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Greetings my fellow rumble seat fanatics! It's almost Christmas and our beloved yellow jackets our going bowling for the 17 straight season. The best news is that Georgia Tech is bowling south of the mason-dixon line in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. Their opponent: The Ole Miss Rebels.
This will be the first time these two teams have played against each other since December 30, 1971. The Rebels prevailed that day winning 41-18 in the Peach Bowl. Interesting enough, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss have only played three times in history with the yellow jackets leading the all time series 2-1.
Today we are going to look at how these two teams compare through the air, on the ground, and on defense.
Georgia Tech Passing: 119th in the nation in passing.
Ole Miss Passing: 49th in the nation in passing.
Quarterback match up: Vad Lee vs. Bo Wallace
Bo Wallace in his junior year threw for 3090 yards with 17 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Vad Lee in his sophomore year threw for 1414 yards with 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. On paper, Ole Miss looks like the better passing team. If I were the Rebels though, I would not underestimate Vad Lee's arm. Vad grew up a lot this season after facing a ton of adversity. I really believe he is starting to feel comfortable throwing the football. He is just now scratching the surface with his ability.
Georgia Tech Rushing: 4th in the nation in rushing
Ole Miss Rushing: 50th in the nation in rushing
Running back match up: Robert Godhigh vs. I'Tavius Mathers
The Yellow Jackets have averaged 311 yards on the ground this season. The Rebels have averaged 174 yards on the ground this season. I like this match up between Godhigh and Mathers because both are consistent and durable backs. Mathers for the season averaged 505 yards on 82 attempts with 3 touchdowns. Robert Godhigh averaged 694 yards on 69 attempts with 6 touchdowns for the season. The difference is the usability of Godhigh. Robbie can run, he can catch, and he is clutch!
Georgia Tech Defense: Ranked 21 in the nation
Ole Miss Defense: Ranked 44 in the nation
Defensive Match up: Cody Prewitt vs. Jemea Thomas
Jemea Thomas has had 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, and one recovered fumble. Cody Prewitt has had 0 sacks, 6 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries. Honestly it's hard to decipher who has had the better year, but I will say both of these young men have had great careers at their respective schools. Thomas had a great performance against UGA with 9 tackles and 1 interception. Prewitt's best performance of the season came against Missouri after recording 12 tackles and 1 interception. I look for both of these men to step it up in Nashville.
There we have it. A quick look at some key match ups at key positions.
So tell me, how do you feel about this game? Does Tech find success against Ole Miss on the ground or through the air? Or both? Can our defense get some three and outs on the Ole Miss offense?
The Music City Bowl is Monday December 30, 2013. 3:15 PM on ESPN.