The Preview: Ole Miss Football vs. Georgia State Panthers in Week 1 Matchup

Originally posted on Ole Miss Rebels on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 8:00 AM ET

OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 15 Ole Miss football team opens its 2025 campaign on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. CT against Georgia State.

How to Watch: Ole Miss vs. Georgia State

Date: Saturday, Aug. 30
Time: 6:45 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Mississippi
Site: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: ESPN App
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com/watch

At the Helm
All eyes will be on Austin Simmons as he makes his starting debut for Ole Miss, taking the role left vacant by first round NFL Draft pick and First Team All-SEC QB Jaxson Dart.

How will the dangerous Rebel offense look with a new man behind center for the first time in three years?

In the Trenches
Georgia State boasts a talented running back room, featuring three players with Ole Miss or Mississippi ties.

Rashad Amos is a former Rebel. Branson Robinson is a Canton native and former top prospect out of Mississippi. Jordon Simmons spent the spring in Oxford.

How will that trio perform at The Vaught?

The Golding Standard
As much as Ole Miss lost on offense from a year ago, the Rebels lost even more on defense as Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, JJ Pegues, Trey Amos and others have gone on to the professional ranks.

Can Ole Miss once again field one of the nation's top defenses despite all the departures?

Experienced QB
Georgia State will head to battle with an experienced quarterback in redshirt senior Christian Veilleux. Veilleux's career began at Penn State, where he played five games in two seasons.

He then made five starts for Pitt in 2023 before taking over at Georgia State last season, appearing in 10 games and throwing for more than 2,000 yards.

On the Run
Perhaps Ole Miss' only relative weakness last year was its run game. The Rebels finished first or second in the SEC in rushing from 2019-2022, averaging more than 200 yards per game on the ground in all four seasons.

In each of the past two years, they've averaged around 175 yards per game and finished fifth in the league. Can the new stable of backs featuring Kewan Lacy, Logan Diggs and Damien Taylor reverse the trend starting in Week 1?

This article first appeared on Ole Miss Rebels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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