OXFORD, Miss. - The fifth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead and didn't look back in downing the Georgia Southern football squad, 52-13, Saturday night in front of a record crowd of 67,505 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in non-conference action.
The Rebels took the opening kickoff and scored in two plays just 31 seconds in and then the Eagles fumbled on their first play. The defense held tight to force a field goal, but the Rebels got another touchdown later in the period to take a 17-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, JC French led a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with running back OJ Arnold connecting with Derwin Burgess Jr. on a 12-yard scoring pass. It was the third career touchdown pass for Arnold and the 16th career scoring catch for Burgess Jr. It also marked the first touchdown scored against the Rebels in three-plus games.
The Rebels scored the next three touchdowns to pull away, but the Eagles kept fighting. French led the team on a 10-play scoring drive late in the third quarter aided by three Ole Miss personal fouls, before Gavin Stewart capped off with a 42-yard field goal. Stewart nailed a 33-yard field goal with just less than two minutes remaining to account for the final score.
Chance Gamble led the defense with seven tackles and also had his first interception as an Eagle after picking off four at Kennesaw State. Marques Watson-Trent and Davon Gilmore also had seven tackles. Burgess Jr. had five catches for 53 yards and a score.
Up Next: Georgia Southern (2-2) will travel to Georgia State (2-1) on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. game at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta.