Georgia vs. Ole Miss: Time, TV channel, preview for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal
Unlike the other three CFP quarterfinal matchups, we already had a preview of this SEC playoff showdown in mid-October, when Georgia put up 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter to knock off undefeated Ole Miss 43-35.
Here is a preview of the Sugar Bowl, including how each team arrived to New Orleans:
🦴 Georgia (12-1)
The Bulldogs received a first round bye in the College Football Playoff after cruising past Alabama in the SEC championship, 28-7. It was arguably Georgia’s best performance of the season, as it controlled both sides of the ball the entire game.
Kirby Smart’s squad may have put together another impressive season, but there were certainly some hiccups along the way for the Dawgs. The first came in Week 3 against Tennessee, where a late missed field goal from the Vols forced overtime as Georgia escaped on top.
The very next week, UGA was handed its first and only loss of the season when the Tide snapped Georgia’s 33-game home win streak in Sanford Stadium. After rolling past Kentucky, the Dawgs once again found their back against the wall with Auburn and Ole Miss, escaping with wins in both close matchups. In total, Smart’s squad trailed at half in four of its first five SEC games, finishing 3-1 in those four games.
The second half of the season was a smoother ride, headlined by a dominant win over then-No. 10 Texas, 35-10. The Georgia defense that fans had grown accustomed to seemed to hit its stride to close out the regular season, allowing 10 points or fewer in its last four matchups.
Georgia shut down the Rebels’ star running back Kewan Lacy in their first matchup, holding him to 31 yards on the ground — the lowest total of the season for the nation’s sixth leading rusher. The Dawgs’ rush defense ranks fourth in the country, and Smart’s squad will look limit Lacy again on New Year’s Day.
The offense is led by quarterback Gunner Stockton, who potentially had his best game of the season back in October against the Rebels, throwing for 289 and four scores, adding another six on the ground. The Bulldogs did trail most of the game, forcing Stockton into more passing situations, but the first-year starter stepped up in what was a much-needed win for Smart’s team.
🦈 Ole Miss (12-1)
The Rebels enter the Sugar Bowl coming off a dominant 41-10 win over No. 11 Tulane in the first round. There were a lot of questions surrounding Ole Miss after its head coach Lane Kiffin departed for LSU after the regular season, but former defensive coordinator and new head coach Pete Golding appears to have kept his team in its stride.
The Rebels smothered the Green Wave the same way they did in late September when they won 45-10. However, round two with the Bulldogs will certainly be a different test for the new head coach.
Ole Miss’ regular season was not far off from the Bulldogs, with some early season close calls to Kentucky, Arkansas and LSU and a loss to a now-CFP team in Georgia. And same as the Dawgs, the Rebels caught fire over the second half of the year, capturing a huge road win over Oklahoma and rolling past its final four opponents by at least two scores.
Their high-powered offense ranks second in the nation in total yards at 498 per game, led by former DII national champion Trinidad Chambliss under center, with Lacy averaging over 100 per game on the ground.
Chambliss stepped in early in the season after the former starter Austin Simmons went down with a leg injury. He has somewhat quietly put together a phenomenal season, passing for over 3,000 yards and tossing only three interceptions.
If we learned anything from the first matchup between the two, this game will likely come down to who can slow down the opposing offense more. The Rebels were on fire in their first game, scoring a touchdown on their first five drives. But the Dawgs came up with clutch stops in the fourth, giving their offense a chance to comeback and win the game.
This one will likely be decided in a similar way, but this time Georgia won’t have Sanford Stadium backing it up. Can Pete Golding preserve one of Ole Miss’ best seasons in program history, or will Kirby Smart push Georgia one step closer to another national championship? Regardless, fans should be in store for an entertaining showdown in the quarterfinal round’s last game on New Year’s Day.
