Position-by-position edge: Georgia vs. Ole Miss
Ole Miss is 1-2 and hosting 3-0 and No. 12 Georgia on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Both teams are coming off emotional games as the Rebels suffered a tough loss against the Crimson Tide, while the Bulldogs enjoyed a narrow victory over Mizzou.
The No. 23 Rebels are favored at home, but here is a position-by-position look at which team has the edge in this matchup.
WHEN OLE MISS HAS THE BALL
Chad Kelly vs. Georgia pass defense: Georgia is ranked third in the SEC in pass defense, and Ole Miss is second in passing offense. The Rebels average better than 325 yards per game, 110 more yards than Georgia allows. Georgia allowed the top SEC passing team Missouri to throw for its average, 376 yards.
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Ole Miss threw for 421 yards and 3 TDs vs. Alabama last week. Ole Miss has been lethal in the first half but is still trying to put four quarters together.
EDGE: Ole Miss
Ole Miss running backs vs. Georgia run defense: Georgia is allowing only 126 yards rushing per game. The Rebels are reeling there, still. Their 114 yards per game is better than only South Carolina. Ole Miss has rushed for 342 yards as a team. Nick Chubb has rushed for 365 himself.
EDGE: Georgia
Ole Miss receivers vs. Georgia secondary: Free safety Quincy Mauger and DB Juwuan Briscoe each have a pair of interceptions. Both of Mauger’s came on Saturday as he continues to come back from an ankle injury. The Bulldogs picked off Missouri three times. The Rebels’ receivers are physical as you saw Damore’ea Stringfellow and A.J. Brown both outmuscle Alabama defensive backs last Saturday. Chad Kelly has thrown three picks but is shouldering the blame, and the Rebels are going to have to fix that fast.
EDGE: Ole Miss
WHEN GEORGIA HAS THE BALL
Jacob Eason vs. Ole Miss pass defense: Georgia is throwing for 233 yards per game, and the freshman is completing better than 55 percent of his passes.
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Ole Miss hasn’t been able to get to the passer as its four sacks is tied for 10th in the SEC. That may be skewed because of the running threats Deondre Francois and Jalen Hurts brought to the table. Ole Miss is allowing 216 passing yards per game, which is fourth-best in the SEC.
EDGE: Ole Miss
Nick Chubb vs. Ole Miss run defense: Quarterbacks have been giving the Rebels fits on the ground. This week, Chubb will be a problem. Ole Miss is allowing nearly five yards per carry, better than only Vanderbilt in the SEC. The Rebels held Florida State’s Dalvin Cook to 91 yards on 23 carries, but Francois averaged 6.6 yards per his nine runs in that game. Chubb is the focus and is averaging 122 yards per game. A chunky 222 of those yards came in the opener, but Ole Miss has put its defense on the field too much and Chubb will be a load in the second half.
EDGE: Georgia
Georgia receivers vs. Ole Miss pass defense: The Rebels rank fourth in the conference in pass defense. Isaiah McKenzie is going to test that. McKenzie has established himself as one of the SEC’s best, ranking second in the league with 305 receiving yards. Ole Miss has been freshman-heavy in coverage with promising potential from guys like Jalen Julius, Jaylon Jones and Montrell Custis, but McKenzie will be a tough test.
EDGE: Georgia
