Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Mississippi mayhem
Ole Miss knocks off No. 3 Alabama; Bulldogs throttle No. 6 Aggies.
NO. 11 OLE MISS 23, NO. 3 ALABAMA 17
OXFORD, Miss. — Mississippi quarterback Bo Wallace bounced around in the pocket in the fourth quarter against Alabama’s potent defense, throwing one perfect pass after another, willing the Rebels downfield in the carnival-like atmosphere that was Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Wallace’s magical final six minutes resulted in two touchdown passes and a stunning outcome — No. 11 Mississippi’s 23-17 victory over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday.
The victory asserted Ole Miss as a contender in the SEC Western Division.
“We worked hard for this moment,” said Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell, who caught a touchdown pass. “As it [ the final seconds] happened, I thought, ‘This isn’t the end of it all. It’s just the beginning.’ ”
Wallace threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, including a go-ahead 10-yarder to Jaylen Walton with 2:54 remaining.
The f i nal touchdown capped a methodical, nearly flawless fourth quarter for the Rebels (5-0, 2-0), who have won five games to start the season for the first time since 1962 and ended a 10-game losing streak against the Tide.
Drinks flew into the air and students rushed the field in disbelief after the victory, celebrating what may be the biggest victory for Ole Miss in a generation. It also capped a stunning day for the Magnolia State after No. 12 Mississippi State beat No. 6 Texas A&M 48-31 earlier Saturday in Starkville.
The Rebels trailed 17-10 midway through the fourth quarter, with a brutally efficient Alabama offense controlling the tempo. But Ole Miss pulled even on Wallace’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Vince Sanders with 5:29 remaining.
Alabama’s Christion Jones fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Ole Miss’ Kalio Moore recovered, giving the Rebels possession at the Alabama 31. Channing Ward forced the fumble.
A few plays later, with 2:54 to play, Wallace found Walton in the end zone from 10 yards out for the lead.
Alabama (4-1, 1-1) still had a chance, driving downfield quickly in the final minutes, but Senquez Golson intercepted a pass from Blake Sims in the end zone with 37 seconds remaining.
Golson’s interception was an acrobatic catch in the back of the end zone after the long heave by Sims. Golson was originally ruled out of bounds, but replays showed he cradled the pass with his left hand and landed just inside the end zone.
“The feeling is indescribable,” Golson said.
After the call was confirmed by officials, a stadium filled with a crowd of 61,826 erupted. Students hung from the goal posts after the game and eventually pulled one down, carrying it across the field in jubilation.
Wallace, known as a gunslinger who mixes pinpoint passes with inexplicable passes, completed 18 of 31 passes, kept mistakes to the minimum Saturday.
“He made some big-time plays,” Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze said. “He just played so solid. On that last touchdown, that ball was right where it needed to be for us.”
The Rebels won despite being outgained 396-323 with Alabama seemingly in control.
T.J. Yeldon rushed for 123 yards on 20 carries, and Amari Cooper caught nine passes for 91 yards.
“We did not finish the game like we needed to,” Ala- bama Coach Nick Saban said. “I think the question for our team is: ‘How do you respond to a loss?’ ”
Sims was coming off a 445-yard, 4-touchdown performance against Florida two weeks ago but couldn’t provide any heroics Saturday.
It was an electric atmosphere before the game. Ole Miss was hosting ESPN’s College GameDay for the first time, and the school’s famed tailgating area, the Grove, was overflowing with fans anticipating the biggest game on campus in more than a decade. Even pop star Katy Perry made an appearance on a gorgeous, sunny day in north Mississippi.
Eventually, the party moved to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. And somehow, it became even wilder.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Alabama responded with a 12-play, 68yard drive midway through the second quarter that ended with Sims’ 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down.
But Alabama’s biggest play — by far — came a few minutes later. Cyrus Jones stripped the ball from Ole Miss running back I’Tavius Mathers, scooped it up and ran 13 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
Television replays showed Jones grabbing Mathers’ face mask on the play, but it was a nonreviewable call so the touchdown call was allowed to stand. An angry stadium showered the officials with boos going into halftime, but the no-call wasn’t Ole Miss’ only problem.
The Rebels gained 105 yards in the first half as the Alabama defense stuffed the Rebels at almost every turn.
That changed in the second half.
The Ole Miss defense came into the game giving up 8.5 points per game and played well again, keeping it close until the comeback began.