Ole Miss Overcomes Nightmare Start to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

OXFORD, Miss. – No. 16 Ole Miss couldn’t have had a worse start to its game against No. 3 Georgia. Quarterback Jaxson Dart was sacked then threw an interception the Bulldogs took and scored a touchdown. Dart also suffered an injury to his left foot, causing him to miss the Rebels’ second possession and playing the rest of the game with noticeable pain.

It was the kind of start that makes fans say “here we go again” but Saturday was different.

Freshman quarterback Austin Simmons came into the game for Ole Miss’s second possession and led the Rebels to their first points of the game. Dart would miss just the one possession and lead the Rebels to a 28-10 win.

LET THE PARTY BEGIN. pic.twitter.com/9n92ZmP9Rm

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 10, 2024

The Rebels’ defense held Georgia to just 233 yards of offense, including only 70 rushing yards and forced three Bulldog turnovers. The nation’s leader in tackles for a loss added four more to its resume. Princely Umanmielen had two sacks and Jared Ivey and Suntarine Perkins each had one sack.

Offensively, the Rebels ran for 133 yards and Dart and Simmons combined to throw for 263 yards. Dart’s interception on the game’s opening series was the Ole Miss turnover in the game.

Most importantly, the Rebels’ hopes of making the College Football Playoff are still alive. Ole Miss couldn’t afford another loss with two losses, but now Georgia joins the long list of SEC teams with only two losses.

Saturday’s win against Georgia, though, is just the first of three must-win games if Ole Miss wants to compete for a national championship. The Rebels will need to win its final two games of the season against Florida on Nov. 23 and then against Mississippi State six days later.

The odds will be in the Rebels’ favor, but nothing is guaranteed in college football.