Ole Miss had a full week to sit with what happened in Gainesville. Now we get to see if that extra time actually mattered.
Florida ran for 302 yards and six touchdowns in a 52–28 win, exposing problems Ole Miss has spent the open week trying to correct.
While Ole Miss was off, Georgia gave the Rebels a clear look at how to slow Vanderbilt down.
The Commodores went into Athens and made things uncomfortable for a half. Vanderbilt trailed just 21–14 at halftime and actually outgained Georgia over the first two quarters.
Then Georgia shut the door.
Vanderbilt managed only 59 total yards in the second half, while Georgia outgained the Commodores 256–59 over the final two quarters and turned a competitive game into a 38–14 win.
Make Vanderbilt Earn Everything
Let Vanderbilt find easy yards and explosive plays, and the Commodores can hang around.
With starting quarterback Jared Curtis out, Blaze Berlowitz stepped in and threw for 190 yards. But Georgia took away Vanderbilt’s momentum after halftime, and the Commodores never scored again.
Limit the explosives. Tackle cleanly. Get Vanderbilt behind schedule. Make the Commodores earn every yard.
Simple enough.
Now Ole Miss has to actually do it.
Now Show It
Ole Miss has had time to address the problems.
Vanderbilt will be the first chance to see whether anything actually changed.
The Commodores are good enough to expose those same issues if they’re still there. And playing in Nashville gives Vanderbilt another reason to believe it can make this a four-quarter game.
Ole Miss can’t let that happen.
Can the Rebels tackle better in space and keep a five-yard gain from becoming 15?
Can they finally turn third-and-long into a stop?
Ole Miss doesn’t have to become a completely different defense. It just has to look like one that learned something from Gainesville.
Georgia showed what happens when Vanderbilt has to earn everything. Now Ole Miss has to show the problems from Gainesville stayed in Gainesville.
