It was the worst of times and the best of times for the No. 18 Ole Miss football team in a must-win contest against Oklahoma in front of yet another record-breaking crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Trailing 14-10 at halftime, the Rebels were on the verge of having their hopes of making a debut in the expanded College Football Playoff virtually eviscerated. At the midway point, Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2 SEC) had been outgained by an Oklahoma (4-4, 1-4 SEC) offense that unleashed quarterback Jackson Arnold’s rushing abilities in a scheme being dialed up by first-time play-caller Joe Jon Finley.
A successful attempt at flipping the script in the final 30 minutes of play entailed a series of offensive adjustments and a valiant effort by Pete Golding’s defense, which had 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Seven of those sacks came in the second half. Ole Miss outscored its foe 16-0 to close out the game to post a 26-14 victory when the clock struck 0:00.
“Not good. Not good at all,” Ole Miss quarterback JaxsonDart said of the mood in the locker room at halftime. “I think a lot of us were honestly pissed off. It felt like we should be up by a lot more points. I feel like that could have been a few times this season in other games. It was definitely a ‘look in the mirror’ moment for us.”
Both squads entered Saturday’s matchup banged up. Oklahoma was without its starting running back and a multitude of wide receivers. Ole Miss lacked the nation’s leading wideout, Tre Harris, as well as starting offensive tackle Micah Pettus. Standout defensive lineman Walter Nolen was also knocked out of the ballgame with a leg injury late in the second quarter.
Noticeably present for Ole Miss, on the other hand, was edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, who missed most of the last two games. The Florida transfer ended the day with three tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss.
With Pettus out, Lane Kiffin utilized a makeshift offensive line with traditional guard Julius Buelow in at right tackle. In Harris’ absence, Dart was forced to target a cornucopia of weapons, especially as the run game was never really established.
Some of those targets included tight ends Caden Prieskorn and Dae’Quan Wright as well as wideouts Cayden Lee and Jordan Watkins. Altogether, the four accounted for 243 of the Rebels’ 311 yards in the air. On the ground, Ole Miss was only able to muster up 69 total rushing yards. Henry Parrish, Jr. led in the running game with 44 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.
Penalties plagued Ole Miss at times on Saturday, effectively setting up one of Oklahoma’s two scores. However, both teams were flagged an equal amount and Ole Miss played clean ball when it mattered.
And amid all the action, a Grove squirrel found himself on the playing field — and even crossed into the powder blue end zone for a touchdown of its own.
🚨 SQUIRREL DELAY@OleMissFB x 📺 @ESPN pic.twitter.com/M4yJKCN0xI
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) October 26, 2024
Though the Rebels were glad to leave the field victors on Saturday, tall tasks lie ahead on the schedule and the team cannot afford to rely on second-half heroics in upcoming matchups — particularly one that will come against a top-five Georgia squad on November 9.
If Kiffin and company are serious about making a meaningful run, the squad is going to have to piece together a successful outing on all fronts in each quarter of the game. That has yet to happen in SEC play this season.
On the positive side, Ole Miss set a record for most sacks recorded against an Oklahoma team in Sooners’ history and the second most the team has amassed in a single game. In addition, Dart tied Rebel greats Eli Manning and Bo Wallace for the most wins as a starting quarterback since 1968. Ole Miss has multiple chances to send the veteran over the top as the season progresses.
Scoring summary
Ole Miss made it a mission to score early. Two big yardage plays to Prieskorn and Wright helped set up Parrish to put the Rebels to take a 7-0 lead in the first two and a half minutes of action.
Oklahoma took advantage of a couple of costly Ole Miss penalties and a hint of success in the ground game — notably from Arnold. The promising drive was capped by an Arnold pass to tight end Bauer Sharp in the end zone to knot things up.
The Rebels reclaimed the lead after place kicker Caden Davis connected from 35 yards out. Ole Miss had moved into Oklahoma territory, but Kiffin was not confident in his offense to convert on 4th and 3, so he elected to go to his special teams.
The decision to use the kicker was not replicated on the Rebels’ next offensive drive. After earning favorable field position due to a forced fumble recovery, Ole Miss found itself in a 4th and 1 situation in the red zone. A trick play in which wide receiver Antwane Wells was tossed the ball was snuffed by Sooner linebacker Danny Stuntsman.
Arnold and company marched down the long field and made the Rebels pay for the turnover on downs. The young signal-caller found Jacob Jordan in the end zone on 3rd and long to put the Sooners up 14-10 with six seconds left in the half. Brent Venables’ team carried that advantage into the midway intermission.
Ole Miss’ defense forced a three-and-out on Oklahoma’s first drive after the break and the offense looked to recapture the lead. A couple of big passing plays to Lee paved the way for Dart to hit Prieskorn for a 25-yard touchdown. Davis missed the extra-point attempt, giving Ole Miss a 16-14 lead with 9:34 left in the third quarter.
The Rebels began to separate on the scoreboard after holding the Sooners’ offense at bay once more. Dart and company found some momentum after a heroic pass to Micah Davis on 3rd and long to cross midfield. Ole Miss’ field general then found an open Jordan Watkins for a touchdown that was reviewed and overturned. Watkins was ruled down inches away from the goal line.
Two-way big man JJ Pegues scored on the following play. Ole Miss claimed a 23-14 lead with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. A 42-yarder from Davis on the next drive added three points to the Rebels’ advantage.
Stat leaders
- Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart: 22-30, 311 passing yards, 44 rushing yards, and one touchdown in the air.
- Ole Miss tight end Caden Prieskorn: Five receptions, 71 yards, and one touchdown.
- Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins: Four receptions and 59 yards.
- Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins: 11 tackles (eight solo), four sacks, five tackles for loss.
- Ole Miss linebacker Chris Paul, Jr.: 12 tackles (seven solo) and two tackles for loss.
- Ole Miss defensive tackle JJ Pegues: Six tackles (four solo), two sacks, and three tackles for loss.
Coaches comments
Kiffin lauded the effort of his team, particularly the defense, when their backs were against the wall after a sluggish and sloppy first half.
“There was a lot of adversity to fight through there and to come out immediately with a three-and-out on defense … was a great response,” Kiffin said. “I thought our defense in the second half played as advertised. We were very defensive line dominant in the second half in continuing to stop them and [with] all the sacks.”
Ole Miss became bowl-eligible with the win, but the standard for this football team has been elevated to drastic heights. While Kiffin is not focused on the Rebels’ postseason status, he did point a finger at the media in creating championship expectations for Ole Miss.
“We don’t think that way,” Kiffin added. “Everybody else, if we don’t win a national championship, [will say], ‘What a bad year!'”
After landing a major haul of talent in the transfer portal, Ole Miss coaches and players flooded social media with posts calling the 2024 campaign “The Last Dance,” a reference to a recent Michael Jordan documentary.
What’s next
The Rebels will face Arkansas in Fayetteville this coming Saturday at 11 a.m. The game, which Ole Miss will more than likely have to win to keep playoff hopes alive, will be broadcast on ESPN and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
