Offense fails in 2nd straight loss
QB Allen’s rough night underscores Aggies’ lack of production.
OXFORD, MISS. — Texas A&M’s once-promising season has taken a nosedive the past two weeks.
Surprisingly, it was a nonexistent offense that caused the Aggies’ pain this time around.
No. 24 Mississippi easily beat No. 15 Texas A&M 23-3 on Saturday night, jumping out to a double-digit lead by midway through the second quarter and never letting the Aggies back into the game.
It was an especially tough night for Texas A&M quarterback Kyle Allen, who completed just 12 of 34 passes for 88 yards and an interception. He didn’t connect on 14 straight attempts at one point, including all 13 of his attempts in the third quarter.
Texas A&M managed just 192 total yards.
“We couldn’t get off the field fast enough on defense in the first half,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said.
The Ole Miss (6-2, 3-1 SEC) offense wasn’t great, but good enough to win. Chad Kelly threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns, Laquon Treadwell caught five passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Jaylen Walton ran for 97 yards.
Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2) has lost two straight. It was the first true road game this season and its offense looked disjointed most of the night. Allen seemed to regress as the game progressed and Jake Hubenak wasn’t much better, completing 6 of 11 passes for 46 yards.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 16-3 lead by halftime and put the game out of reach with a 58-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Treadwell with 9:16 left in the third quarter.
The Rebels then relied on their defense to coast to a surprisingly one-sided win.
“We’ve got a five-game season if we want to play for an SEC Championship,” Walton said. “This is one down and we played well. Hopefully, we will keep preparing good and playing this well.
“But there is still a long way to go.”
The victory was vital for Ole Miss as it continues to control its own fate in the Western Division thanks to a win over Alabama in September. The Rebels are still a game behind first-place LSU, but host the Tigers on Nov. 21 in Oxford.
Ole Miss made plenty of mistakes — Kelly threw three interceptions — but still pushed out to a 13-0 lead midway through the second quarter following a 7-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Evan Engram and two field goals.
The final few minutes of the second half were eventful with three turnovers on three consecutive plays — two by Texas A&M and one by Ole Miss. The Rebels were able to convert the Aggies’ second miscue into a field goal for a 16-3 halftime lead.
Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil started his first game of the season after serving a seven-game NCAA suspension for receiving illegal benefits. It appeared the All-SEC junior had an immediate impact — the Rebels ran for 230 yards after having just 40 yards total on the ground in last week’s loss to Memphis.
Ole Miss played without star defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who suffered a concussion last week against Memphis. The Rebels didn’t seem to miss him.