Anna Grace Bowling
The No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels will make the trek to Atlanta as they face the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets this Saturday. So far, Ole Miss is undefeated (2-0), but Saturday will be the Rebels’ first road game of the season and their biggest challenge yet.
Based on the results of the Central Arkansas game, it is obvious that Ole Miss is off to a strong start offensively, scoring an extraordinary 59 points on the Bears’ defense. During the UCA game, running back Zach Evans tallied a team-high 11 carries for 53 yards, scoring his first rushing touchdown of his Ole Miss career. Evans just needs to bring the heat to Atlanta this weekend and the Yellow Jackets will surely lose their sting.
There is also hope for the Rebels’ defense, as they have been a force to be reckoned with to start the season.
Last Saturday, Ole Miss forced a season-high four turnovers against UCA and have caused two or more turnovers each game this season. Ole Miss was strong defensively last season with an undefeated season at home and an overall standing of 10-3.
Based on the defensive performance thus far, it is obvious that the Rebels will absolutely protect their offense and continue to stop the ball from entering the opposing team’s endzone.
“Defensively, for the most part, we’ve played really well,” head coach Lane Kiffin said in Monday’s press conference. “We’re going to get tested a lot more as this week comes and continuing on.”
The last time the Rebels played the Yellow Jackets was in December 2013, when Ole Miss defeated Georgia Tech with a final score of 25-17. That was the first and only time the two teams faced each other. Nine years later, the Rebels will visit Atlanta for another SEC versus ACC matchup.
But to answer the most important question of them all: “Will Juice Kiffin be traveling to Atlanta this weekend to bring the energy?”
Dogs have a tendency to eat and chase away bees anyway, don’t they? Juice has been a fan-favorite, not only on the Walk of Champions for the first two home games of the season, but also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Whether Lane Kiffin’s beloved labrador retriever joins the team on the bus to Atlanta, there is no doubt that Juice’s social media presence will bring the fire that the Rebels desire.
Rebel fans not traveling to Atlanta can still watch the team score from Oxford on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CDT on ABC.
