November 08, 2026 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
The signs were there from the beginning Saturday night.
On No. 10 Ole Miss' first play of the game in No. 2 Georgia's 42-7 rout in Oxford, the Bulldog defense stuffed Makhi Frazier on a 1-yard run. On the next play, linebacker Raylen Wilson forced quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to scramble and throw incomplete. On third down, linebacker Chris Cole did the same.
After the Rebels punted, running back Nate Frazier took off for 46 yards on first down. A few minutes later, wide receiver Craig Dandridge Jr. ran the ball into the end zone from the 4-yard line for a 7-0 lead. The Bulldogs had quieted the sellout crowd of 68,814, many of whom were long gone by the time the fourth quarter started with Georgia up 35-0.
"It was a big factor because the last time we were here, (the fans) were in it the whole game, and it was impactful last time," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of the Bulldogs' 28-10 loss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in 2024. "We had more procedural penalties (then); we struggled. We felt like we could take (the crowd) out of the game if we could run the ball well."
Georgia did just that. Nate Frazier had 16 carries for 107 yards, Dwight Phillips, Jr. had 11 for 66, Bo Walker added 42 yards on six rushes, and quarterback Gunner Stockton had six attempts for 28 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run that made it 28-0 with 2:42 left in the first half. Seven different Bulldogs had runs of at least 13 yards, and as a team Georgia finished with a season-high 295 yards on the ground.
"That makes the game what it is, right? If you can run the ball, it makes play-action easier," Smart said. "Physicality is our brand of football, and it allows Gunner to take shots and do the things he does well as a quarterback. So the combination of that really helps."
Stockton didn't throw often Saturday, but he was effective when he did. He completed nine of his 15 passes, and four of them went for touchdowns. Wide receiver Talyn Taylor caught four of those Stockton passes, turning three into touchdowns. The first was a 58-yarder to make it 14-0, the second was a 6-yarder to push the lead to 35-0, and the finale was a 65-yard touchdown to put a cherry on top at 42-7 in the fourth quarter.
"It was awesome. That was very cool," Stockton said of his throw-and-catch with Taylor, who had three receiving touchdowns all season heading into the game. "I was trying to get the ball to him. It was neat to see him play this game."
So much of Georgia's success offensively was a result of one of the defense's best performances of the season. Along with containing Chambliss and forcing two turnovers — a Rasean Dinkins strip sack and a KJ Bolden interception — the Bulldogs forced three three-and-outs and four punts on the Rebels' first five drives. While the offense had some long drives, including a 96-yarder that led to a 14-0 lead, it also started one at the UGA 39, one at the 50, another at the Rebel 44 after the Bolden pick, and at the Ole Miss 22 after Dinkins' fumble return.
Ole Miss' best drive of the first half got all the way down to the Georgia 14. That's when safety Khalil Barnes sacked Chambliss for a 16-yard loss back to the 30. On the next play, with Chambliss again under pressure, Bolden intercepted a pass to end the threat and keep the score 28-0.
"We executed the game plan, trapped (Chambliss) in the pocket and tried not to give him anywhere to go," said Wilson, who had seven tackles.
Georgia sacked Chambliss four times and seldom gave him much time to settle in the pocket and find open receivers. Chambliss finished 18 of 34 passing for 170 yards, about 100 yards below his average.
On one of those sacks, late in the third quarter, Dinkins came around behind Chambliss and knocked the ball loose. He scooped it up and returned it 17 yards to the Ole Miss 22. A couple of plays later, Stockton scrambled away from a heavy pass rush and found Taylor in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.
"I thought it was a total team effort tonight. Our guys came in focused," Smart said. "We talked about being on the hunt and being the aggressor, and I thought the game started that way from the start. Defensive coaches had a great plan. Offensive coaches did a great job staying aggressive.
"We wanted to own the line of scrimmage, and I thought we did that."
From the first snap to the last, Georgia owned the line and everything else.
Staff Writer
The signs were there from the beginning Saturday night.
On No. 10 Ole Miss' first play of the game in No. 2 Georgia's 42-7 rout in Oxford, the Bulldog defense stuffed Makhi Frazier on a 1-yard run. On the next play, linebacker Raylen Wilson forced quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to scramble and throw incomplete. On third down, linebacker Chris Cole did the same.
After the Rebels punted, running back Nate Frazier took off for 46 yards on first down. A few minutes later, wide receiver Craig Dandridge Jr. ran the ball into the end zone from the 4-yard line for a 7-0 lead. The Bulldogs had quieted the sellout crowd of 68,814, many of whom were long gone by the time the fourth quarter started with Georgia up 35-0.
"It was a big factor because the last time we were here, (the fans) were in it the whole game, and it was impactful last time," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of the Bulldogs' 28-10 loss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in 2024. "We had more procedural penalties (then); we struggled. We felt like we could take (the crowd) out of the game if we could run the ball well."
Georgia did just that. Nate Frazier had 16 carries for 107 yards, Dwight Phillips, Jr. had 11 for 66, Bo Walker added 42 yards on six rushes, and quarterback Gunner Stockton had six attempts for 28 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run that made it 28-0 with 2:42 left in the first half. Seven different Bulldogs had runs of at least 13 yards, and as a team Georgia finished with a season-high 295 yards on the ground.
"That makes the game what it is, right? If you can run the ball, it makes play-action easier," Smart said. "Physicality is our brand of football, and it allows Gunner to take shots and do the things he does well as a quarterback. So the combination of that really helps."
Stockton didn't throw often Saturday, but he was effective when he did. He completed nine of his 15 passes, and four of them went for touchdowns. Wide receiver Talyn Taylor caught four of those Stockton passes, turning three into touchdowns. The first was a 58-yarder to make it 14-0, the second was a 6-yarder to push the lead to 35-0, and the finale was a 65-yard touchdown to put a cherry on top at 42-7 in the fourth quarter.
"It was awesome. That was very cool," Stockton said of his throw-and-catch with Taylor, who had three receiving touchdowns all season heading into the game. "I was trying to get the ball to him. It was neat to see him play this game."
So much of Georgia's success offensively was a result of one of the defense's best performances of the season. Along with containing Chambliss and forcing two turnovers — a Rasean Dinkins strip sack and a KJ Bolden interception — the Bulldogs forced three three-and-outs and four punts on the Rebels' first five drives. While the offense had some long drives, including a 96-yarder that led to a 14-0 lead, it also started one at the UGA 39, one at the 50, another at the Rebel 44 after the Bolden pick, and at the Ole Miss 22 after Dinkins' fumble return.
Ole Miss' best drive of the first half got all the way down to the Georgia 14. That's when safety Khalil Barnes sacked Chambliss for a 16-yard loss back to the 30. On the next play, with Chambliss again under pressure, Bolden intercepted a pass to end the threat and keep the score 28-0.
"We executed the game plan, trapped (Chambliss) in the pocket and tried not to give him anywhere to go," said Wilson, who had seven tackles.
Georgia sacked Chambliss four times and seldom gave him much time to settle in the pocket and find open receivers. Chambliss finished 18 of 34 passing for 170 yards, about 100 yards below his average.
On one of those sacks, late in the third quarter, Dinkins came around behind Chambliss and knocked the ball loose. He scooped it up and returned it 17 yards to the Ole Miss 22. A couple of plays later, Stockton scrambled away from a heavy pass rush and found Taylor in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.
"I thought it was a total team effort tonight. Our guys came in focused," Smart said. "We talked about being on the hunt and being the aggressor, and I thought the game started that way from the start. Defensive coaches had a great plan. Offensive coaches did a great job staying aggressive.
"We wanted to own the line of scrimmage, and I thought we did that."
From the first snap to the last, Georgia owned the line and everything else.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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