No. 2 Georgia showed just how good it can be in a 52-17 win over No. 9 Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs were fantastic in all facets as Ole Miss got out to a fast start and stalled after that. Georgia outscored Ole Miss 45-7 after the Rebels scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game.
Georgia led 28-14 at halftime after Ole Miss tied the game at 14-14 early in the second quarter. Daijun Edwards capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive to give Georgia the lead for good and then Kendall Milton’s run less than eight plays later ended a nine-play, 62-yard drive that put the game out of reach.
QB Carson Beck was again fantastic and finished the game 18-of-25 passing for 306 yards and two TDs. Beck did throw an interception near the end of the first half but that was a pass that went through the hands of a receiver and bounced into a defender’s arms.
Ole Miss’ offense couldn’t do anything after the game was tied. Five of the Rebels’ next six drives after their second TD ended in punts and the other ended in an interception. QB Jaxson Dart was forced to leave the game in the second half after taking a hard hit while running along the sidelines. Dart never returned and was replaced by former Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders.
Why Georgia could be No. 1
The Bulldogs started at No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings and moved to No. 2 ahead of Week 11 thanks to a win over No. 14 Missouri. Now that Ole Miss has a win over a top-10 team in Ole Miss — and Missouri will move up to No. 11 or so after beating Tennessee — it’s conceivable that the Bulldogs could find themselves at No. 1 ahead of Ohio State on Tuesday.
Georgia’s two best wins are better than Ohio State’s best wins, especially considering how lackluster No. 10 Penn State’s offense looked against No. 3 Michigan. While the Wolverines now have a ranked win on their resume, Michigan’s strength of schedule is still far behind Ohio State’s and Georgia’s.
Ohio State did nothing on Saturday to warrant moving down either. The Buckeyes had a dominant win at home against Michigan State. But Georgia can now comfortably say its two best wins are better than Ohio State’s two best wins. And that could be enough for No. 1.
