For the second week in a row, the Ole Miss Rebels found themselves in a game coming down to the final play to decide the result. However, this week, the result was in favor of the Rebels (4-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference). With just six seconds left in the game, senior kicker Andrew Ritter connected on a 41-yard field goal to secure a 27-24 win over No. 6 LSU (6-2, 3-2 SEC) for the first time since 2009. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Ole Miss, which was coming off a heartbreaking 41-38 loss to Texas A&M the previous week.
“I couldn’t be more proud of that staff and those kids to go through what they’ve been through, with the injuries and the outside world having their opinion of things,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said. “In the back of your mind, you always wonder as a coach if you can get a team ready to do things like this when you’re shorthanded and coming off an extremely disappointing loss. We’re thrilled to represent our university and Rebel Nation out there in a battle between two good football teams.
“I couldn’t be more proud of those young kids. We still didn’t make it pretty. We did some things that made it a bit difficult, but we found a way to get it done.”
With a depleted defense suffering from a long list of injuries, the Rebels were able to hold LSU to just 388 total yards on offense, but perhaps most importantly, force three first-half interceptions.
“I give the credit to our assistant coaches and the heart of our kids,” defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said. “We’ve had two difficult games that we could’ve won the previous weeks, and we weren’t able to finish. With a lot of guys missing, our guys were warriors and battled their hearts out. I was so proud of them the first half and what they did. I knew we would wear down a bit in the second half. We had a few breaks go against us, but fortunately, as a team, we won the game.”
The Rebel defense was able to contain an LSU offense that came into the game averaging over 40 points per game and over 450 yards per game. Young defensive players stepped up for Ole Miss in the game, including sophomore safety Chief Brown, who led the team with eight tackles and also added an interception in the end zone to stop an LSU drive. Freshman huskie Tony Conner and sophomore linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche both added seven tackles of their own, which was second on the team. Veteran junior safety Cody Prewitt continued to add to his solid season thus far with seven tackles and another interception, his fourth of the season.
Going into the game, many were concerned the Rebels would not be able to stop the trio of Jeremy Hill, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry for LSU. However, Hill only tallied 64 rushing yards and a touchdown, and the Rebels only allowed one touchdown through the air to Landry and managed to keep both in check.
“Our plan was to keep them from getting the deep ball,” Ole Miss senior cornerback Charles Sawyer said. “Coach (Jason) Jones always preaches if they don’t have a deep ball in the game, that gives you a chance to win it, and that’s what happened.”
Although the defense was able to consistently hold a high-powered offense, Ole Miss was able to make some big plays on the offensive side of the ball as well.
After losing starting senior running back Jeff Scott to injury earlier in the week, Ole Miss was forced to rely on sophomores Jaylen Walton and I’Tavius Mathers. Both Walton and Mathers had career days, with Walton leading the team in rushing. He went for 105 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns. Mathers had 13 carries for 52 yards.
“We ran the football against a really good defense,” Freeze said. “Our offensive line played against a good defensive front. I have great confidence in Jaylen and I’Tavius. Jaylen has quick acceleration. He did really well tonight and protected the ball. I’Tavius felt horrible about the fumble. That’s the first fumble by our backs this year. Coach (Derrick) Nix puts a lot of emphasis on protecting the ball, and I am pleased with their progress.”
Junior quarterback Bo Wallace also appeared to be back on track with his receivers, after struggling a bit in previous weeks with communication. Wallace finished the game 30-for-39 for 346 yards, but most importantly with no turnovers.
Things went the Rebels’ way most of the game, with Ole Miss jumping out to a 10-0 lead heading into halftime, thanks to a 28-yard field goal from Ritter and a 3-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Barry Brunetti to junior tight end Nick Parker. Walton would add a 2-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to push the lead to 17-0, but LSU would fight back with 14 unanswered points of its own, on short touchdown runs from Kenny Hilliard and Jeremy Hill.
Walton would add his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 26 yards, at the end of the third quarter to give the Rebels a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. LSU would tie things up, however, with a field goal and a 4-yard touchdown pass from Zach Mettenberger to Landry.
Ole Miss would get the ball back with 3:15 left to play and use 14 plays to drive down the field to the LSU 24-yard line to set up Ritter for the game-winning field goal.
“When I was out there, you’re thinking about your teammates and how close we’ve come, and now, it’s in my hands,” Ritter said. “I didn’t want to let them down, and I didn’t want to let this fan base down.”
Ritter wouldn’t let the Rebel faithful down, as he connected from 41 yards out to get the Rebels the win and the Magnolia Bowl trophy.
“It felt really good,” Ritter said. “You know when you hit a good ball and you know when you hit a bad ball. When I hit that ball, I knew I hit it good.”
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