Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin did not hold back when praising the Georgia Bulldogs ahead of the Rebels’ Oct. 18 game at Georgia. Kiffin went as far as calling Georgia the “premier program in college football over the last five years” in his opinion. Georgia has won two national championships and two SEC championships since the 2020 season.
Kiffin also praised Georgia coach Kirby Smart. He considers Smart “the best coach in college football now” and explained why.
“He (Kirby Smart) finds a way to win a lot of games in a lot of different styles and overcome a lot of adversity in games to keep his team together,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin knows Ole Miss will face a major challenge this week at Georgia, where the Rebels lost 52-17 in 2023.
Ole Miss’ 2023 loss to Georgia prompted Kiffin and the Rebels to change a few things within their program. Ole Miss prioritized the trenches more after they “felt outmanned in the line of scrimmages” against the Bulldogs.
Ole Miss’ changes worked, kind of. Ole Miss beat Georgia 28-10 last season in Oxford behind a dominant defensive day. The Rebels appeared poised to take the next step as a program. However, the Rebels’ dream season and College Football Playoff hopes were derailed in a 24-17 road loss to the Florida Gators in late November.
Ole Miss’ painful loss sticks with Rebel fans, but the 2025 season is a new page for Kiffin and Ole Miss. The Rebels lost 20 of the 22 starters from last year, so this year’s Georgia-Ole Miss game will have a very different look.
Similarly, Georgia’s 2023 and 2024 starting quarterback against the Rebels, Carson Beck, transferred to Miami. The Bulldogs also lost a bunch of talent to the NFL draft and the transfer portal. However, the standard remains the same for Kirby Smart’s team. Georgia first-year starter Gunner Stockton has the third-highest QBR in the country (second in the SEC) at 88.0.
Ole Miss’ starting quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, is a transfer from Ferris State. Chambliss has the No. 8 QBR in the country (third in the SEC) at 84.2. Chambliss has thrown for at least 250 yards in each of his four starts and, similar to Stockton, is a dual-threat quarterback that has avoided interceptions this season. Both players have thrown just one.
The No. 5 Rebels are 6-0 (3-0 in SEC). Ole Miss would really bolster its playoff and SEC championship hopes with a road win against No. 7 Georgia 5-1 (3-1 in SEC).
