will be there to get things started.

Georgia is entering this contest looking to keep its modern-day dynasty going. A win all but guarantees them a spot in the SEC championship game and keeps them in a good position in the College Football Playoffs. Ole Miss is playing to take things to the next level. Rebels’ head coach Lane Kiffin has already made the statement that it feels like he is “playing with house money.” Both teams know the stakes of this game and how it affects the chances for the College Football Playoffs. It’s the game of the week and potentially the SEC regular-season game of the year.

Ole Miss is fresh off the heels of a rollercoaster win over Texas A&M. The Rebels sit third in the SEC with the win and boast one of the better offenses in the conference. Running back Quinshon Judkins has recently surged in production and has the Rebel offense back to being a dual threat through the air and on the ground. Some news on the Ole Miss front as tackle Micah Pettus suffered an injury in practice this week. Look for Ole Miss possibly to move left tackle Victor Curne to the right side and insert last season’s starter Jayden Williams at left tackle.

The matchup could be one for the ages as both teams are very successful in different ways. As always, let’s meet the rest of the panel members and get their predictions.

Here’s a look at our panel, and many thanks to each! Give them a follow on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Zach Moreth — The Rebel Walk
Grayson Weir – BroBible
Kam Wicker – The Rebel Walk
Caleb Salers – SuperTalk Mississippi
Tyler Komis – Inside The Rebels/247Sports
TJ Oxley – The Rebel Walk

Game Details

• • Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 11th 6:00 PM CT
  • TV: ESPN
  • Radio:
    • OleMissSports.com
    • Memphis: WHBQ-AM 560
    • Oxford: WOXF-FM 105.1
    • Jackson: WFMN-FM 97.3
• Betting Lines (as of Friday at 7:30 a.m.)
• • Ole Miss: +11
  • O/U: 58
  • Ole Miss Moneyline: +320
  • Georgia Moneyline: -420

Georgia Scouting Report

Kirby Smart’s team has won 34 straight games in Athens. The Bulldogs are looking to build off of back-to-back national championships. UGA has had some turnover as a lot of their production from the past couple of years is now playing at the next level. Even while replacing all that talent, UGA is sitting at 9-0 and has had little trouble reloading.

Part of the Bulldogs’ success falls on quarterback Carson Beck. The new signal caller has found success this season behind an offensive line that has kept the pocket clean for Beck to deliver. The Bulldogs have had some injury issues this season as two of their stars in tight end Brock Bowers and right tackle Amarius Mims have both missed significant time due to injury. There is a chance both could see action against the Rebels Saturday.

Last Saturday, Georgia faced off against Missouri in Athens and came away with a 30-21 win. On the year, the Bulldogs have found success on the defensive end (as they historically do) by holding teams to an average of 15.4 points per game. That’s 7th in the NCAA this season. Their offense also ranks in the top-10, scoring an average of  39.3 points per game.

For more on the Georgia personnel and an in-depth look, check out panelist Zach Moreth’s preview here.

Predictions

Zach Moreth – The Rebel Walk

Ole Miss 27, Georgia 30

Prediction: Ole Miss will come out of the gate strong against Georgia, but it will be tough to stop the momentum and the crowd noise later in the second half. The Bulldogs showed it against Mizzou by picking off quarterback Brady Cook twice in a row in the fourth quarter to seal the win. With the loss of Micah Pettus, the offensive line is going to need to find a way to sync up throughout the entire game, and Jaxson Dart is going to have to get the ball out quickly on a consistent basis. If Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV are able to get their feet going, Ole Miss can stay in the game as long as they want, but taking on a team that has not lost in 26 games will be too much for the Rebels.

X-Factor: Jaxson Dart

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Kam Wicker – The Rebel Walk

Ole Miss 27, Georgia 30

Prediction: A week ago, Missouri showed that the ball can be run on this Georgia defense. Look for the Rebels to try and establish the run game with Judkins, Bentley and Dart early. I expect Judkins to have a huge night on one of the biggest stages he’s been on.

X-Factors: The trio of Dart, Judkins and Tre Harris. The Rebels will need their playmakers to show up and be cool, calm and collected in a hostile environment at night in Athens. I already talked about Judkins, but Dart will have to use his legs as a threat and Tre Harris has a chance to make his 2023 season even better.

Caleb Salers – SuperTalk Mississippi

Ole Miss 30, Georgia 35

Prediction: In Lane Kiffin’s pursuit to land Ole Miss in its first-ever college football playoff appearance, the Rebels will ultimately fall just short in a hostile road environment in Athens. Despite gritty performances from Dart and Judkins, the Bulldogs, led by Carson Beck, will find the end zone more frequently during Saturday’s contest and come out in a victory in a close one.

X-Factor: Carson Beck

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Grayson Weir – BroBible

Ole Miss 28, Georgia 31

Georgia has trailed in five of six SEC games this season. That will not be the case on Saturday. With the home crowd behind them, the Dogs will get out to an early lead that will give them a slight edge despite every best effort by the Rebels defense. Ladd McConkey had a big game last week against Missouri. Expect more of the same. He and Tre Harris are going to duel it out. Georgia’s efforts to stack the box and stop Quinshon Judkins will open up some passing lanes for Jaxson Dart to play his best game of the year. And as Dart completes the easy throws in the first half, the run game will start to really get rolling to begin the second half. Unfortunately, it will all come together just a little bit too late and the home team will fight off the upset with a late, heartbreaking stop.

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Tyler Komis – Inside the Rebels

Ole Miss 31, Georgia 27

Prediction: Ole Miss faces its toughest challenge in quite some time and plays what looks to be the next dynasty team. The Rebels are a double-digit underdogs and no one expects them to win this one. That being said, I think that component plays well for them in this one.

X-factor: Caden Prieskorn

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TJ Oxley – The Rebel Walk

Ole Miss 28, Georgia 27

Prediction: Dare I do it again. I do. Georgia has faced one other opponent who could apply pressure as much as Ole Miss does. With UGA potentially missing one of their two top players in tackle Amarius Mims, they have a couple holes at the tackles. The interior of that offensive line is stout. Pete Golding needs to find the line between crazy and chaotic. When Carson Beck has a clean pocket, he’s an accurate passer at 75.5%. When there is pressure that number dips significantly to 45.7%. Compared to UGA teams of past it feels there is a path for this to happen. It may be slim and the odds may not favor it, but there are areas of concern.

Ole Miss finds a way to put up points as Dart’s ability to run propels the offense just enough to make Georgia feel uncomfortable. If Ole Miss can notch a few explosive plays, this game gets interesting quick. A quiet factor is that Ole Miss needs to win the third down game. Kiffin’s team needs to convert better than they have all year while forcing UGA to punt. The weather calls for a storm in Athens on gameday but with the number of dialed up blitzes from Ole Miss defense there may be two coming.

X-Factor: Ashanti Cistrunk, Khari Coleman

Kickoff for this game is at 6:00 p.m. (CT), and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)