The Ole Miss Rebels and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets both look to rebound from
disappointing rivalry defeats to finish the regular season in this year’s Franklin American
Mortgage Music City Bowl.
Both teams come into the game looking for their eighth win of the season after treading
through a tough regular-season schedule in which both teams were defeated by one of
the participants in this season’s BCS bowl game slate.
Will the Rebels win their second bowl game in as many years under head coach Hugh
Freeze, or will the Yellow Jackets win their second consecutive under head coach Paul
Johnson?
Why Georgia Tech can win this game
The Yellow Jackets’ relentless option attack ranks fourth in the nation at 311.2 rushing
yards per game. Moreover, The Rebels have not been overly impressive on run
defense, as they rank ninth in the SEC for rushing defense (155.25 yards per game).
Georgia Tech needs to control the clock and
keep the Ole Miss Rebels off the field. In
order to do this, Johnson’s team will need
to be able to run the football. The Yellow
Jackets averaged under 130 passing
yards per game.
The Yellow Jackets also have a solid run
defense and rank second in the ACC
(107.0 yards given up each game) and
sixth in the NCAA. This could be
problematic for the Rebels, as they rely
on balance and do not want to become onedimensional.
This would open things up for monster pass-rusher Jeremiah Attaochu, who finished the
year with 12 sacks, to pin his ears back and wreak havoc on the Rebels backfield.
Why Ole Miss can win this game
The Rebels have a talent advantage at almost every position. The Yellow Jackets are
aware of this, and their lack of overall talent is the reason they run the triple-option
offense.
The triple-option offense works so well in college football because of its complexity and
the little amount of preparation time given each week. That gets thrown out the window
during bowl season when teams are given over a month to prepare.