Mississippi running back Jaylen Walton (6) looks for room past Tennessee defenders during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014. No. 3 Mississippi won 34-3. (DM Photo/Payton Teffner)
The Ole Miss football team remained undefeated on Saturday by defeating the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 34-3. Both teams started off struggling to move the ball against the other’s impressive defenses, but while Tennessee was unable to change this throughout the game, Ole Miss succeeded in making adjustments and ended up scoring well later in the game.
With both of the offenses having some struggles, Ole Miss and Tennessee’s punters were called on frequently, and both punters stepped up to the challenge. Tennessee’s Matt Darr punted nine times for 410 yards at a 45.6-yard average, meanwhile Ole Miss’ Will Gleeson punted nine times for 434 yards at a 48.2-yard average.
All but one possession in the first quarter ended in a punt, the lone exception coming on a Justin Worley pass that was intercepted by Ole Miss cornerback Mike Hilton. Most of the drives were very short too, with only one offensive possession having more than six plays in it. This possession featured a 36-yard catch by Ole Miss senior wide receiver Vince Sanders, but ultimately still ended in a punt.
The first drive of the second quarter drew first blood, as the Volunteers were able to march down and have kicker Aaron Medley knock in a 27-yard field goal. This would be the last time Tennessee would score however, as the Rebel defense would live up to it’s reputation and shut down the Volunteers offense for the majority of the remaining plays.
After this there were a few more punts before the Rebel offense was able to get on the scoreboard. The big play once again came from senior wideout Vince Sanders, who caught a 28-yard pass immediately followed by a 39-yard touchdown.
Ole Miss was able to get the ball back quickly after star cornerback Senquez Golson intercepted Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley. Five plays later Ole Miss running back Jaylen Walton took a seven yard carry for a touchdown and made the score 14-3. After this, the half ended quietly with Tennessee punting the ball and Ole Miss missing a 52-yard field goal as time expired.
Tennessee’s offensive struggles continued in the second half in a game in which they would finish with a net gain of zero for rushing yards and only 191 yards through the air. Meanwhile Ole Miss continued to add to their lead and shut down the Tennessee offense.
With around nine minutes left in the third quarter, Golson was able to add his second interception of the day, which was also his seventh interception in seven games. However Ole Miss wouldn’t be able to score until one possession later, when, following a 40-yard rush by junior Jaylen Walton, kicker Gary Wunderlich connected on a 34-yard attempt.
It didn’t take Ole Miss long to score again, as freshman Demarquis Gates forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, setting up the Rebels with great field positioning. On the very next play quarterback Bo Wallace found his sophomore tight end Evan Engram for a 28-yard score, Engram’s first of the season.
In the fourth quarter the Rebel defense continued smothering the Volunteers, with some younger players coming in and making some key stops. One of the big reasons for the defense’s success over the course of the game was the pass rush, which generated seven total sacks, two and a half of those coming from freshman Marquis Haynes, who leads the team in sacks for the season.
The offense continued to score in the fourth as well, with the offense moving down for a 27-yard field goal by Gary Wunderlich. After this Ole Miss subbed a lot of younger players in, with redshirt freshmen Ryan Buchanan and Devante Kincaid splitting time at quarterback. The offense was able to move down and score another touchdown, with Mark Dodson rushing eight yards to get in the end zone.
After the game, Ole Miss improved to 7-0 on the year while Tennessee dropped to 3-4.
