Ole Miss vs. Georgia Tech Week 3 Predictions
Ole Miss Football will welcome two new programs to the Southeastern Conference in 2024, but will say hello to a pair of former SEC schools in 2023.
A week after traveling down to Yulman Stadium for a showdown against Cotton Bowl winner Tulane, the Rebels return home to face Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have been lost in recent years — the Geoff Collins era being one of the darker times in program history — but there's a sense of uptick with a new man leading the charge.
New head coach Brent Key, who played on George O'Leary's offensive line in the late-90s, has seen first-hand the necessities it takes to win in Atlanta. He was a part of the 10-2 roster that finished No. 9 in the AP Poll and claimed the ACC title in 1998. Like Leary, Key earned the removal of the interim tag by leading the Yellow Jackets to a 4-4 record following Collins' firing.
Ole Miss traveled down to Atlanta last season for a 42-0 runhousing that included a 300-plus yard performance from the run game. With Zach Evans departing for the pros, could this be the first of many Heisman-like perfromances for Quinshon Judkins?
Here's how The Grove Report staff sees this game going for the Rebels on Sept. 16 at the Vaught.
Timm Hamm
The Yellow Jackets are going to be terrible. They have questions at the quarterback position, and their defense, while improved over last year, will still have nothing for the Rebels. I don't see another 42-0 blowout like last season, but Ole Miss shouldn't have any problems.
Ole Miss 31, Georgia Tech 7
Casey Smith
Ole Miss blew out Georgia Tech 42-0 in 2022 and hasn't lost to the Yellow Jackets since 1953. Former starter Jeff Sims transferred to Nebraska, but the program added Texas A&M gunslinger Haynes King as well as wide receivers Alabama's Christian Leary and Georgia's Dominick Blaylock. Georgia Tech has several defensive backs with upside, including LaMiles Brooks, Clayton Powell-Lee and Jaylon King. The Yellow Jackets picked up Clemson defensive lineman Etinosa Reuben, but it isn't enough to overhaul a unit that allowed 189.1 rush yards per game last season.
Ole Miss is at its best when it can run the football, as six of its top-seven rushing performances last season resulted in wins. Last season in Atlanta, both Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins eclipse the century mark and find the end zone twice. As a team, Ole Miss tallied 316 yards and six scores on the ground. The blueprint this year should stay the same.
Ole Miss 45, Georgia Tech 10
Cole Thompson
Key was the right hire for Georgia Tech, but he inherited a program that has no foundation and needs to be torn down from within. Even with the transfer, this is just stage one of the rebuild, one that will make the program relevant for the long-term. In two years, the Yellow Jackets could be one of the ACC's better programs due to their ability to win on the recruiting trail. For now, adding a peice of two to a front seven that was mangled defending the run won't stop Judkins. It won't stop the passing game, either.
Ole Miss 44, Georgia Tech 17
Ben King
Ole Miss marched into Boddy Dodd Stadium last fall and shut out Georgia Tech on the road, and this year's matchup will end in similar fashion. Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins is going to run all over Georgia Tech's defense and it's secondary will not have an answer for Ole Miss' passing game. I am also predicting Ex-Georgia Tech cornerback Zamari Walton to have a big game against his former team.
Ole Miss 31, Georgia Tech 7
John Macon Gillespie
I think Ole Miss, despite the changes at Georgia Tech, simply is more talented than the Yellow Jackets. Similar to last season, I think the Rebels have a big day against Tech, in both the passing and rushing departments.
Ole Miss 42, Georgia Tech 24
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