Mississippi players celebrate after the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Dec. 30, 2013. Mississippi beat Georgia Tech 25-17. (Photo/Alex Edwards)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After losing the final two games of the regular season, Ole Miss junior quarterback Bo Wallace was on a mission — a mission to redeem himself and finish the year on a high note. And that is exactly what he did Monday in Nashville, Tenn., when the Rebels defeated Georgia Tech 25-17 to win the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.
In the Rebels final two contests of the regular season against Missouri and Mississippi State, Wallace was 52-for-82 for just 426 yards with four interceptions. The most alarming part of that, however, is that Wallace didn’t throw any touchdown passes.
Wallace also struggled running the ball, which is one asset that he has been able to take advantage of during his Ole Miss career. In those two games, he carried the ball 15 times for just 37 yards. However, all this changed Monday night.
“Proud of him,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said of Wallace after the Music City Bowl. “I just knew from watching him prepare that the way we ended the season didn’t sit well with him. I liked the way he prepared, and I’m proud that he was able to have the game he had today.”
Wallace put up big numbers against Georgia Tech going 22 of 32 for 256 yards in the air, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Donte Moncrief, and he also added 86 yards on the ground on 13 carries with two touchdowns.
“I just think going into this game I knew I needed to have a good one,” Wallace said. “At the same time, I thought all day sometimes I try to make too many plays, and all day I was thinking just make the plays that are there. I think that’s what I did, and getting the ball to those receivers, they make the stats look pretty good.”
The night was also monumental for Wallace because his 342 total yards helped him top Eli Manning’s previously held school record of 3,572 yards in a season. Wallace ended up finishing with 3,701.
Although it was an up and down year for the quarterback, Freeze believes that without him, the program wouldn’t be sitting where they are today after he inherited a 2-10 team.
“I have said that there’s no way we would be sitting here with 15 wins, including two bowl victories, in two years had Bo not been here with us,” Freeze said.
Wallace and his teammates will now look forward to the offseason, and for the quarterback, his final season in the red and blue.
“I’m just really excited for the offseason,” Wallace said. “To actually have an offseason to get better. Last year, I just had to try to get to the point that I was at after the shoulder surgery, so I’m just really excited for it to get with (strength and conditioning) coach (Paul) Jackson and his staff. I’m going to work really hard this offseason.”
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss football, follow @SigNewton_2 and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Matt Sigler
mcsigler@go.olemiss.edu
