Run-Heavy Rebels Pass Final Test Before Conference Play, Handle Georgia Tech at Home

Ole Miss found itself in a ground-and-pound game on Saturday night, and it remained undefeated at the final whistle.

OXFORD, Miss. -- With an injury-hampered offense, the No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels took care of business in their final test before entering conference play on Saturday night, topping the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 48-23 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

It seemed unlikely that Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins would play in Week 3, but he did suit up in a limited capacity for the Rebels, putting up less than 50 yards on the ground and a score. The majority of the leg work, however, came from quarterback Jaxson Dart who was the team's leading rusher with over 100 yards on the ground. 

With multiple of his top passing targets out with injury, Dart did not have a stellar stat line in the passing game, but he did find the end zone on the ground for the Rebels' first touchdown of the day in the first quarter. Ole Miss led 10-3 at halftime thanks to Dart's score and a field goal from Caden Davis.

Georgia Tech controlled much of the first half in time of possession, keeping the ball for over 20 minutes of game action, but it only came away with three points in that frame thanks to a blocked field goal and a defensive stand near the goal line by the Rebels.

The third quarter saw rushing scores from Dart and running back Ulysses Bentley IV to push the margin to 24-3. It was then, however, that Georgia Tech began to mount a comeback attempt, scoring 14-unanswered in the late-third and early-fourth quarters.

The Rebels broke that streak with a 44-yard field goal from Caden Davis partway through the fourth quarter to make the score 27-17, and Ole Miss scored twice more late in the game to put it out of reach, once on a pass from Dart to Jordan Watkins, and once on a rush by Judkins. It also scored with less than a minute left on a carry from Matt Jones. 

With the win, Ole Miss improves to 3-0 on the season, and it will hit the road to open conference play next week in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kickoff in that game is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.