Three Things We Learned From Ole Miss’ Win Over Georgia State
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss got the 2025 season off to a winning start, hammering Georgia State, 63-7, at the Vaught Saturday night. The offense scored plenty while the defense held the opponents to 261 total offensive yards.
The Rebels only returned two starters each on offense and defense from last year’s 10-win team; however, this year’s squad has started strong. Here are three things we learned from game one:
The run game is back
It was a down year in 2024 for the Ole Miss running back room, a drop off that did not help the team’s playoff aspirations. Although we only have one game thus far to examine, but this season could be a lot different as far as the ground game goes.
Kewan Lacy and Logan Diggs were the two who jumped out to impressive starts, both putting up substantial numbers. Lacy tallied 108 rushing yards with three touchdowns, while Diggs had seven carries, averaging 13.1 yards per carry.
Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy broke 13 tackles in 16 attempts (6.0 YAC!), and was a model of consistency rushing for 4-6 yards 8 times, with two of his runs going for 15+, shown here.
Lacy breaks three tackles and hurdles his way through the gap in the second run, worth watching. pic.twitter.com/MAQ8vXkJP1
— Eric Froton (@CFFroton) September 1, 2025
Despite Diggs being on the roster in 2024, he only saw the field in the final game of the season due to recovery from injury, so this season feels like Ole Miss has a new player in him.
Bully ball. So pumped for Logan Diggs pic.twitter.com/3jT3DqT0Bs
— Everything Ole Miss (@EverythingRebs) August 31, 2025
Alongside Lacy, who has a point to prove after being underused at Missouri, this could be a new tandem that goes down in Rebels’ history. It’s early, so we shouldn’t get too excited — but I am very excited.
Offensive line growth a priority heading into SEC play
The offensive line has had its injury problems throughout spring and fall camp, and that was the one area that concerned Lane Kiffin after the win against Georgia State. “I thought it was pretty inconsistent,” Kiffin said when asked about the protection of quarterback Austin Simmons. The first-time starter had to deal with heavy pressure, but it’s important to note he was only sacked once.
In a Sunday zoom call with media, Kiffin talked further about the offensive line.
Lane Kiffin on new guys on O-line: “I thought they did some good things, (but there were) some inconsistencies there for their first start at Ole Miss. Brycen did really well for his first start. The tackles played really well but have some things to work on too.”
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 31, 2025
The Panthers are expected to be a low-ranked team in 2025, so the competition will be much tougher for the offensive line as the season progresses. The good or bad news is that they have one week until they face a stronger pass rush when they step into SEC play and take on Kentucky. In the past, we have seen a position group play much better when Kiffin has commented on something needing to improve. Hopefully, that starts next weekend, with week one being the first game of the season.
The Landshark defense looks to be a strong point again
The 2024 Ole Miss defense played a crucial role in helping the team achieve another double-digit winning season. However, they lost a considerable amount of that production, especially on the front. The big question was how they would do with so many new faces in defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s system. Although it’s a small sample size, it appears to be in safe hands.
The standout performer was defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, who was a menace to both the Panthers’ run and passing games. Harris finished with five tackles, one sack, and nabbed an interception.
MUST WATCH
Zxavian Harris. Big man INT. Big man dunk
— Everything Ole Miss (@EverythingRebs) August 31, 2025
With Da’Shawn Womack, Kam Franklin, Suntarine Perkins, Princewill Umanmielen and others, the defensive line looks to be in great shape. I expect them to get better and better as the season continues. You should also look out for linebacker TJ Dottery, who continues to be a playmaker and leader. He led the team in tackles with nine against the Panthers.
Next up:
Ole Miss travels to Lexington to take on the Wildcats Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
Jordan Merritt
Jordan is a freelance writer who covers sports, games, and more. A United Kingdom native, he covers everything Ole Miss for The Rebel Walk. He has written for several publications, including Athlon Sports, On SI, Fansided, and others. Away from writing, he loves spending time with his family and watching films and TV series.
