Ole Miss once again raced out to a big lead, but this time the Rebels didn’t look back.
The Rebels scored the first 45 points of the game, as No. 21 Ole Miss dominated No. 11 Georgia 45-14 Saturday afternoon in front of 65,843 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Ole Miss (2-2, 1-1 SEC) posted 510 yards of total offense against Georgia (3-1, 1-1 SEC) and forced two Bulldogs turnovers, as the Rebels scored their most points ever against UGA. The 31-point win was also the largest margin of victory over a top-25 team since the Rebels defeated No. 3 Tennessee in 1969.
Senior quarterback Chad Kelly paced the Ole Miss offense with an efficient 18 of 24 passing for 282 yards and pair of touchdowns. He also added 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground and passed Rebel legend Archie Manning for sixth place in school history with 5,901 yards of total offense. Kelly hit eight different receivers including tight end Evan Engram, who posted six catches for 95 yards and a score.
Ole Miss was also effective in the ground attack, rolling up 180 rushing on 31 attempts led by Kelly’s 53 yards. Four Rebels rushed for 30 yards or more, including Akeem Judd and D’Vaughn Pennamon, who combined for 13 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown.
After forcing a punt on the Bulldogs opening drive, Kelly led the Rebels down to the Georgia 6-yard line but the drive stalled and Ole Miss settled for a 24-yard field goal by Gary Wunderlich to take a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.
On the ensuing Georgia possession, wide receiver-turned-cornerback Derrick Jones picked off UGA quarterback Jacob Eason on third down and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to give the Rebels an early 10-0 lead. The Rebel defense limited UGA to just 4 of 16 on third downs for the game and allowed Georgia to convert only one of its first 12 third-down attempts.
Following another Bulldog punt, the Rebels marched 84 yards in 10 plays capped by a one-yard TD run by Pennamon that gave Ole Miss a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The drive was highlighted by 37-yard pass from wideout Markell Pack to Engram.
Kelly then found wideout DeMarkus Lodge down the sideline as he beat two Georgia defenders for a 55-yard touchdown strike that put Ole Miss up 24-0 midway through the second quarter. The hookup gave Kelly a touchdown pass for the 17th consecutive game, a new school record that passed Rebel great Eli Manning. Kelly found Engram again to punctuate the first half, as hitting his tight end in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown catch that gave the Rebels a 31-0 lead heading to the half.
The Rebels continued the onslaught in the second half as they received the opening kickoff and marched 70 yards in seven plays. Backup quarterback Jason Pellerin tossed a shovel pass to running back Eugene Brazley, who went around the end and raced to the end zone from five yards out to put Ole Miss up 38-0 early in the third quarter.
Kelly broke free on a read option up the middle and raced 41 yards untouched for a touchdown that made is 45-0 with 8:34 left in the third period. The Bulldogs added two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter well after the game was decided.
The Rebels will conclude their four-game homestand with the Memphis Tigers Saturday. It is homecoming on the Ole Miss campus and kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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