Rebels start fast, stop Georgia
Ole Miss doesn’t ease up with big lead
(23) OLE MISS 45, (11) GEORGIA 14
USA Today Network — Mississippi and felt like you could have won, and when you hear about it with all of the social media world, it hurts,” coach Hugh Freeze said. “It stings. This one is pretty special.”
The win snapped the Rebels’ 10game losing streak to the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC), which dated to 1996. The rout was kick-started by Derrick Jones’ 52-yard pick-six, which gave Ole Miss a 10-0 lead with 7:12 left in the first quarter.
There was no letup offensively. Chad Kelly evaded a sack and launched a 55-yard touchdown pass to receiver DaMarkus Lodge, who gave Ole Miss a 24-0 lead. It gave Kelly a school-record 17th consecutive game with a touchdown pass, breaking the record held by Eli Manning.
The Rebels took possession again with 2:10 left in the half. Against Alabama, Ole Miss was in a similar position but elected to run off clock instead of attacking.
Freeze changed his mindset Saturday.
“I’d say yes,” Freeze said. “I’m probably better when I just go with my gut, and I felt good. We had three timeouts, too. We were going to call everything we wanted to call at that point.”
Ole Miss went on the attack and the drive ended with Kelly’s 9-yard TD pass to Engram, who finished with six receptions for 95 yards, with 43 seconds left in the half.
The Rebels’ defense made life difficult for Georgia true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason.
Eason completed 16 of 36 passes for 137 yards and was sacked three times. Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb finished with 57 yards before he left with an ankle injury in the second quarter. Sony Michel rushed for 66 yards.
Kelly’s star shined brightest during the game. He was 18 of 24 passing for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He ran untouched for a 41-yard score in third quarter, which put the Rebels ahead 45-0.
“I was just a lot more calm. I knew I had to go out there and execute the game plan and just take care of the football, and that’s what I was able to do,” Kelly said.