The Bulldogs lost their second game of the season against the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels by a score of 28-10. This marks the first two-loss regular season since the Dawgs fell to Alabama and Florida in 2020. While it seems crazy to say, the Bulldogs held a touchdown lead at one point. After Jaxson Dart threw an interception to Dan Jackson that led to a Georgia touchdown in the first few minutes, we both thought that it would certainly be the Dawgs’ day. Just around 200 yards of offense and three points later, the Rebels outhustled, outplayed, and simply out-physicaled Georgia for the remainder of the game. It seemed like when Ole Miss needed to make crucial plays, they did so on command. The same can’t be said for the Bulldogs. All this amounted to a field-storming victory for Lane Kiffin, a coach who has been longing to win “the big game” as a head coach. Leadership was evident on the field afterwards, especially with Tate Ratledge. The senior guard walked around, mentoring younger players who were down.
Looking back on the game, the product we saw on the field is extremely far from what this team is capable of. We saw this same team take down No. 1 Texas in Austin a few weeks ago and nearly mount an improbable multi-score comeback against Alabama earlier in the season. This team has the ability to be one of the best teams in the country, but unfortunately, we saw the bad side in Oxford. With the expanded playoff, a two-loss regular season is not necessarily the end of a quest for a third College Football Playoff Championship.
As for what’s next for Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs, they look ahead to a matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers. Sitting at 8-1 with their most notable win against Alabama, this is a solid Vols team who is looking to make their run at a national title. With both teams seemingly one fault away from elimination, this game will likely decide each other’s fate in terms of where they’re headed come December. With Georgia being all but eliminated from the SEC Championship, the only thing to play for now is a spot in the 12-team playoff. While it stings to see two losses on the record for the Dawgs, the only thing that fans can do is show up for their team this weekend. Be early, be loud, and help Georgia save their season by making Tennessee feel your presence on Saturday night. While the team prepares for the Volunteers, it is important to not point all fingers at one person. Stemming from comments in the media within the past few weeks comes a multitude of hate on Carson Beck. Is he always playing at an elite level? No. Yet, this past weekend’s loss was at the expense of just about every position, whether it be players or coaches.
Hot Take of the Week:
Georgia wins by 20+ points against Tennessee. It feels reminiscent of the 2022 season, when the Volunteers came in as the higher-ranked team, thinking it was their year. In the postgame press conference, Coach Smart harped on the team’s “onto the next” mentality, telling his players everything they want is still in front of them. Fans will hopefully be fired up for this matchup, as everything is on the line. We hope the spoils of the past few seasons do not carry over into any form of distaste for a two-loss season. There’s a new brand of ball in the SEC. It is very possible there is not a single one-loss team in the conference this season. For the first time in a long time, there is a lot of parody within the league. So, yes, this recent loss is unfortunate. Yet, looking back, the Bulldogs have gone on the road to face some of the toughest opponents the sport offers. At the beginning of the season, it was suspected that Georgia would need to win just one of the three games at Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss. The Dawgs achieved the minimum to stay alive in the playoff race after completing the road slate. The team that resides in Athens, Georgia, is still a good one, and we think they will get the job done convincingly from here on out.