No. 16 Mississippi shuts down No. 2 Georgia

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

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Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart throws a pass during the first half against Georgia on Saturday in Oxford, Miss. RANDY J. WILLIAMS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Chris Burrows

The Associated Press

OXFORD, Miss. >> Jaxson Dart threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Antwane Wells Jr. in the third quarter, and No. 16 Mississippi shut down No. 2 Georgia for a 28-10 victory on Saturday.

Caden Davis kicked five field goals as Mississippi (8-2, 4-2 SEC, No. 16 CFP) earned its third consecutive win. Ulysses Bentley had a 9-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

A rain-soaked Ole Miss student section stormed the field with 16 seconds left, leading to a delay. The scene was repeated after Dart’s kneeldown closed it out.

Georgia (7-2, 5-2, No. 3 CFP) scored on a 2-yard run by Nate Frazier early in the first quarter. But Mississippi quickly grabbed control from there.

After the opening series, Ole Miss recorded five sacks and nine tackles for loss, forced four fumbles and intercepted a Carson Beck pass. Jared Ivey and Princely Umanimielen had two sacks apiece and linebackers TJ Dottery and Chris Paul combined for 19 tackles.

Bentley’s TD run tied it at 7, and Davis connected from 23, 43 and 53 yards to make it 16-7 at the break.

After Peyton Woodring kicked a 23-yard field goal for Georgia, Dart finished an eight-play, 75-yard drive when he found Wells for the TD.

Dart was 13-of-22 passing for 199 yards with an interception. He also rushed for 50 yards as the Rebels finished with 397 total yards.

Davis converted field goals of 24 and 32 yards in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Georgia lost for the second time in a regular season since 2020. The Bulldogs are 1-2 against ranked teams on the road after defeating Texas 30-15 in October.

Beck was 20-of-31 passing for 186 yards. Georgia was limited to 245 yards of total offense.

The takeaway

Georgia: Unlike the road win over Texas in September, the Bulldogs were unable to survive against an inspired home opponent, propped up by a record-setting crowd of 68,125. Beck was solid statistically but was unable to threaten the Rebels downfield. Georgia had only two offensive plays of more than 20 yards. Punter Brett Thorson was a bright spot with a punt that ended inside the Ole Miss 1-yard line.

Mississippi: Coach Lane Kiffin’s signature win could have far-reaching implications. The surging Rebels will get a boost in the AP Top 25 poll and serious consideration for a berth in the College Football Playoff.