With just days to go before Georgia and Ole Miss square off in the College Football Playoff, there’s no shortage of storylines - but one of the more intriguing ones doesn’t even involve someone on the sidelines. Lane Kiffin, now officially the head coach at LSU, won’t be coaching Ole Miss in this postseason run. Still, that hasn’t stopped him from weighing in on what his former team needs to do if they want to pull off the upset.
Kiffin, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, offered a blunt reminder of what happened the last time these two teams met. “Georgia didn’t punt one time in the previous matchup and really drove the length of the field the whole day,” he said.
That’s not hyperbole - it’s a fact. Georgia’s offense was surgical in that game, marching up and down the field at will and putting up 43 points without ever needing to send out the punting unit.
That level of offensive efficiency is rare, and it’s exactly what Ole Miss has to figure out how to disrupt.
So what’s the game plan, at least from Kiffin’s perspective? It starts with slowing down Georgia’s entire offensive rhythm - and that means zeroing in on quarterback Gunner Stockton.
The Bulldogs’ offense flows through him, and when he’s in rhythm, Georgia becomes a nightmare to defend. Stockton’s ability to extend plays, make quick decisions, and punish defenses both through the air and on the ground makes him the kind of dual-threat QB that keeps defensive coordinators up at night.
Kiffin’s message was simple: contain him, or pay the price.
While Kiffin won’t be on the headset this time around, his fingerprints are still on this Ole Miss team. He knows the personnel.
He knows the tendencies. And even from a distance, he’s trying to give his former players a fighting chance against one of the most complete teams in the country.
Georgia, for its part, comes into the matchup as a touchdown favorite, according to Vegas. But if college football has taught us anything, it’s that spreads don’t win games - execution does.
Georgia may be expected to win, but Ole Miss isn’t showing up just to play spoiler. They’re here to compete, and with Kiffin’s parting words echoing in the locker room, they’ll be looking for any edge they can find.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, know what’s at stake. They’ve been here before.
They understand that in the postseason, style points don’t matter - only the final score does. Whether it’s by one point or twenty, the goal is the same: survive and advance.
And if Georgia’s offense looks anything like it did the last time these two met? Ole Miss will need more than advice - they’ll need answers.