A disputed pass interference flag sent the Ole Miss student section into total chaos Saturday night, turning a tense 21-0 deficit against No. 2 Georgia into a scene of flying bottles and trash.
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According to WSB-TV’s Alison Mastrangelo on X, fans started throwing trash and bottles as soon as the flag came out. Trey Wallace wrote on X that the students’ section throwing paused the game while officials tried to get the students to stop.
With 5:04 left in the half, Stockton’s third-and-three pass down the right sideline fell incomplete. Ole Miss defensive back Jaylon Braxton was flagged for grabbing Craig Dandridge’s arm, which turned a fourth down into a Georgia first down at the Ole Miss 28.
Boos came first, then water bottles, wristbands, and other trash aimed at the north end zone, right in front of the student section. Officials stopped the game for about six minutes while security moved to the end. When play resumed, Stockton ran in from 15 yards out to make it 28-0. The debris littered the end zone and delayed play, though no structural damage was done to the field.
The video board told fans that throwing objects was “strictly prohibited,” and the PA announcer repeated it. It didn’t fully work. An orange object still landed near the 5-yard line. Later in the half, KJ Bolden intercepted Trinidad Chambliss and returned it past midfield, and at least one object was thrown toward Georgia’s defenders as they ran by.
That time, the game wasn’t stopped. The school had also handed out light-up bracelets to boost the atmosphere, and some of those ended up on the field. Replay showed that Braxton did have Dandridge’s left arm, though he looked to be playing the ball, so the call was at least arguable.
The scoreboard was the bigger problem. Georgia had 298 yards at the half to Ole Miss’s 106. The Rebels ran for 37 yards. Chambliss, who Kirby Smart called probably the best quarterback in the country earlier in the week, had 69 passing yards, an interception and a 16-yard sack on first-and-10 from the Georgia 14. Chambliss failed to lead a single scoring drive or reach the end zone before halftime.
Georgia scored on four of its first-half drives, and Peyton Woodring’s 49-yard field goal try at the gun went wrong for the Bulldogs. It was still 28-0 in the third quarter.
This has become a regular fall event. In 2021, Tennessee fans threw trash, golf balls, and mustard bottles at Ole Miss and the game stopped for nearly 20 minutes. In October 2024, Texas fans pelted the field against Georgia, and officials used the stoppage to reverse a pass interference call.
A week later, Ohio State fans threw water bottles, beer cans, and cheese sauce after a targeting call against Nebraska, and the Big Ten didn’t punish them. Nebraska fans have thrown trash too, after a late collapse against Washington a week back in this season.
Ole Miss opened the year ranked No. 4 after wins over Louisville and LSU. The Rebels have lost two of their last five, and a loss in this game would make it three of their last six games. Ole Miss opened the year ranked No. 4 after wins over Louisville and LSU. Falling behind with a 21-0 scoreline to a dominant No. 2 Georgia squad effectively crushed their lingering College Football Playoff hopes, marking their third loss in six games and capping a steep midseason slide.