For the third time this year, the College Football Playoff will feature a regular-season rematch when SEC foes No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 3 Georgia face off in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.
The Rebels controlled the first meeting between these two for three quarters in Athens, but watched as Georgia ripped off 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to escape with a 43-35 victory. Both teams are undefeated since that game, but that fourth-quarter comeback from Georgia seemed to pull out another level from the Bulldogs that they’ve shown in a dominant second half of the season.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, has famously gone through a tumultuous last month, with Lane Kiffin leaving for LSU hanging over the team for weeks. Despite all of the drama surrounding Kiffin’s departure, the Rebels looked like a focused team that hadn’t lost a step in their first-round matchup with Tulane, dismantling the Green Wave for a second time this season in a 41-10 victory.
Now they’ll have their sights set on avenging their lone loss of the season in the Sugar Bowl against a Georgia team that finished the season in elite form, but will be having to get going again after a four-week layoff.
Will we see a refreshed, well-rested Georgia team or a Bulldogs team trying to shake off rust? Will Ole Miss exact revenge or was that first meeting the best they could muster against this Georgia team? We dive into a fascinating Sugar Bowl matchup below.
Where to watch Georgia vs. Ole Miss live
Date: Thursday, Jan. 1 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Caesars Superdome — New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Georgia vs. Ole Miss: Players to watch in Sugar Bowl
Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss: The first meeting between Ole Miss and Georgia was a shootout with 78 combined points. Chambliss played a huge role in that, throwing for 263 yards and one touchdown, while adding 42 yards and a pair of TDs on the ground. He was lights-out for the first three quarters, but struggled in the fourth quarter going 1-for-10 passing as Georgia came back to win. That fourth quarter was the catalyst for this Georgia defense’s second-half improvement, and Chambliss will have to find a way to produce for all 60 minutes in this one for Ole Miss to have a chance. All season, Chambliss has found ways to rise to the occasion, and his emergence in taking over as the starter in Week 3 saw this Ole Miss team go from good to great. He may have to find a way to level up again this week if the Rebels are to make it to the semifinals, but nothing he’s done this year suggests he won’t be ready for this stage.
Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia: Stockton had perhaps his best game of the season against the Rebels the first go around, completing 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. It was a sensational performance and indicative of how he seems capable of giving the Bulldogs exactly what they need in any given situation. Stockton isn’t a draft darling and may not have a professional future, but there’s an argument to be made that he’s Kirby Smart’s ideal quarterback. Georgia wants to run the football, control the tempo and grind teams to dust with a physical attack on both sides of the ball, which Stockton helps as a solid runner and accurate short-throw passer. However, what’s made this particular Georgia team so good this year is Stockton’s ability to raise his level as a passer when the Bulldogs have been forced to shift to Plan B. Against Tennessee and Ole Miss, Stockton proved he can sling it downfield when Georgia needs it, throwing for a combined 591 yards and six touchdowns in those games, with an average yards per attempt of 9.5 — compared to a season average of 7.6.
Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss: Lacy ran for 1,366 yards and 21 touchdowns this season as one of the most productive backs in all of college football. However, he had just 12 carries for 31 yards in the first meeting, and Ole Miss’ fourth-quarter collapse happened in part because of a lack of commitment to running the ball. In the fourth quarter, they ran the ball one time (for 12 yards) on their three drives. Given Georgia’s improvement in the second half of the season in getting pressure on the quarterback, Ole Miss is going to need to commit to giving Lacy the ball to create some offensive balance if they’re going to keep the Dawgs’ pass rushers from teeing off.
C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia: The All-American linebacker sets the tone for the Georgia defense and will be leading the charge against Chambliss and Lacy. He does a bit of everything, leading the team in tackles (85) and tackles for loss (8) and is second in sacks (3.5), and he’ll be at the center of the Bulldogs’ plan to slow down the Ole Miss attack. He had 10 tackles in their first meeting and figures to be similarly active in this one.
Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia: Branch is Georgia’s big-play threat in the passing game, but it’s often through the quick game and letting him go to work in the open field. Ole Miss will have to be locked in on the perimeter and their defensive backs are going to be challenged to make tackles in space. All it takes is one miss for Branch to create an explosive play, and the Dawgs will likely look to give him numerous opportunities to make that happen.
Wydett Williams Jr., S, Ole Miss: This feels like a game where Ole Miss may need its defense to steal a possession or two via turnover. Georgia doesn’t turn it over often, but if Ole Miss can make this thing a shootout again where Georgia feels the need to throw it downfield a bunch, Williams is the best bet to create a turnover. He leads the team with three interceptions and eight passes defended this season, and he might look to jump a route and create a big play to swing this game.
Georgia vs. Ole Miss prediction, pick
Ole Miss will have some confidence that they can put up points on this Georgia defense, but I expect them to run into a different level of resistance from the Bulldogs this time around. I don’t think Stockton will replicate his scintillating passing performance from the first meeting, but largely because he won’t be asked to. This Georgia squad seems to be peaking at the right time and I just believe they’re a tier above this Ole Miss squad. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rebels find some early offensive success on script, but I don’t think it’ll be as sustainable as the first meeting and, eventually, Georgia breaks it open and wins fairly comfortably. PICK: Georgia -6.5
