Ole Miss Rebels Fall To No. 13 In AP Poll Following Loss To Georgia Bulldogs
The Ole Miss Rebels might not be in contention to make the College Football Playoff, but it could be a contender to remain a front-runner for a New Year's Six Bowl bid.
The Rebels dropped four spots in the Associated Press Poll rankings following their 52-17 loss to No. 2 Georgia in Athens on Saturday, debuting at No. 13 for Week 12. Ole Miss faces Louisiana-Monroe before taking on in-state rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving.
Lane Kiffin knew Saturday's matchup at Samford Stadium would be a literal dogfight, but few believed it would become a bloodbath. After Quinshon Judkins scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, it was all Georgia, who went on a 38-3 run through the final 40 minutes to clinch the SEC East division title.
The Rebels (8-2, 5-2 SEC) were without starting right tackle Micah Pettus. Five snaps later, Ole Miss was on its third-string lineman following a Jayden Williams injury. Three starting offensive linemen missed reps throughout the night, thus leading to a sluggish offensive performance.
"It is what it is," Kiffin said postgame. "It's part of the game, but obviously not exactly the ideal defense that you wanna be playing without your right tackle. Then, a few snaps into the game, you lose the next tackle that you have in there playing. So, we had to move guys around a lot. And lost the center there late, too."
There's still a slight concern surrounding quarterback Jaxson Dart's status moving forward toward the Egg Bowl. Dart, who's been one of the better quarterbacks in SEC play, left during the third quarter with what the ESPN broadcast reported to be a collarbone injury.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart sacked by Georgia Bulldogs players at Samford Stadium in Athens, Ga.
© Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
He did not return to the sidelines after entering the locker room. Dart finished 10-for-17 passing for 112 yards and an interception.
"He was able to return after getting checked out," Kiffin said. "Just didn't see a need at that point (for him) to come back in."
The Rebels will need a bit of luck on their side to secure a New Year's Six bid as one of four top-ranked SEC programs. Missouri, which dismantled Tennessee 36-7 at home, moved up three spots to No. 11 in preparation for its final two games against Florida and Arkansas.
Alabama, which defeated Ole Miss in Week 4, clinched its spot in the SEC Championship game next month against the Bulldogs. The Crimson Tide (9-1, 7-0) would likely be the representative for the SEC's automatic New Year's Six bid should they lose to the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss returns to Vaught-Hemingway for its home finale against the Warhawks on Saturday at 11 a.m.
