Three Georgia State Players Ole Miss Must Keep Quiet in Week One

OXFORD, Miss. — It’s officially gameday! Ole Miss will start its quest to make the college football playoffs at the Vaught as it faces Sun Belt Conference team Georgia State Saturday at 6:45 p.m. The Panthers had a tough 2024 season, winning just three games. However, they did manage a shock win against an SEC team, Vanderbilt.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is fully aware of the dangers posed by an opponent like Georgia State and which players can cause his team headaches. Here are three Panthers who the Rebels will need to keep quiet to prevent an upset.

Rashad Amos, Running Back

A former Ole Miss player will be back in the Vaught in week one. Running back Rashad Amos spent the 2025 season as a Rebel, transferring in from Miami (OH). He failed to find his feet in Oxford, but his abilities should not be underestimated, as his 2023 season showed. Amos rushed for 1,075 yards and added 13 touchdowns at Miami (OH), statistics that earned him a big transfer to the Rebels in the SEC.

Amos is a bruiser of a runner, and alongside fellow transfer Branson Robinson, who was a former four-star recruit out of Mississippi, will be a considerable danger to the Ole Miss defense. Amos looks to be the No. 1 guy in the run game, and if the Rebels’ defensive front can hold him to a minimum of rushing yards, it would be a good step towards victory.

Ted Hurst, Wide Receiver

The most productive and impressive offensive playmaker from Georgia State’s 2024 season is back and will hope to inflict more damage on opposing teams. Wide receiver Ted Hurst finished last season with 961 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, and had 128 yards and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt. He will team up again with experienced, redshirt senior transfer quarterback Christian Veilleux, offering familiarity that will help them this season.

Against a team as dynamic as Ole Miss, attack may be the best form of defense for the Panthers. If the run game gets going, the pass game can flourish with Hurst at its height. Ole Miss will have a relatively new secondary, and it’s something that could be capitalized on. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding and his secondary staff will need to focus on stopping Hurst predominantly, and then the other pass catchers.

Henry Bryant, Defensive Lineman

It’s going to be a tall task for Georgia State to stop Ole Miss through the air and on the ground, but if they are to do it, it starts with defensive lineman Henry Bryant. The big and burly Florida native finished with 30 tackles and four sacks for the Panthers in a season, and was a menace in turning over the ball, forcing two fumbles and recovering one.

Bryant can make it an uncomfortable evening for the new starting quarterback, Austin Simmons, and the running game. He is the game wrecker who sets the tempo, with everybody else following. The Ole Miss offensive line, which has been nagged up this offseason, needs to have eyes on Bryant at all times and keep him from getting into the backfield.

Next Up

Ole Miss hosts Georgia State at 6:45 p.m. today! The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.