Lane Kiffin typically steers clear of talk about playoffs and championships. This week is an exception.
There’s no sugarcoating the situation facing Kiffin and No. 16 Mississipp i: They have to win out to keep those postseason hopes intact, starting Saturday with powerhouse No. 2 Georgia.
“I told our players — because they hear it all the time — you still have that stuff alive,” Kiffin said. “In my opinion, anybody that’s going to win it is going to have to go through Georgia at some point. They’re the premier program in college football.”
The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 3 CFP) have won two of the last three national titles and already toppled then-No. 1 Texas. Only a loss to Alabama mars their record.
The Rebels (7-2, 3-2, No. 16) have dropped two games by a field goal apiece to Kentucky and LSU.
They’re coming off a record-setting offensive performance in a 63-31 win over Arkansas. But leading rusher Henry Parrish Jr. is out and star receiver Tre Harris — who hasn’t played in the last two games — is listed as doubtful with injuries on the SEC’s availability report.
Ole Miss will be without Parrish. Georgia’s top running back, Trevor Etienne, left last week’s win against Florida with a rib injury. He wasn’t included on the availability report.
“The big thing is just his ability to sustain and deal with a little bit of pain because he’s going to have some there,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “But he’s a tough kid, and I think he’ll do well with it.”
Ole Miss had Ulysses Bentley IV, Matt Jones and Domonique Thomas behind Parrish. Parrish has 678 yards and 10 touchdowns. Etienne has 453 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has three straight games with multiple interceptions. Kiffin manages to put a positive spin on that, figuring it’s a fixable problem for a talented passer.
“Versus some people around the country where you go, well, they protect the ball but the quarterback can’t make the throws,” the Ole Miss coach said. “It’s a good problem to have.”
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart broke Archie Manning’s school record with 562 total yards (515 passing, 47 rushing) in the Rebels’ win at Arkansas. He also had six touchdown passes.
“This guy’s playing uncanny football when you talk about the accuracy, the completion percentage, the yards he’s throwing it for,” Smart said. “He’s not throwing dink and dunk passes now. This guy’s throwing the ball vertical down the field, shots. Then let’s say you cover all that, and you do that, he can take off and run.”
Jordan Watkins had 254 receiving yards and five touchdown catches.
Smart continues to have success when leaving the offense on the field on fourth downs. Georgia has been successful on 11 of 13 fourth downs this season for an 85% rate that leads the SEC. The Bulldogs have scored two touchdowns on fourth-down plays, including one by Etienne against Texas.
In Smart’s nine seasons at Georgia, the Bulldogs have a 64% success rate on fourth down (74 of 115) with 12 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs won last season’s meeting 52-17, prompting Kiffin to reflect on the talent gap on the offensive and defensive fronts.
They have definitely made some upgrades on the defensive line with players like Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen, and at linebacker with Chris Paul Jr.
“We’re a lot different there,” Kiffin said, “and hopefully that will help us.”
Smart said of the Rebels’ defensive linemen: “Big humans. Large, fast humans and immovable objects with twitch and twist.”
___
AP Sports Writer Charles Odum in Athens, Georgia, contributed to this report.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
