Where Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss are looking to find edge vs Georgia in Sugar Bowl
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Trinidad Chambliss had Ole Miss football’s offense on a roll in the first game against Georgia on Oct. 18.
The Rebels scored touchdowns on their first five drives and led Georgia by nine points through three quarters on the road. After that was an Ole Miss collapse when it was outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter to lose 43-35 in the only loss of the season.
“We felt like we were the better team that day and we felt like we should have won that game,” Chambliss said Dec. 28.
The No. 6 seed Rebels (12-1) get a rematch against No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Jan. 1 (7 p.m., ESPN) in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
That’s where the Rebels will try to replicate the first three quarters against Georgia and avoid what happened in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss went three-and-out in the first two drives of the fourth quarter and managed only 13 yards of offense. Chambliss was 1-for-10 with 1 passing yard. It was easily Ole Miss’ worst quarter since Chambliss took over as the starter after Week 2.
The Bulldogs adjusted, while the Rebels didn’t respond well.
“They’re (Georgia) probably the best coaches in nation right now when it comes to adjusting and kind of switching up when we saw them to begin with previously,” Chambliss said. “But I feel like they’re going to do what they’ve normally done throughout the whole season. They’re going to do what’s flowing right now and what they’re doing right now that’s the best. We’ll just have to adjust throughout the game.”
Georgia football has ‘every trick in the book’
It’s not breaking news that Georgia is playing in another big game. It’s become a norm under coach Kirby Smart. Since 2017, the Bulldogs have made three national championship games, winning in 2021 and 2022. They’ve also won four SEC titles and are the back-to-back conference champions.
So big games aren’t new to Georgia like they are to Ole Miss.
“When you’re getting ready for Georgia, they have every trick in the book,” Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge said. “These guys do a phenomenal job coaching.”
Because of that, Judge said the Rebels are even analyzing Georgia’s past games, like its previous four appearances in the College Football Playoff.
“You got to prepare for how and what they did the first time,” Judge said. “You got to look at how it progressed from your game to now but also go back in the history books. In these types of games with weeks off, what have they done to change it up? And they’ve had plenty of opportunities themselves of playing the same team twice.”
Rematches against Smart and the Bulldogs have recently favored Georgia.
This season, Georgia lost at home to Alabama in September. Then, it beat Alabama 28-7 in the SEC championship. In 2024, it beat CFP semifinalist Texas twice. And in 2022, Georgia lost to Alabama in the SEC championship but took down the Crimson Tide in the national championship.
“It’s going to be another dog fight,” Chambliss said. “They’re going to come with it. Their defense is really solid. They’re going to have a great scheme for us, and we just have to execute. It’s whoever makes the most mistakes, and let’s not do that.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss vs Georgia, Trinidad Chambliss seeks Sugar Bowl advantage
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