No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) vs. No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS)
College Football Week 4
Date/Time: Saturday, September 24th,, 12:00PM (EST)
Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Oxford, M.S.
TV: ESPN
by Jay, NCAA Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: UGA +7.5/MISS -7.5
Over/Under Total: TBA
The Ole Miss Rebels nearly accomplished the unthinkable last week. They nearly beat no. 1 Alabama for the 3rd consecutive season. The key word being nearly as fate did not play into the hands of the Rebels. Despite a 24-3 lead at one point in the 4th quarter, the Rebels could not hold on as they fell to the Crimson Tide 48-43. The 2nd loss in just 3 games derailed Ole Misss hopes for doing anything truly special this season but the opportunity is there to still wreak havoc in the SEC. The Rebels will get to capitalize on that opportunity this Saturday when they host 12th ranked Georgia inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for a shot at revenge against another ranked opponent.
Despite being 3-0, the Bulldogs may be taking a bit of an underdog role this week. Since their solid opening win over North Carolina, the Bulldogs have just narrowly pulled out wins in each of the last two weeks against the likes of Nicholls and Missouri. To put things into perspective, the Bulldogs were 53 point favorites over Nicholls but just managed to pull out a 26-26 victory. Then last week as a 7 point favorite over Missouri, the Bulldogs escaped another close call with a 28-27 victory over the Tigers. I cant exactly put my finger on what is causing Georgias struggles. The defense has been decent but not great. The offense has shown big play potential but have had more stalled out drives than rewards.
Quarterback Jacob Eason has struggled with consistency at the quarterback position. The freshman has completed just 55% of his passes with 5 scores and 2 picks on the season. The play at the quarterback position has not exactly helped this offense get off to a hot start. However, Georgia still maintains one of the best backfields in college football with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Michel has not exactly got going this year which may be another contributing factor that is holding this offense back a bit. However, Chubb has carried the ball 71 times already in the first 3 games while churning out 365 yards with 3 scores. Chubb has the ability to put this offense on his back as we have seen many times previously so the Rebels defense can expect to see a lot of #27 this Saturday.
I think the immediate concerns for Georgia this Saturday is the fact that their defense has been less than stellar. While not bad, the Bulldogs have still given up nearly 350 yards of total offense through each of their first 3 games. If you consider that Kirby Smart is a defensive minded coach and the offenses that Georgia has face in recent weeks are not powerhouses, then it does cause for concern this Saturday against a Rebels team led by veteran Chad Kelly. Kelly lit up the Crimson Tide defense last week for 421 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 pick. The senior quarterback is already at 953 yards passing with 10 scores and 4 picks through the first 3 games of the season.
The Rebels had some concerns at the beginning of the season surrounding the receiving corps specifically the losses of Cody Core and Laquan Treadwell. However, this offense has rebounded with emerging threats in Evan Engram and Damoreea Stringfellow. It may be the emerging talent that has helped this Rebels offense but I contribute their production to Kellys performances. He has been very good despite the young crop of talent surrounding him and this offense should only get better as the year progresses. If the Rebels defense can just simply limit the amount of big plays from the Georgia offense, they should have every opportunity to bounce back with a win at home this weekend.
Jay’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: This is a perfect spot for Ole Miss to recover after a pair of tough losses to start the season. Take Ole Miss -7.5
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