Ole Miss is looking to rebound from a disappointing end to the regular season with its second straight bowl victory.
For the first time since 2008-09, Ole Miss is playing in back-to-back bowl games as it takes on Georgia Tech at 2:15 p.m. Monday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn.
The Rebels (7-5) won four staight from Oct. 19-Nov. 16 and many thought they were headed for a New Year’s Day bowl, but then came losses to Missouri and rival Mississippi State.
The Music City Bowl is the first of 10 bowls involving Southeastern Conference teams, with things culminating with Auburn facing Florida State in the BCS National Championship on Jan. 6.
“I am proud of our team’s hard work and commitment as we continue our journey,” said second-year UM head coach Hugh Freeze. “We have one of the great bowl traditions in all of college football, and I’m excited that we have earned a bowl berth in each of our first two seasons. I appreciate the unbelievable support Rebel Nation has provided our team, and I expect to see a sea of Red and Blue in Nashville.”
Georgia Tech, which is also 7-5, has been one of the nation’s most consistent programs in recent years, as it has now qualified for a bowl game in 17 straight seasons, the second-longest active streak in the nation. However, its only bowl win since 2004 came in last season’s Sun Bowl over USC, 21-7.
Like Ole Miss, the Yellow Jackets don’t enter the postseason on a roll. They lost two of their final three regular-season contests, including a 41-34 double overtime loss to rival Georgia.
For Ole Miss to right things, it must get its once high-octane offense rolling again.
They managed just one offensive touchdown in their last two games after putting up big numbers all season long (30.4 points and 473.0 yards per contest). They were in the red zone three times against Missouri and came away with a grand total of three points, and twice they were at the goal line.
Ole Miss can likely come out of its recent offensive funk with a very simple solution — just run the ball.
In those back-to-back losses, the Rebels rushed for just 126 yards against Missouri and just 117 against MSU — averaging just 3.8 yards per carry in the final two contests.
“For us, it’s about being able to run the ball. The games we haven’t done well in are the games we didn’t run the ball well. I don’t think this one will be any different,” Freeze said.
The Yellow Jackets have limited opponents to 107 yards a game and 3.4 per carry this season.
Quarterback Bo Wallace says new wrinkles are planned for the bowl game.
“We have a few new things coming in. I expect that to be back to where it was in the middle of the season,” he said. “Having (running back) Jeff Scott back is going to help us.”
Scott has been limited by injuries over the back half of the season. He carried 11 times for 54 yards against Troy and appeared primed for the last two games but carried just three times against Missouri and did not travel to MSU.
Improving the run game has been a focal point of bowl preparation.
“We’re working hard to make sure we do the fundamentals on the track of the back, the quarterback reads, blocking the down linemen,” Freeze said.
Wallace will be looking to rebound from arguably his worst outing of the season against the Bulldogs.
Wallace is completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 3,090 yards with 17 touchdowns against just nine interceptions, while rushing for 269 yards and four TDs
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow on Twitter:@Bill_Burrus.
