Novig pricesSEC fines Ole Miss $250,000 after fans threw debris during 42-7 loss to Georgia
The SEC fined Ole Miss $250,000 after fans threw cans and other objects during Georgia's 42-7 win in Oxford. Alcohol sales were not suspended.
Ole Miss lost 42-7 to Georgia on Saturday, and on Monday the SEC added a $250,000 fine. Commissioner Greg Sankey issued the penalty after fans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium threw objects onto the field and stopped the game in the second quarter, as reported by the Athens Banner-Herald and Field Level Media.
According to the Banner-Herald, play was held up for about five and a half minutes while beer cans, light-up bracelets and other debris landed on the field. The barrage came after a pass interference flag and a roughing-the-passer call went against the Rebels. Georgia Bulldogs On SI reported that the stadium made repeated announcements asking fans to stop and warning that anyone caught throwing things could be arrested. Much of the debris came from the student section at the north end. The conference cited its rule on alcohol sales at athletic events, which allows an immediate fine and suspension of alcohol sales when cans or bottles are thrown. The SEC chose not to stop alcohol sales in Oxford for now but said it could do so later. That leaves a second incident open to a harsher penalty.
Georgia waited out the delay away from the stands. Kirby Smart said the scene in Oxford did not match the 2024 bottle-throwing game at Texas. "It didn't seem like Texas to me," Smart said after the game, according to Georgia Bulldogs On SI. It was the second hostile road crowd of the season for the Bulldogs. The same outlet reported that Alabama fans threw debris at Georgia players leaving the field after the 20-17 win in Tuscaloosa.
The game itself was decided long before the crowd turned. Georgia held Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss under 200 passing yards and kept him from throwing a touchdown pass for the first time in his Ole Miss career.
What it means for Saturday
The fine changes nothing on the field, but the two teams head into Week 11 in very different spots. Georgia is 8-1 and has won three straight since its 27-24 loss to Auburn. In that stretch the Bulldogs beat ranked Florida and ranked Ole Miss by a combined 69-15. No. 18 Missouri visits Athens next. Ole Miss beat the Tigers 31-3 in Oxford earlier this season.
Georgia is a heavy favorite on this site's board. Novig has the Bulldogs favored by 15.5 points and at -641 on the moneyline. Missouri is +545 on Novig, and the best price anywhere is +550 at FanDuel. The spread varies more than the moneyline across the 12 venues. Pinnacle has Georgia at -14.5 and FanDuel has Missouri at +16.5, a two-point gap. Novig's total is 47.5.
Ole Miss is 6-3 and has alternated wins and losses over its last six games. The Rebels play at Oklahoma, and that line is close. Ole Miss is a slight favorite: -111 on Novig's moneyline, with the best price anywhere at -109 from Pinnacle. Novig has the Rebels giving 1.5 points, and Pinnacle has them at -1. Totals run from 48.5 at DraftKings to 50.5 at BetRivers, with Novig at 49.5. After a 35-point home loss and a six-figure fine, Ole Miss needs a result in Norman to stay in the conversation.