OXFORD, Ms. — There was little doubt about who was the better team on Saturday between Georgia and Ole Miss. The 28-10 margin of victory could actually be considered kind for Georgia, given how it played.

It was a dominant showing from Ole Miss, who was just better in all three phases of the game.

“They played a really good game, I thought Lane had his team ready to play,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We obviously struggled in a lot of areas. We had miscues, mistakes, penalties, things that are really hard to overcome, especially when you play a really good football team, and they are.”

While many may try and blame one or two individuals, the reality is that it was a complete team effort. And Ole Miss was just the better team on Saturday.

Below are our final grades following what was Georgia’s worst collective performance of the 2024 season.

Quarterback: D

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck cut his interceptions from 3 to 1 but it was still another tough game. He finished with just 186 yards in the game and for the third time this season, no touchdown passes. Beck was constantly under pressure, taking 5.0 sacks on the night. The last one led to a Beck turnover.

The first half deployment of Beck was certainly curious. He had just 49 passing yards on 10 attempts in the opening 30 minutes. Georgia’s offense was not particularly aggressive and given Beck’s recent struggles with turnovers, it’s fair to wonder if Georgia played it conservative in that regard.

Running backs: C

It was a tough day all-around for this group but there were some bright spots. Nate Frazier had a rushing touchdown and ran hard throughout the game. He also fumbled the ball twice, one of which Ole Miss recovered. It felt like a classic case of one player trying to do too much.

Trevor Etienne had only 6 carries in the game, still hobbled by a rib injury. Cash Jones did have a 32-yard reception and made a great hustle play to recover a fumble and get a first down due to a face mask. But his 4 carries on the night netted -3 yards. It was just tough sledding for this group.

Wide receiver: D

Dominic Lovett had a few nice catches in this game and was able to get open often. But the rest of this group, limited as it is already, had a rather forgettable game. Dillon Bell had 33 receiving yards and a 12-yard rush, but he also had a tough drop. Arian Smith finished with 32 receiving yards on the night.

Lovett had one 20-yard reception. That was the only explosive play this group was able to create on the night. While no one in particular had a bad game, we did see just how capped this position group is in terms of its ceiling.

Tight end: D

Lawson Luckie clearly seems to be Georgia’s best weapon among the three main tight ends. He caught 2 passes for 30 yards on the night. Ben Yurosek had a single catch for 7 yards, but he had a brutal drop just before halftime. While the ball was tipped, it also hit him in the facemask. The drop would lead to a Georgia punt. Oscar Delp did not have a catch on the night.

This group had taken steps forward in recent games, especially as the numbers at wide receiver have dwindled. Saturday felt like a step back.

Offensive line: F

There are reasons for this grade. Ole Miss has an objectively great defensive front, with multiple NFL players. The Bulldogs falling behind made it easy for the Rebels to tee off on Beck, as they finished with 5.0 sacks.

Georgia was also unable to finish the game with either Tate Ratledge or Micah Morris at guard. The Bulldogs tried Drew Bobo and Xavier Truss at guard, but neither proved to be all that effective.

So rarely has the offensive line been one of the main talking points after a loss. But that speaks to what happened with this group on Saturday.

Defensive line: C+

Ole Miss never really got going on the ground, as Jaxson Dart led Ole Miss in rushing and much of that came at the end of the game. Christen Miller did get home with Chaz Chambliss for an early sack

After Miller and Chambliss’ sack on the opening drive, Georgia did not get a sack for the remainder of the game. This group, unlike Ole Miss’ defensive line, was unable to impose its will on the game.

Outside linebackers: C

Chambliss picked up another sack, but it was a quiet game off the edge for Georgia. There were a couple of times where Chambliss, Damon Wilson and Jalon Walker all found themselves in coverage deep downfield. That’s not a strength for this group and it’s a credit to Ole Miss for scheming up those matchups.

Inside linebackers: B-

Walker did get pressure up the middle and forced an interception on the opening drive when he tipped a Dart pass. CJ Allen nearly did the same later on in the game, but Walker just missed an interception.

Georgia did welcome back Smael Mondon, after he had missed the previous four games with a lower leg injury. Georgia’s defense was on the field a lot and it did bend plenty. But it also forced five Ole Miss field goals, doing its best to keep Georgia in the game.

Secondary: C+

It was a mixed bag with this group. Dan Jackson came away with an early interception in what was Georgia’s only forced turnover on the day. The corners also did a good job holding up in coverage on the outside.

But it was a tough game for the Georgia defenders who occupy the middle of the field. It was not the best game for Malaki Starks or Joenel Aguero, as both gave up key completions. KJ Bolden was the closet man in coverage on Ole Miss’ second touchdown.

Ole Miss did a great job of creating mismatches in the secondary and doing just enough to create some chunk plays. Ole Miss had 8 plays of 20 yards or more, compared to just 2 for Georgia.

Special teams: B

It’s hard to find fault with Georgia’s special teams units. Thorson had a beautiful punt that pinned Ole Miss at its own 1-yard line, while Peyton Woodring made his only short field goal attempt.

Jones did have trouble fielding one kickoff that had squibbed its way towards him. But Ole Miss’ punter had a 65-yard boot that ended any hope of points before halftime, while kicker Caden Davis made all five of his field goal attempts.

Final grade: D-

Credit to Ole Miss for making things difficult enough on Georgia. The home atmosphere made a difference as the Bulldogs had multiple pre-snap penalties.

The Bulldogs weren’t able to play complimentary football on Saturday and spent the second half chasing the game. It never got the big play it needed, instead leaving Oxford with a second loss and a good bit of soul-searching to do.