The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Weren't Letting Another Slip Away
9/24/2016 | Football, Blog
Ole Miss once again raced out to an early lead against a top-15 opponent. This time, against No. 11 Georgia, they didn't let the game slip away. Or even come close to becoming a competitive game. Instead, it looked like the two teams didn't belong on the same field together.Â
"We had really good work in practice, but we were not emotional," Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said. "My gut told me all week that its a great sign. They're disappointed. They're ticked, and they'll be ready to go."
They were ready to go. The Rebels played a near flawless game after an emotional game last week, easily dispatching the Bulldogs 45-14. Ole Miss put up the first 45 points of the game to never give Georgia a chance. The Rebels scored on its first drive and continued the onslaught throughout the first half to build the largest halftime lead since the 2008 Egg Bowl at 31-0.Â
"I have tremendous respect for the Georgia Bulldogs and their program," Freeze said. "Kirby (Smart) is going to do a great job. I can't think of many times in my lifetime where a team has done that to Georgia."
Georgia isn't a team that's accustomed to being blown out like the Rebels did to them. Since 2004, they had only trailed by more than two scores at halftime 10 times. The 31-point loss was Georgia's worst since 2011.Â
Chad Kelly and the offense shredded the Georgia defense, putting up over 500 yards for the second-consecutive week. The big stat, though, was that Kelly turned the ball over zero times. The mistakes that plagued the Rebels for two games this season didn't exist on Saturday.Â
"Everybody wants to make it out to be great strategy by the opposing coaches or us," Freeze said. "The reality is that if we don't turn the ball over, we don't talk about all the strategy. That's what happened to us in both of those game."
The success on offense wasn't limited to throwing the ball in the air. Ole Miss racked up 180 yards on the ground. Since Freeze took over, Ole Miss is now 31-3 when rushing for at least 150 yards.Â
"I love running the football," Freeze said. "It sets up our pass, and you have to have the appearance that you're willing to run it. I've said all along that I thought we could before the year is up. Today we were efficient enough that I knew we were balanced."
The defense returned to its opportunistic Landshark form, forcing freshman quarterback Jacob Eason to turn the ball over twice. Getting off the field had been an issue for Ole Miss, but it wasn't against Georgia. The Bulldogs finished 4-for-16 on third down conversions, and a couple of those came late in the game.Â
"We had some different things in the backend that I don't think he's seen," Freeze said. "Our guys collapsed the pocket on him early on. It was a good plan by (defensive coordinator) Dave (Wommack) and his staff."
The win was Ole Miss' eighth against a top-15 team since Freeze took over in 2012. In that time span, only Alabama and Stanford have more.Â
