OXFORD, Mississippi — No. 3 Georgia made a trip out to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels and things didn't go to plan.
The Bulldogs struggled nearly all game and ultimately dropped their second game of the season amid arguably their worst performance of the year
See where things went wrong for the Bulldogs below.
Slow and steady doesn't win the race
It's been the same story for Georgia all season. The Bulldogs have been incapable of getting off to a hot start all season on the offensive side of the ball. Today's game against Ole Miss continued that trend.
The Bulldogs only had 49 passing yards in the first half and only 20 rushing yards. However, despite the many slow starts Georgia showcased throughout the season, the team always bounced back to win.
Instead, Georgia only got three points on the board in the third quarter, in part due to freshman running back Nate Frazier fumbling the football. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were down by 12 and couldn't match the deficit.
The Ole Miss pass rush was also relentless, as they sacked quarterback Carson Beck four times and had eight tackles for a loss. The offensive line allowed to be sacked more times this game than in other games this season.
The Rebels' defense also picked Beck off in the fourth quarter and sacked him for a fumble to prevent a comeback. This was Beck's fourth straight game with two or more turnovers and his fifth game with two or more this season.
If not for a turnover early in the game, Georgia would have never even scored a touchdown. The team struggled to capitalize on positive field position aside from the drive after the interception.
While the Bulldogs managed to get by with late-game heroics throughout the season, that strategy always had holes, especially if the team couldn't hold onto the football and lost their second game of the season.
Big plays lead to big casualties
Despite an early interception from Dan Jackson, the Bulldogs' defense struggled to slow down Jaxson Dart and the Ole Miss offense. The Rebels put up 28 points, including five field goals, but they did so taking a lot of time off the clock.
There were also plenty of times that the defense nearly got a stop, just for Dart and the Rebels to carve out a massive play to get the ball 20 yards or further downfield.
The defense did a solid job stopping the run early, but couldn't prevent head coach Lane Kiffin's quick passing game. The Rebels had nearly 300 yards passing and continued to find success all game.
Eventually, Ole Miss still carved out over 100 yards on the ground and a touchdown, a lot thanks to Dart, who still led the team in rushing despite suffering a lower-body injury on the first drive of the game.
While Georgia had five tackles for a loss, the team only had one sack as the pass rush was inconsistent and was unable to impact the game like the unit did against Texas.
Ultimately, while the defense wasn't why the Bulldogs lost, it certainly didn't come up big when Georgia needed them to.
What's next?
Well, despite how Georgia fans may be feeling, the team's season is far from over.
The Bulldogs have one more massive regular season test on Friday, Nov. 16, when they host the top 10 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
A win will likely help the Bulldogs make it to the playoffs, while a loss may eliminate the team. While the SEC Championship is out of reach, the Bulldogs' postseason aspirations are still alive, but a little dimmer than before.
Georgia will need to get right and figure things out before next week, or the lights will fully go out on the Bulldogs' postseason hopes.