OXFORD -- No. 20 Ole Miss will hit the road for the first time this season, heading to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech.

For Ole Miss defensive end Jared Ivey, it's essentially a homecoming.

The Suwanee, Ga., native played in 20 games over the past two seasons at Georgia Tech, starting 13.

Ivey started the final two games for the Yellow Jackets in 2020, recording eight tackles. He started all 11 in 2021, recording 32 tackles, including six behind the line of scrimmage.

Ivey hit the transfer portal in January and transferred to Ole Miss quickly. So far this season, Ivey, who is listed No. 2 behind Tavius Robinson at one defensive end spot, has five tackles, 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry.

When the Rebels (2-0) and Yellow Jackets (1-1) square off at Bobby Dodd Stadium Saturday (2:30 p.m. CDT, ABC), Ivey knows it won't be like just another game. He has more ticket requests than he can possibly fulfill and he'll be playing against friends and former teammates.

"It'll be a super, super fun game," Ivey said, noting that he only has four tickets to distribute. "I'm excited."

Ivey knows the advantage he might have via familiarity with Georgia Tech's offense and schemes is overplayed.

"They've had an entire offseason to do what they do to prepare the way they needed to prepare, so it's not like it's the exact same," Ivey said. "I'll give my input where I can. ...They know that I used to play their plays and their scheme at the school. ...Everybody makes adjustments. They've had all offseason to prepare and adjust whatever they needed to adjust."

Ivey said he enjoyed his time at Georgia Tech and was complimentary of the Yellow Jackets' fans and environment. However, he said he only talks to his former teammates "here and there," adding that he is focused on his current teammates and "going to battle with Ole Miss."

Ivey said the decision to leave Georgia Tech was "really personal."

"No shade to those guys at all," Ivey said. "I loved my time at Tech and made unbelievable connections and relationships, but I just felt like I could find better situations for myself somewhere else."

Ivey said he likes what he's seen from Ole Miss' defense so far. He pointed to a board in halftime locker room -- where Ole Miss is conducting media gatherings this season due to construction at the Manning Center -- and noted that so far, the defense has upheld the objectives asked of it.

"We just try to uphold our standards of playing fearless, relentless, making plays, disrupting the QB and winning at the end of the day," Ivey said.

Ole Miss offensive guard Nick Broeker said he believes the Rebels' offensive line made a lot of improvement from the first game versus Troy to this past weekend's 59-3 rout of Central Arkansas.

Broeker said new faces and new positions created some communication issues early but he said he felt that improved against Central Arkansas.

Broeker admitted that the lack of certainty regarding the starting quarterback impacts the offensive line "a little bit," admitting that it's natural "to always wonder." That said, Broeker said, assignments don't change whether it's Jaxson Dart or Luke Altmyer on the field at any given time.

Broeker had high praise for freshman left tackle Jayden Williams, noting the Conway, Ark., native has "all the intangibles and he's long and athletic and smart. He's done a really good job of watching film and getting in the right positions to make everything happen."

Broeker said he'll try to help his new teammates this week, noting that for many, it's the first time they've traveled as a team.

"It's a business trip," Broeker said.