Ole Miss vs. Georgia Southern live score updates: Rebels end losing streak

Published 8:36 am Saturday, November 5, 2016

FINAL: Ole Miss 37, Georgia Southern 27

Wunderlich kicks another field. The Rebels stop Georgia Southern on fourth down on its final possession and hold on to break their three-game losing streak, holding the Eagles to six second-half points.

Georgia Southern gets closer with a 38-yard field goal. Ole Miss 34, Georgia Southern 27, 12:09 4Q

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END OF THIRD QUARTER: Ole Miss 34, Georgia Southern 24

Ole Miss’ second possession with Pellerin leading it results in points. Gary Wunderlich’s 29-yard field goal pushes the Rebels’ lead back to two scores. Ole Miss 34, Georgia Southern 24, 0:13 3Q

Kelly is back on the sideline, though he’s walking gingerly on his right leg. He doesn’t have his helmet.

A 41-yard field goal by Georgia Southern cuts into Ole Miss’ lead late in the third quarter. Ole Miss 31, Georgia Southern 24, 3:02 3Q

Kelly has been taken to the locker room. He was favoring his right leg.

Kelly is being tended to in the medical tent on the sideline. Jason Pellerin comes in.

HALFTIME: Ole Miss 31, Georgia Southern 21. Ole Miss held the Eagles to 76 yards in the second quarter outside of Breida’s 68-yard scoring run.

Georgia Southern’s 54-yard field goal attempt to end the half is no good.

Another stop by the defense, and the Rebels need just two plays to extend their lead. Kelly finds Evan Engram for a 38-yard catch-and-run score. Ole Miss has scored 21 unanswered points. Ole Miss 31, Georgia Southern 21, 2:06 2Q

The Rebels’ defense gets another stop, and Ole Miss goes 60 yards on seven plays to retake the lead. Akeem Judd with a 9-yard touchdown run to cap it. Rebels have erased a pair of 11-point deficits. Ole Miss 24, Georgia Southern 21, 3:36 2Q

A long completion to Damore’ea Stringfellow gets Ole Miss inside Georgia Southern’s 5, and Kelly finishes a four-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. Georgia Southern 21, Ole Miss 17, 8:20 2Q

Georgia Southern needs just three plays to answer on Matt Breida’s 68-yard touchdown run. Eagles already with 163 rushing yards early in the second quarter. Georgia Southern 21, Ole Miss 10, 10:11 2Q

Ole Miss gets a stop, and the Rebels march 71 yards on seven plays for their first touchdown. Kelly follows a long completion to A.J. Brown with a 3-yard touchdown run. Georgia Southern 14, Ole Miss 10, 11:38 2Q 

END OF FIRST QUARTER: Georgia Southern 14, Ole Miss 3

Ole Miss goes three and out on its next possession. Georgia Southern will start the second quarter with the ball.

Ellison keeps it and runs 9 yards for Georgia Southern’s second touchdown. The Eagles have a two-possession lead early. Georgia Southern 14, Ole Miss 3, 0:59 1Q

Kelly’s third-down pass intended for Quincy Adeboyejo is incomplete, and Georgia Southern blocks Gary Wunderlich’s punt. Malik Henry broke through untouched, and the Eagles have it in Ole Miss territory.

Ellison avoids pressure and finds Myles Campbell for a 29-yard touchdown to cap an eight-play, 69-yard drive. Georgia Southern 7, Ole Miss 3, 5:08 1Q

John Youngblood’s leg bent in a way it’s not supposed to. It was immediately put in a cast, and he was carted off the field.

Ole Miss gets in the red zone but bogs down. Chad Kelly got pressure on third down, and his pass hit a Georgia Southern defender. Gary Wunderlich’s 35-yard field goal puts the Rebels ahead. Ole Miss 3, Georgia Southern 0, 9:01 1Q

Ole Miss punts on its first possession, but Zedrick Woods gets the ball back for the offense with an interception of Kevin Ellison near the Rebels’ 10-yard line. Ole Miss has it near midfield.

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It’s Ole Miss vs. Georgia Southern today in SEC football 2016 action from Oxford.

The Game time is 11 a.m. central

TV channel: ESPNU.

We will have live score updates here throughout the game so visit back during the contest.

The main reason Ole Miss has tumbled from the national rankings and turned into a middling team in the Southeastern Conference is its inconsistent defense, especially when it comes to stopping the run.

That makes Georgia Southern an even more dangerous opponent.

Ole Miss (3-5) will be the heavy favorite when it hosts Georgia Southern (4-4) on Saturday, but the Eagles’ run-based option offense — which is ranked 21st in the nation with 239 yards per game — has the potential to cause problems for the Rebels.

“They are a scary matchup because of all the athletic guys they have running that option offensively,” Freeze said.

Ole Miss has been one of the worst teams in the SEC in several defensive categories this season. The Rebels are giving up 32.5 points per game, which ranks last in the league and they’re giving up 236.9 yards rushing per game, which is 13th out of 14 SEC teams.

“It continues to be an issue for us on defense, stopping the run and giving up explosive plays,” Freeze said. “I have zero frustration in the effort of our kids. I do continue to have frustration over not being able to fix a recurring problem.”

Georgia Southern has lost four of its last five games, including 34-10 to Appalachian State last week.

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Some other things to watch when Ole Miss hosts Georgia Southern:

KELLY’S ENCORE: Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly threw for a school-record 465 yards in last week’s 40-29 loss to Auburn. The Rebels haven’t had many problems moving the ball through the air this season — they’re first in the SEC and 14th nationally with 325.4 yards passing per game.

REBELS TRYING TO AVOID LONGER SKID: Ole Miss has lost three games in a row for the first time since 2013. The Rebels haven’t lost four in a row since 2011, which was previous coach Houston Nutt’s final season. Ole Miss has a 30-1-2 record against current Sun Belt programs, including a 4-0 mark under Freeze.

QUITE A KICKER: Ole Miss kicker Gary Wunderlich was recently named one of the nation’s 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award. The junior has been one of the most reliable kickers in the SEC, making 13 of 14 field goals and 31 of 33 extra points.

VALIANT EFFORT VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN: Georgia Southern lost to Western Michigan 49-31 in September. It didn’t seem like a noteworthy result at the time, but it turns out its been one of Western Michigan’s closer games this season. Western Michigan now has a 9-0 record and is the No. 17 ranked team in the nation.

YOUNG SUMMERS: Georgia Southern is led by first-year head coach Tyson Summers. At 36 years old, he’s the third-youngest coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Only Memphis’ Mike Norvell and Western Michigan’s P.J. Fleck are younger at 35.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.