Georgia destroys Ole Miss 42-7 and may be the new No. 1

No. 2 Georgia beat No. 10 Ole Miss 42-7 on Saturday, leading 21-0 after three possessions and never letting the game get close, ESPN reported.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton threw four touchdown passes. The Bulldogs ran for 295 yards. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was held without a passing touchdown for the first time in 22 games, finishing 18-of-34 for 170 yards with four sacks, an interception, and a fumble.

Fox News reported that the win moves Georgia closer to an SEC championship game berth and a College Football Playoff spot.

DawgNation quoted head coach Kirby Smart saying Georgia “played to the standard” in the win. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding said the hit on Stockton that drew a targeting review was clean.

What the coverage missed

Chambliss had thrown a touchdown pass in 21 straight games. Georgia ended that streak and held him to 170 yards passing. That is the defensive performance of the year, and it got less attention than the final score.

The 295 rushing yards are the other buried number. Georgia did not need Stockton to win this game. The Bulldogs ran the ball at will. That is how you beat good teams in November, and it is why Georgia is the most complete team in the country right now.

Fans threw bottles onto the field after the targeting review went against Ole Miss. The coverage mentioned it in passing. It is worth more attention. The SEC has a bottle-throwing problem, and it is getting worse. At some point a player or an official is going to get hit.

What I think

Georgia is the best team in the country. With Miami losing, the Bulldogs should be No. 1 when the rankings come out. They can run the ball, they can stop the run, and Stockton is playing the best football of his career.

Ole Miss is not as bad as this score suggests. The Rebels had a bad day against a great opponent. Chambliss had an off game. It happens. But the SEC West is brutal, and one bad day can turn into two if a team does not reset quickly.