It’s been extremely hard to predict how the Ole Miss football team will play all season. They’ve struggled against teams they were projected to beat, like Memphis and Arkansas, but they showed out against Alabama and Texas A&M when they were the lower ranked team in the matchup. On Saturday, they showed out once again and upset the No. 15 LSU Tigers on senior day in Vaught Hemingway Stadium.
It was a record-setting day for the Rebels offensively, and Ole Miss took the lead in the game early with a 32-yard Gary Wunderlich field goal on the first possession. Afterward, the defenses for both teams stepped up and the first quarter ended with the score still at 3-0.
On the first possession of the second quarter, the Rebels’ offense started firing on all cylinders and didn’t slow down much after that. Junior quarterback Chad Kelly moved the team down and Jaylen Walton scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown, the 23rd of his career and the sixth most in school history. On the next offensive possession, the Rebels moved down– and this time, Kelly ran in a touchdown himself, giving the Rebels a quick 17-0 lead.
A few possessions later the Rebel defense stepped up, and senior linebacker Christian Russell intercepted LSU quarterback Brandon Harris and returned it all the way back to the LSU 11. On the very next play, Kelly fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior Laquon Treadwell, which marked the sixth game in a row Treadwell has scored at least one touchdown. The throw also gave Kelly the single-season school record for total yards with 3,713, on a day where Kelly also broke the record for most touchdowns in a season with 30.
On the ensuing drive, LSU scored their first points of the game on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Harris when some younger players on the Rebel defense blew a coverage and receiver Tyron Johnson was able to haul in the deep pass.
At the start of the second half, the Tigers’ offense continued to play better, moving down to score a 43-yard field goal from Trent Dominque. After forcing a fumble on the Rebels’ kickoff return, LSU got back on offense and took advantage of the short field, eventually scoring on a Leonard Fournette fumble recovered by offensive lineman William Clapp and bringing the score to 24-17 Ole Miss.
After that, Ole Miss retook control of the game and cruised to the victory. On the next possession, Kelly led the offense down and scored on his second rushing touchdown of the day from 11 yards out. Kelly finished 19-34 passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his 86 yards and two scores on the ground, and did not turn the ball over.
The offense continued rolling on their next drive but was eventually held to a third-and-14. On a great play call, Kelly threw a screen pass to tight end Evan Engram, who broke through the secondary and scored from 36 yards out.
In the fourth quarter, the Rebel offense played conservatively and the defense held the Tiger offense scoreless, highlighted by an interception by freshman safety Zedrick Woods. The game ended with a score of 38-17, and Magnolia Bowl trophy returned to the Ole Miss Rebels.
