Ole Miss Looks to Roll against Georgia Southern

Sep 19, 20243 min read

Ole Miss | QB Jaxson Dart — ©Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) look to keep dominating opponents as the Georgia Southern Eagles (2-1) come to town. The Rebels defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) handily in Week 3 by a score of 40-6. The Eagles defeated FCS' South Carolina State Bulldogs (1-2) by a score of 42-14. The Rebels and Eagles will meet at 7:45 p.m. EST on Sept. 21 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

What's at Stake?

The Rebels have had a ton of success against Sun Belt Conference opponents all-time with a record of 49-7-2. They look to continue that success against the Eagles.

The Eagles have not had success against SEC opponents in their history as they have a 1-14 all-time record. They look to make that number 2-14 as their only win came in 2013 on the road against the Florida Gators.

Key Players: Ole Miss

Quarterback Jaxson Dart, Wide Receiver Tre Harris

Dart is a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and continues to shine in the Rebels offense. Dart is one of five active quarterbacks in the FBS with 8,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. He also leads the FBS in passing with 390.7 yards per game and total offense with 408.7 yards per game.

Harris is also a very good player in this Rebels offense. He is currently rated as Pro Football Focus's top receiver this season with a grade of 92.5. He also has 2,500 receiving yards for his career and is a favorite target of Dart's.

Defensive End Jared Ivey, Defensive End Princely Umanmielen

Ivey ranks as PFF's top edge rusher with a 92.5 grade so far this season. He also had a great game against the Demon Deacons coming away with 3 tackles, with 2 of them being sacks.

Umanmielen ranks as PFF's second-best edge rusher this season with a 90.1 grade. He didn't have a great game against the Demon Deacons as he only had 1 tackle, but the high PFF grade suggests he is a crucial part of this Rebels defense.

Key Players: Georgia Southern

Quarterback JC French, Running Back Jalen White

French is a sophomore put up decent numbers through three games. He has thrown for 776 yards, 6 touchdowns and no interceptions. He looks to continue the trend of no interceptions as he takes on a top 5 team on the road in a hostile environment.

White is a senior and has put up a good number in the touchdown department. So far this season, he has 31 carries for only 97 yards, but he does have 5 touchdowns to go with that.

Linebacker Marques Watson-Trent, Defensive Back Cam Williams

Watson-Trent is a monster on the field, and it has shown so far this season. He leads the Eagles' defense with 28 tackles, which is an average of just more than 9 tackles per game. He is the backbone of this defense and will be all-season long.

Williams had himself a game in Week 3 against the Bulldogs. He had 4 tackles and assisted on 2 more tackles. He looks to continue to be a factor in the Eagles' defense as they face a tough opponent in Week 4.

Trends to Watch

The Rebels look to make it 2-0 against the Eagles as they had defeated them in their previous matchup in 2016 by a score of 37-27. This win was later vacated by the NCAA.

Eagles head coach Clay Helton looks to improve his record against SEC opponents to 3-1 as he currently holds a 2-1 record in such regard.