'We Left a Lot Out There': Ole Miss WR Jordan Watkins Dissects Loss to Georgia Bulldogs

The Ole Miss Rebels suffered a brutal loss to the Georgia Bulldogs last Saturday and receiver Jordan Watkins talked about what went wrong offensively during his media availability on Monday.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels received a tough dose of reality last Saturday night when they lost to the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs 52-17 in Sanford Stadium. The Rebels scored the first touchdown of the game but after the first quarter, the wheels fell off and the talented Georgia roster dismantled Ole Miss.

Ole Miss receiver Jordan Watkins was available to speak with the media on Monday and revealed his takeaways from Saturday's loss in Athens.

"I think we left a lot of things out there offensively and defensively," Watkins told reporters. "We made some plays on special teams, but after looking over the film, there was a lot left out there. You look at the score and the tape, that game could have been much closer if we had just executed better."

Watkins expressed that the team lost sight of the small details, which was ultimately their undoing.

"That's what [Georgia] did really good," Watkins said. "They focused in on the small details and I think that's what got us beat."

Ole Miss Rebels receiver Jordan Watkins on the field during pregame warmups versus the Texas A&M Aggies (2023) / Carleigh Harbin-The Grove Report

The loss hurts, but Ole Miss still has a chance to finish the 2023-24 season with 11 wins and a New Year's Six Bowl. The Rebels, unfortunately, also have a shot at finishing the year 8-5 as they did in 2022 after starting the season 7-0. Watkins is convinced that this team is different.

"This is a much more mature team, looking back from last year," Watkins said. "I don't really like to compare, but just looking at it, we are a way more mature team and I think we'll be able to handle everything pretty well."

Before they can dream about 11 wins, however, the Rebels have to first take down the ULM Warhawks on Saturday before quickly turning around to battle the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Thanksgiving Day. Watkins discussed the team's preparation for the end of the regular season and what he learned from the same 10-day stretch last season.

"The biggest takeaway from [last year] is just being able to take care of your body. Going from playing a game on Saturday to playing again on Thursday you gotta make sure you're taking care of your body, getting into the training room, and making sure we're fresh for Thursday."

Ole Miss versus ULM is set to kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and the game will be televised on SEC Network.