PHOTO BY: THOMAS GRANING Linebacker Keith Lewis celebrates after the win against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, Saturday.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Many writers and analysts penciled this game in for Ole Miss as a let-down game on the road.
The environment at College Station would be too much for the Rebels to handle, especially after the exhilarating win over then 3rd-ranked Alabama the week before.
In front of a record crowd of 110,633, which was the largest in SEC history and for a football game in the state of Texas, Ole Miss came into College Station and showed no hangover from the Alabama win, defeating Texas A&M 35-20.
The last time Ole Miss started 6-0 was 1962 and the 35-20 win puts the Rebels in sole possession of third in the AP Poll.
“I’m really pleased to come into Texas A&M, a very hostile environment, and I thought our kids handled it very well,” head coach Hugh Freeze said. “They handled the preparation all week long very well. To come out here with a victory in this difficult environment against a very difficult, talented team is very exciting for our program and our fans.”
The fast start on offense for Ole Miss is what seemed to put the game out of reach. On the second drive of the game for the Rebels, senior quarterback Bo Wallace ran it in from 4 yards out to put Ole Miss up 7-0 early. Wallace would add a second touchdown run late in the first quarter to make it 14-0.
The quick start for Ole Miss was very important to put the game away early in a hostile environment.
“I felt like the first part of the game helped us set the tone and helped us handle the environment better,” Freeze said. “We had a good plan to start with, and they made some adjustments that hurt us. I was scared to death to throw it in the second half because we felt like we had it in hand.”
Wallace was not forced to throw the ball a lot this game, in which he only completed 13 of 19 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown. Wallace was more affective as a runner where he was the leading rusher in the game, carrying the ball 14 times for 50 yards and two scores.
Texas A&M outgained Ole Miss 455 to 338 in total yards on offense. One of the key differences in the game was the running game, where the Rebels ran for 160 yards total and the defense holding the Aggies to just 54 yards on the ground.
Wallace gave his assessment on the offense.
“We just played alright. We have to come back and get better,” Wallace said. “We really broke it open in the first quarter, and we thought we were going to put a lot on them. We didn’t for whatever reason. We just have to get better.”
It was a special day for sophomore wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo for many reasons. It was a homecoming of sorts for the Cedar Hill, Texas-native. With family and friends in attendance at the game, Adeboyejo led the Rebels in receiving with 64 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter.
Adeboyejoadmits it felt weird to score the touchdown.
“It was a bitter sweet feeling,” Adeboyejo said. “I always wanted to score in Aggieland, and I did it in red and blue. Not the original colors I thought coming out of high school, but I did it, and I can’t thank God enough.”
While the Rebel defense gave up just over 450 total yards of offense to Texas A&M, the unit showed flashes of greatness like they have done so far throughout the season.
Senior safety Cody Prewitt intercepted a pass from Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-0 Ole Miss.
Senior linebacker Keith Lewis, who played middle linebacker most of the game for senior Deterrian Shackelford who is battling injuries, returned a fumble 21 yards near the start of the fourth quarter to make it 35-7 Ole Miss.
The Aggies moved the ball on the “landshark” defense at times, but the defense forced three turnovers and kept the offense in check for the first half. The 21-0 lead for Ole Miss at halftime was the first time Texas A&M has been shut out in the first half under head coach Kevin Sumlin.
Sophomore defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche was impressed with the environment at Kyle Field and also the play of his defense.
“To come out there with great intensity in a hostile environment, it was crazy. I couldn’t even hear a thing at the beginning of the game,” Nkemdiche said. “Defense was great. We came out, and we didn’t let them get anything. Going into halftime 21-0 was really big for us.”
Many things were proven for Ole Miss after the win against Alabama. The real question surrounding the game against Texas A&M was if the win against Alabama was a fluke and could they build off their success last week and use it to beat Texas A&M in their house.
The Rebels proved those doubters wrong.
“I heard people saying stuff about it being a fluke game and all that kind of stuff. We had to tell the team ‘Yeah, we beat Alabama, but we’re not done,’” Prewitt said. “We’re not near where we want to be yet. We had to put Alabama in the trash just like we put every other game in the trash. We’re going to watch film tomorrow and correct mistakes and put it in the trash as well.”
There were many questions as to whether the Rebels could put the Alabama win behind them and put the focus on Texas A&M.
Hugh Freeze saw no problems there.
“Never had a doubt. We’ve been preaching the same qualities to these kids and something special is happening with our kids. I really never had a doubt,” Freeze said. “If we got beat tonight, it would be because Texas A&M beat us in their place, and they’re a good football team. I really never worried about that. Our kids are excited and enjoyed the win, and we’ll come back down and prepare for another tough one.”
