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What our Georgia insider is watching for in CFP game vs. Ole Miss
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- What our Georgia insider is watching for in CFP game vs. Ole Miss
Georgia football has done the return bowl trip in back-to-back years before under coach Kirby Smart.
That was to New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl, too, when the Bulldogs ended the 2018 season with a loss to Texas and finished the 2019 season by beating Baylor.
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The stakes weren't as high in those games.
This time, Georgia is headed back to the Caesars Superdome for another College Football Playoff quarterfinal game.
Note Dame downed Georgia 23-10 last year in the Sugar Bowl.
Sixth-seed Ole Miss is seeking an upset of No. 3 Georgia this time.
Smart said Georgia's approach this time hasn't changed much.
"I mean, we don't think that we did anything wrong in the prep last year," he said. "We didn't necessarily play a great game, but we also played a really good football team, extremely talented defense, and we've got to play better. We had a block of middle eight where we played really poorly, but I don't think there was anything wrong with our prep. …We trust the prep we have. We trust the rest and recovery we've had, and we're going to trust the plan we have to go out there and play at a high level."
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When does Georgia play next?
The Bulldogs face Ole Miss Jan. 1 in New Orleans. The game will air on ESPN and kick off at 8 p.m. ET
Georgia vs. Ole Miss scouting report
These three factors and players will likely have the biggest impact on the outcome for this matchup.
1. Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy 's availability
The All-American running back set a program record with 21 rushing touchdowns, but the sophomore who has rushed for 1,366 yards this season sustained a left shoulder injury in the first-round win over Tulane. His status for the game is in question. The Missouri transfer rushed for two touchdowns in the first game against Georgia but was held to 31 yards on 12 carries. Logan Diggs (181 yards, 4TD) would carry more of the load without Lacy.
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2.Georgia defense needs to limit explosive plays
Georgia defines explosive plays as a 12-yard run or a 16-yard completion. Ole Miss had 5 of those, which was less than five other opponents did. The Rebels did cash in on a 75-yard Trinidad Chambliss to De'Zhaun Stribling touchdown. Ole Miss leads the nation in offensive plays of 30 or more yards with 45, tied with South Florida . Its 35 pass plays of 30 or more yards leads the nation, per cfbstats.com. The Bulldogs rank seventh in the nation in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score 71 percent of the time.
3. Gunner Stockton and offense need to cook
Georgia's offense with quarterback Gunner Stockton has found ways to win in high-scoring games ― 44-41 at Tennessee , 43-35 over Ole Miss and 41-21 at Mississippi State ― and games where points were at a premium like the 20-10 win at Auburn and 16-9 against Georgia Tech . The Bulldogs have played complementary football, but this could be a game where the offense needs someone to elevate their game like Lawson Luckie did with 3 touchdown catches in round one with the Rebels. Stockton doesn't need to throw for 300 yards for the Bulldogs to win, but he needs to take advantage of opportunities in the passing game that are there as well as get yards that are there with his feet.
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What Georgia, Ole Miss coaches, players, have said about game
Ole Miss scored touchdowns on its first five possessions, but this Georgia defense that relied on its share of inexperienced players has grown up down the stretch and has been hard to score against.
The Bulldogs trailed 35-26 entering the fourth quarter against Ole Miss, but the Rebels were shut out from there.
"I do think that those stops were huge for us from a confidence standpoint, but there's a lot of the game that there weren't stops," Smart said. "And they do a really good job. They're hard to stop. They're explosive for a reason. They have good players, they have good tempo, they have good schemes, and the quarterback makes things go and so does the back."
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Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss told the SEC Network after the first-round win over Tulane about the first Georgia game: "We were rolling on first three quarters vs. Georgia, clicking on all cylinders and then the fourth quarter came. I had some bad throws. It kind of got in my head a little bit. The crowd started getting loud. I definitely got to execute better in the fourth quarter and hopefully we get our get back this game."
Pete Golding, promoted to head coach after Lane Kiffin left for the LSU job, said: "They've been in a lot of big games and Kirby does an unbelievable job. They don't panic. There's something that you're gonna have to close out the game in the fourth quarter, just like we didn't do last time."
Georgia vs. Ole Miss prediction
Georgia seems about as locked in as can be given player movement is about to crank up with the transfer portal opening next month. A good chunk of the Ole Miss coaching staff is pulling double duty for their new jobs at LSU, but will turn attention to this game after Christmas. The Bulldogs were on a heater when they hit the playoff bye. Expect them to pick up where they left off with the defense raising its game considerably since the first matchup. The pick: Georgia 34, Ole Miss 21.
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Georgia vs. Ole Miss tickets
You can find College Football Playoff tickets for Georgia vs. Ole Miss on StubHub
College Football Playoff bracket 2025-26 dates
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First round:Dec. 19 and 20
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Quarterfinals:Dec. 31 and Jan. 1
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Semifinals:Jan. 8 and 9
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National championship:Jan. 19
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: When does Georgia play Ole Miss in Sugar Bowl? CFP schedule, prediction
