OXFORD, Miss. — Georgia football played its first game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday since way back in 2016 in Kirby Smart’s first season as head coach.
These Bulldogs are accustomed to being away from home. This was their sixth game outside of Athens this season and fourth true road game. But they’re not used to losing on the road.
Saturday night ended in the Bulldogs’ second of the season as Ole Miss came out on top, 28-10.
Rebels kicker Caden Davis was to thank, adding 15 points alone with field goal attempts. There were only three touchdowns scored on the evening. Georgia’s was by Nate Fraizer in the first quarter, a 2-yard rush. Ulysses Bentley and Antwane Wells added rushes for Ole Miss.
Fans rushed the field with 16 seconds left on the clock, not even letting the game finish, too excited to celebrate Lane Kiffin’s most significant win as head coach. They were cleared off, only to rush back on when the clock hit zero. Watch out for a goalpost in the streets tonight, Oxford.
Smart, on Tuesday, could be heard outside the Bulldogs’ practice fields calling on his microphone for piped in crowd noise to be made louder.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said he hoped Rebel fans would “bring energy in this matchup that we saw when we went to Georgia. The place was electric in warm-ups 30 minutes before kickoff. They put us at night there. It’s earlier here, but it would be awesome for our fans to have the same type of energy and impact.”
It’s Georgia’s fourth game against a ranked opponent. The Rebels are No. 12 in the coaches poll and No. 16 in the CFP rankings. Georgia is No. 2 and 3, respectively.
“It’s great, we love the pressure,” center Jared Wilson said. “We love to live up to the hype. It will be fun.”
This section will be updated when the game begins
Georgia falls 28-10 to Ole Miss, completing the 2024 road schedule. They will begin their final, three-game homestand next week, hosting Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. They Bulldogs are now 7-2 overall, 5-2 in the SEC.
Caden Davis ended a short, 4-play, 5-yard drive with a 32-yard field goal for Ole Miss. He’s 5-for-5 tonight on field goals, longest one being 53-yards. Ole Miss leads 28-10 with 1:08 left in the fourth quarter.
Caden Davis extended the Rebels lead to 15 points after kicking a 24-yard field goal. The score capped a 10-play, 68-yard drive and put Ole Miss up 25-10 with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter.
Jaxson Dart hit Antwane Wells on a 10-yard pass to put Ole Miss up 22-10 on the very next drive, capping an 8-play, 75-yard run. The field goal attempt failed. Ole Miss leads still with 6:10 to go in the third quarter.
Peyton Woodring kicked a 23-yard field goal for Georgia to put the game within one score. Ole Miss leads 16-10 with 9:35 to go in the third quarter.
Caden Davis connected on his third field goal of the game, this one from 53, to put Ole Miss up 16-7 with 2:55 to go in the first half.
Caden Davis booted a 43-yard field goal to extend the Ole Miss lead to 13-7. Ole Miss has scored on its last three possessions now after a 9-play, 51-yard drive.
Jaxson Dart returned to the game and completed a 26-yard pass to help set up a 23-yard Caden Davis field goal. Ole Miss leads 10-7 after the 44-yard drive.
Backup quarterback Austin Simmons just led the Rebels on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The Rebels got a 9-yard touchdown run from Ulysses Bentley. Simmons was 5 of 6 for 64 yards on the drive. 7-7 with 6:53 to go in the first.
Dan Jackson’s interception gave Georgia a short field and the Bulldogs kept it on the ground on all but one play of a seven-play drive. Nate Frazier’s 2-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal puts Georgia up 7-0 with 10:32 to go in the first quarter. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart went to the locker room after the first series, according to ABC.
Offensive guard Micah Morris, who started in place of an injured Tate Ratledge, is dressed out, but did not work the first or second team when the units finished up warm-ups. Georgia could slide tackle Xavier Truss over the guard if needed behind Ratledge.
Offensive right guard Tate Ratledge is working with the starting unit with Micah Morris with the second-team. Trevor Etienne appears to be the first running back going through the line coming off his rib injury.
Defensive lineman Jordan Hall, who has yet to play this season due to leg injuries, looks like he has plenty of energy during warmups. Inside linebacker Smael Mondon is going through warmups but would expected he’d play in a backup role if at all coming off his foot injury.
The latest SEC availability report has upgraded inside linebacker Smael Mondon (foot) and offensive guard Micah Morris (leg) to game time decisions. Defensive lineman Jordan Hall (legs) is no longer listed, indicating he’s available to play. Ole Miss top receiver Trae Harris also is listed as a game time decision.
Rain could factor into this one, but Georgia has prepped for it.
“They were just spraying the ball all practice with water,” center Jared Wilson said Tuesday. “The thing you can do to work on it is just get reps in practice.”
Kirby Smart addressed wet conditions on his radio show Thursday night.
“These type games you’ve got to really be patient, you’ve got to be smart,” he said. “When are the best conditions going to be there, are there going to be any best conditions? Who deals with that best? Ball security certainly becomes a factor in that. We’ve got to prevent explosive plays and we’ve got to make them.”
He said he talks to both coordinators about “what our best game plan is if turns into sloppy conditions.”
There are 14 NFL teams listed as credentialed for this game, some with multiple reps. They include the Dolphins, Steelers, Vikings, Browns, Giants, Ravens, Patriots, Packers, Commanders, Jets, Saints, Seahawks, Panthers and Eagles.
Here are Georgia’s game captains for today: Junior defensive end Mykel Williams, junior wide receiver Dillon Bell, senior tight end Ben Yurosek and junior linebacker Jalon Wilson.
Your referee today is Jeff Heaser. Fun fact: He was the referee for Georgia’s 65-7 thrashing of TCU in the national title game in the 2022 season.
Settled into the press box here and a downpour just fell on the field. It went past pretty fast and appears to be light rain now.
Rain is in the forecast–99 percent–around 6 p.m. ET, according to a glance at weather.com’s forecast.
NOTE: Georgia vs. Ole Miss will be broadcast nationally on ABC. Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will call the game from the booth at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with Molly McGrath reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+. (Subscription needed) and FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Georgia 31, Ole Miss 24
There is a lot of pressure on Ole Miss to pull the upset after already losing games to Kentucky and LSU this season. Georgia allowed Florida to hang around until late in the fourth quarter last week, but Carson Beck’s interceptions were a big factor. Look for Beck to play better and Georgia’s defense to make enough stops to win.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday:
Georgia: ILB Smael Mondon (foot, questionable), DL Jordan Hall (legs, probable), RB Roderick Robinson (toe, out), RB Branson Robinson (foot, out), DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (lower extremity, out), WR Anthony Evans (hamstring, out), OG Micah Morris (leg, questionable).
Ole Miss: WR Izaiah Hartrup (undisclosed, out), RB Henry Parrish Jr. (leg, out), RB Logan Diggs (undisclosed, out), RB Matt Jones (undisclosed, doubtful), WR Tre Harris (lower body, questionable), WR Jordan Watkins (undisclosed, probable), OL Jayden Williams (undisclosed, doubtful), OL Caleb Warren (undisclosed, doubtful), DE Jared Ivey (undisclosed, questionable), WR Cayden Lee (undisclosed, probable), OL Caleb Warren (undisclosed, probable), TE Carden Prieskorn (undisclosed, probable).
The forecast calls for rain and possible thunder with a high of 70 with winds ESE at 5 to 10 miles per hour, according to weather.com. Chance of rain is 90 percent.
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