Ole Miss–Georgia Keys to the Game: Battle of QBs, Ground Game Dominance

In a rematch of a regular-season meeting, Ole Miss and Georgia will have plenty of data on the other in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup.

The battle of the quarterbacks between Mississippi’s Trinidad Chambliss and Georgia’s Gunner Stockton (not shown) will be key. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

This season’s New Year’s Day quarterfinal between Mississippi and Georgia is a study in the familiar as much as it is the contemporary. 

On one hand, everything about this trip to the College Football Playoff is something fresh for the Rebels, their first venture into the postseason chase for the national title and one of the program’s rare appearances in a game of such consequence—perhps the biggest in school history given what’s at stake.

On the other hand, it’s also something that is hardly unfamiliar between the lines for both sides. This is a matchup of two conference rivals who played earlier this season between the hedges in a key game that helped the Bulldogs win the SEC. This will also be Ole Miss’s third trip to New Orleans to ring in the new year at this bowl in the past decade and marks a familiar sight for Kirby Smart’s program given that they were also here just last year. 

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All of that adds to what should be a terrific matchup between one of the most dynamic offenses in the country and one of the true favorites to make it all the way to Miami to hoist the golden trophy. 

With all that in mind, here are three key storylines for an exciting quarterfinal game as the Bulldogs and Rebels each look to move on to the CFP semifinals next week: 

1. What changes will we see from the first matchup?

It’s an interesting quirk of the bracket that Ole Miss will play two regular-season rematches, and that 43–35 shootout with Georgia represents the lone blemish on the Rebels’ 12–1 record. 

While plenty has changed in Oxford, Miss., given Lane Kiffin’s tumultuous departure for LSU in recent weeks, the team itself is largely still the one that ran off five consecutive touchdown drives against the Bulldogs in the first go-around before wobbling ever so slightly in the fourth quarter. 

“I think the biggest thing is not overthinking it. Neither one of us are the same team we were when we played there,” new Mississippi coach Pete Golding said. “Sometimes the more you know about people, the cuter you try to get, and you try to overthink things and put too much in the package. Because the call is not going to win this game. The execution of the call is going to win the game. You’ve got to be really sound, you’ve got to be smart.”

That much is true, though it will be interesting to see what each side of the red-and-blue divide in this game has in store that will be different from the first meeting. In the NFL, there is often talk of counters to opposing team’s counters when they play divisional opponents for a second time in a season, and it should be a great chess match in New Orleans to see what the head coaches and coordinators have in store for each other. Don’t be surprised if there are a few new wrinkles and additional elements to the game plans come Thursday night, especially given how successful both teams were in moving the sticks offensively in the first game in Athens, Ga.

2. Both quarterbacks are aiming to prove the doubters wrong

Outside of the coaching drama, the biggest story that has enveloped the Rebels’ season has been the interest in their quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, pretty much Wally Pipp’ing incumbent starter Austin Simmons and going from a backup out of the Division II ranks to one of the best signal-callers in the SEC this season. He accounted for three total touchdowns in the first game against Georgia and is just the kind of player who tends to give Smart’s defenses problems given his ability to extend plays and pick up first downs with his legs. 

Still, there’s been plenty of external doubt over his ability to get the job done on the big stage that a CFP quarterfinal offers against one of the biggest programs around, something he can very much quiet with a good performance in the game. 

The same is largely true of Gunner Stockton, who completed 70% of his passes and accounted for 31 touchdowns this season but is still viewed as a bit of a weak link with Georgia’s offense given how little is put on his shoulders in terms of having to go out and win games on a regular basis.

“He’s gotten better. I mean, he’s the leader of our team. He’s the guy, the catalyst that makes us go with his legs and his arm, and the players play hard for him,” Smart said of Stockton this week. “I’m proud of his growth this season. He’s played some really good teams. He’ll play another good team in two days, and I have so much appreciation for what he’s done for our overall team with his leadership, his mindset and his approach.”

The head coaches are both firm believers in their field generals going into this game but each can add some more support to those ranks with a couple of big-time throws and piling up an impressive stat line on Thursday.

3. Run the dang ball

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy told reporters this week that he’s good to go for the quarterfinal game and will be fully available come kickoff after briefly exiting the first-round win over Tulane with a banged-up shoulder. While such an injury can hamper a tailback’s effectiveness given how many hits they take, the fact that the sophomore remains insistent that he’s healthy is a huge boost for the Rebels offense. Lacy was ninth in the country in yards per game on the ground and his 21 rushing touchdowns were the most in the power conferences by a wide margin. 

Georgia’s ground game is much more of a committee approach, with Stockton contributing on scrambles and designed quarterback runs to supplement the work that Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens and others do between the tackles. A couple of weeks off after the SEC title game has allowed for the running back room to get rested and healthy, and you can bet there will be no hesitation for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to lean on this group to churn out yards and keep the clock moving. 

Likewise, as important as it is to run the ball for both teams, bottling up the attack and making each team one-dimensional will be paramount for each defense. Georgia had the No. 4 rushing defense in FBS this year (79 yards allowed per game), while Ole Miss was a bit more pliable in that department by giving up almost double that (148 yards per game). 

Given that this is a game featuring two defensive-minded head coaches and with the pressure that a quarterfinal brings, finding ways to successfully run the ball while limiting the opponent in the same area will be paramount to victory in this all-SEC clash between familiar foes.

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