Kirby Smart Discusses Facing Ole Miss Without Lane Kiffin in the Sugar Bowl

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart discusses facing Ole Miss without Lane Kiffin in the Sugar Bowl.

Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talk prior to the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart discusses facing Ole Miss without Lane Kiffin in the Sugar Bowl.

The stage is officially set. The Georgia Bulldogs will rematch against the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl during the quarterfinal round of the college football playoff. The Dawgs won the first game against Ole Miss in the regular season in Athens, Ga.

An important thing to note this time around is Lane Kiffin will not be coaching Ole Miss. Kiffin elected to take the LSU head coaching job after the conclusion of the regular season and is not coaching the Rebels during the playoffs. With that said, most of the staff is in Oxford finishing out the rest of the season. Including defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who is now the head coach, and offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr.

Kiffin was a big part of Ole Miss' offensive game planning and play calling on Saturdays, however Golding would tell you Weiss Jr. is the one who calls the play. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart gave his take on the situation and discussed facing Ole Miss without Kiffin on the other sideline.

Kirby Smart Discusses Facing Ole Miss Without Lane Kiffin

Nov 11, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talks to Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart before a game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"The offensive coordinator and the staff is still all there," Smart said. "They're not going to make overhaul or make hard changes. They've got something that works well. They're playing at a really high level offensively."

Kirby Smart has fared well in rematches as a head coach. In fact, Smart has not lost a single rematch as a head coach. The most recent example being against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game, where they redeemed their regular season loss with a 28-7 win to earn a first round bye in the playoffs.

Georgia was able to get some much needed rest over the last two weeks as they were banged up heading into conference championship weekend. They are hopeful to get some key players back for the game against Ole Miss by the time New Year's day rolls around.

Georgia and Ole Miss got into an offensive shootout the first time around. The Rebels scored on their first five offensive possessions and Georgia did not punt a single time. The Rebels even held a nine point lead in the second half, but quarterback Gunner Stockton was dialed in. He went a perfect 12/12 in the second half and helped lead the Bulldogs to a massive win. It's the only game Ole Miss has lost all season.

Georgia and Ole Miss will face off on Jan. 1 in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. The winner of the game will move on to face the winner of Miami vs Ohio State.