Georgia flipped a switch in the fourth quarter and looked like a completely different defense.
The light never came on for Ole Miss.
After 11 straight offensive possessions ended with points during an explosive afternoon in Athens, Georgia tightened the screws defensively and locked down the Ole Miss offense. The result was a 43-35 victory for the ninth-ranked Bulldogs, who moved to 6-1 on the season and handed the fifth-ranked Rebels their first loss of the year.
For 3 quarters, Georgia had no answer for the Ole Miss offense. The Rebels scored touchdowns on all 5 of their offensive possessions through the first 45 minutes of the game. They had 338 yards of offense, a 6.9 yards-per-play average, and a 35-26 lead going into the fourth.
The second-half adjustments that have become a staple of Georgia’s season thus far materialized in the fourth. The Bulldogs got pressure, sped up Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, and short-circuited the Rebels’ attack.
In the fourth, Ole Miss ran 11 plays, gained 13 yards, and produced 1 first down.
After Gunner Stockton hit Nate Frazier for a 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth, the Rebels went 3-and-out and punted for the first time in the game.
Stockton drove the offense down the field and then found Lawson Luckie over the middle for a 7-yard score to give the Dawgs a 40-35 lead.
On its next possession, Ole Miss gained 1 yard before punting it right back to the Dawgs. Georgia then drove 66 yards in 10 plays to kick a field goal and give itself some breathing room.
A 12-yard run from Kewan Lacy to open the drive gave Ole Miss some hope, but 4 straight incompletions from Chambliss ended the drive with nothing more than a whimper. Georgia kneeled out the rest of the clock and walked off with a victory.
The Bulldogs have a bye week next weekend before they face Florida in Jacksonville.
Ole Miss has to head to Norman to battle Oklahoma.
Georgia 43, Ole Miss 35
Here’s the Georgia-Ole Miss box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
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