It’s safe to say this was not the Ole Miss-Arkansas matchup that most people expected.
Arkansas was known as a gritty, power running team that fought in low scoring games, and instead they came out firing and won the game through the air. Instead of a low scoring battle, an offensive shootout occurred with that went all the way to overtime.
Arkansas struggled to get much going on the ground until late in the game, but by their second possession, they were already rolling through the air and using the play-action pass to put the defense on it’s heels.
Senior quarterback Brandon Allen scored the first touchdown in what was a career game for him on a 31-yard touchdown to junior receiver Drew Morgan.
The Rebels were able to come right back as junior Chad Kelly led the team down to set up a three-yard rushing touchdown for senior Jaylen Walton. A few punts later, Arkansas had the ball again and scored on a second Brandon Allen touchdown; this time a 15-yard pass to junior receiver Dominique Reed.
Kelly was able to match Allen’s score on the next drive, finding sophomore Markell Pack for a few passes then running it in himself from 11 yards out.
Kelly had by far the best day rushing the football of his career, getting 11 carries for 117 yards and three touchdowns. The offensive battle continued on Arkansas’ next possession, but the Rebels were able to keep them out of the end zone and forced a 45-yard field goal. With time running down in the first half, Ole Miss was able to move down and match Arkansas’ score with a 37-yard field goal of their own.
Ole Miss received the ball to start the second half and took advantage by taking their first lead of the game on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Chad Kelly to Damore’ea Stringfellow. Kelly was nearly flawless through the air, passing for 368 yards on 24-34 passing with three touchdowns. Allen was near perfection as well and lead the Razorbacks down for a 30-yard touchdown to sophomore receiver Jared Cornelius. Allen finished the day with 33 of his 45 passes completed for 442 yards and a whopping six touchdowns.
Ole Miss refused to go away and was able to once again regain the lead on the next possession. Junior receiver Laquon Treadwell hauled in a 42-yard pass, leading to a three-yard rushing touchdown to cap off the 82-yard drive. Arkansas’ offensive explosion was far from over however, as junior Kody Walker ran in a three-yard touchdown on the next possession, tying the game at 31.
At this point, momentum swung in Arkansas’ favor. The Razorbacks forced a punt and moved down to score another touchdown from Brandon Allen to Drew Morgan. The game continued to swing back and forth, and on the ensuing possession Ole Miss was able to score on a 17-yard touchdown to Laquon Treadwell, who finished the day with seven catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Ole Miss seemed to regain control of the game, as they stopped the Razorback offense and moved down in less than three minutes to score a passing touchdown to junior Quincy Adeboyejo and put themselves back on top by a score of 45-38.
Arkansas moved down on a crucial drive and once again found success through the air, with Dominique Reed catching his second touchdown of the game. The score was tied with 47 seconds to go, and Ole Miss turned over the ball on downs on the next possession, giving Arkansas a chance to win the game with a field goal. The Ole Miss special teams came through in the clutch and blocked the kick, sending the game into overtime.
Ole Miss started off with the ball in overtime and had no trouble scoring, with Kelly rushing for an eight-yard touchdown on the quarterback keeper. Then began one of the craziest finishes you’ll see in football.
Ole Miss played great defense to start Arkansas’ final drive. Ole Miss forced the Razorbacks into a fourth and 25, and just when it looked like tight end Hunter Henry would be stopped and the game would be over, Henry whipped the ball over his head and it somehow found it’s way to running back Alex Collins. Collins immediately took off with a brigade of blockers and gained 31 yards before fumbling himself on an attempted lateral. The fumble was recovered at the 11, but since Collins had passed the first down before fumbling, the first down stood. Arkansas scored on a nine-yard pass to Morgan, and got ready to go for two to win the ball game.
Arkansas’ initial attempt was shut down and it looked like the Rebels would walk away victorious, but a facemask was called on what would’ve been Marquis Haynes’ game winning sack. The penalty set up Allen for a run for the game winning conversion. Final score, Arkansas 53, Ole Miss 52.
It was an empowering victory for the Razorbacks but a devastating loss for the Rebels, as they fall to 7-3 and no longer control their own destiny in the SEC West.
