Stockton Leads Georgia Past Mississippi
The Bulldogs' 42-7 victory over the Rebels in Oxford ends a 16-game home winning streak and puts Georgia in position for the top ranking.
By Leila Reynolds ·
No. 2 quarterback Gunner Stockton threw four touchdown passes and added a rushing score to guide No. 2 Georgia to a 42-7 win over No. 12 Mississippi on Saturday night in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Bulldogs controlled the pace of the game early, completing four consecutive scoring drives that measured 72, 96, 61, and 50 yards in the first 22 minutes. Mississippi crossed midfield only once during that span and trailed 28-0 at halftime. Georgia finished with 482 total offensive yards, including 298 in the first half alone.
Stockton completed nine of 15 passes for 186 yards. Receiver Talyn Taylor contributed 140 yards on four catches, including touchdowns of 3, 6, and 65 yards. Ethan Barbour added a 58-yard reception for a touchdown. On the ground, Nate Frazier led the rushing attack with 107 yards on 16 carries, while Craig Dandridge Jr. scored on a 4-yard run.
The victory ended a 16-game home winning streak for Mississippi, which improved to 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference. This marked the first win for Georgia coach Kirby Smart in Oxford in three attempts.
Smart credited the team's aggressive approach to the result. "A total team effort. I thought we embraced the challenge right from the start," Smart said. "We talked about being the hunter and being aggressive and I thought we did that."
For the Rebels, the loss represented a sharp drop in performance compared to their two meetings with Georgia last season. Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed 18 of 34 passes for 170 yards but was sacked five times and threw one interception. Shekai Mills-Knight scored the team's only points on an 8-yard run. Chambliss described the start of the game as embarrassing and said the team must move past the result quickly.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding admitted the staff did not prepare the team adequately. "Georgia is a really good team but I did not see that butt-whipping coming," Golding said. "It was obvious that we (coaches) did not have the team ready to play."
The win positions Georgia to compete for the No. 1 spot in the AP poll and College Football Playoff rankings, particularly after No. 1 Miami lost to No. 4 Notre Dame. Georgia, now 8-1, hosts No. 19 Missouri next Saturday. Mississippi travels to Oklahoma in the same window.
