Joel Klatt describes SEC powerhouse as 'hard to kill' after another comeback win

Georgia’s comeback win over Ole Miss prompted Joel Klatt to call the Bulldogs “hard to kill.”

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt spoke highly of the Georgia Bulldogs after their comeback win against Ole Miss on Saturday. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Georgia’s season has followed a familiar rhythm, one that seems to start with early concern and end in confident control. For the third time this year, the Bulldogs fell behind by multiple scores before turning everything around in the second half. Their 43–35 win over Ole Miss at Sanford Stadium was another test of resilience for a team that refuses to stay down.

Gunner Stockton completed 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns, three to tight end Lawson Luckie, leading a Georgia offense that scored on every drive until the game’s final kneel-downs. The Bulldogs trailed 35–26 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Rebels 17–0 the rest of the way. It was the latest reminder that under head coach Kirby Smart, Georgia’s strength is no longer rooted only in suffocating defense, but also in the team’s mental and physical durability.

Afterward, Smart summed it up in the simplest possible way. “The one thing we are, we’re hard to kill. We won’t go away,” he said. The victory kept Georgia’s SEC title hopes alive and moved the program to 6–1 on the season, three of those wins coming after trailing by double digits.

Joel Klatt Praises Georgia’s Resilience

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt credited Georgia’s poise and persistence on Monday’s episode of The Joel Klatt Show. “How about Georgia, folks? Georgia is just hard to kill,” he said. “Again, a multiple-possession deficit. And again, Georgia comes back to win. Third win for Georgia when falling behind two scores.”

Klatt highlighted how the Bulldogs have turned second-half adjustments into a weekly expectation. “If you evaluate it over 60 minutes, they just don’t have duds,” he said. “Even in the Bama game in which they lost, they’re putting themselves in a position after the 14-point deficit to come back and potentially win the game.”

Georgia Bulldogs tight end Lawson Luckie (7) scored three touchdowns on five receptions for 43 yards against Ole Miss. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

He added that Georgia’s persistence comes from both its culture and its quarterback. “That Georgia team is just like nine lives,” Klatt said. “They take their entire M.O. from Gunner Stockton. He can’t be denied. He’s a Haynes King that can throw. He reminds me so much of watching TCU a couple of years ago with Max Duggan.”

Klatt described Stockton’s second half against Ole Miss as “so good,” pointing out his perfect 12-for-12 passing stretch with three touchdowns. “He is such a gritty competitor,” Klatt said. “He’s not just a pretty statue back in the pocket that makes plays. He will do whatever it takes to win the football game. And because of that, their team always has a chance.”

Georgia Football Built to Withstand Any Test

Georgia’s 2025 identity is defined by its ability to survive chaos. For nearly a decade, Smart’s teams have relied on defensive dominance. This year, it’s the opposite story. The Bulldogs allowed touchdowns on each of Ole Miss’s first five drives but still found a way to close with three straight stops to end the game. Defensive lineman Jordan Hall said afterward that the fourth quarter felt like a “breath of fresh air” as the group finally delivered under pressure.

Stockton’s toughness also set the tone. Despite missing most of the week’s practices with a sore oblique, he rushed for 59 yards on 10 carries and refused to limit himself. “I said, ‘OK, we won’t use you in the quarterback run game,’ and he said, ‘No coach, I want to run it,’” Smart recalled. That mentality mirrored Georgia’s entire night: shaky early, relentless late.

📊 SEC QBs vs Ranked Teams

Remember all the noise all offseason about how Gunner Stockton couldn't possibly replace the production lost at QB for Georgia.

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Luckie became the focal point of the passing game, catching three touchdowns and finding soft spots in the Rebels’ coverage. Peyton Woodring’s 42-yard field goal sealed the eight-point win after Georgia’s defense forced a turnover on downs to end the game.

The victory lifted Georgia back into the national title conversation, reaffirming the program’s toughness in the face of repeated adversity. “They just keep together. They just believe,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said on the broadcast. Hard to kill, indeed.

The Bulldogs are off this week before facing the Florida Gators on Nov. 1 in Jacksonville.