No. 17 Mississippi hosts Georgia Tech trying to avoid becoming latest SEC team to fall
Georgia Tech (1-1) at No. 17 Mississippi (2-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Line: Ole Miss by 18 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Ole Miss leads 3-2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Even as double-digit favorites, the Rebels don’t want to join the crowd of Southeastern Conference teams already with nonconference losses. Just in the Western Division, Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M have dropped games. Ole Miss opens SEC play next week at No. 10 Alabama after beating a ranked Tulane team on the road. Georgia Tech would love to gain some redemption after losing to Ole Miss 42-0 last season in Atlanta.
KEY MATCHUP
The Ole Miss defense against Georgia Tech’s (so far) balanced offense. The Rebels’ offense gets most of the attention, but the defense has allowed only 27 points through two games. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 533 yards and 41 points and producing 312 passing yards a game. The Rebels have eight players with one sack apiece and have registered 17 tackles for loss.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Georgia Tech: QB Haynes King hasn’t played against Ole Miss, but he’s very familiar with the SEC. King spent three seasons at Texas A&M before transferring to Georgia Tech. Now, he leads the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 301.5-yard passing average and seven passing touchdowns.
Ole Miss: RB Quinshon Judkins was held in check against Tulane, but a breakout game seems inevitable for the All-SEC runner. The question is will it come in this one after Judkins was held to 48 yards on 18 carries last weekend?
FACTS & FIGURES
Ole Miss has won the last three meetings in the series. This is the Yellow Jackets’ first trip to Oxford. … Last season’s shutout is the most lopsided win for the Rebsls against a non-SEC Power 5 school since a 45-0 win over Boston College in 1950. It was their first shutout in such a game since 1961 (33-0 over Florida State). … Ole Miss is 13-7-1 against the current members of the ACC. The Yellow Jackets have lost six straight against SEC teams. … Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart ranks second in yards per attempt (12.02) nationally and is the third-rated passer. … Georgia Tech got the program’s 750th win last weekend, becoming the 21st FBS team and the fourth from the ACC to reach that milestone.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
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