Oklahoma may have disputed the need to move its home game against No. 19 Ole Miss after a nationwide flight disruption. Yet, the end result of the matchup played to the advantage of the home team, with the Sooners defeating the Rebels 24-17.
With an obvious chip on its shoulder, Oklahoma (6-4, 4-3 SEC) effectively played bully ball against its foe. The Sooner offense, which had struggled to produce fruitful drives all season, buttered its bread in the running game. Oklahoma rushed 49 times for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns, and notably possessed the ball for more than 36 minutes.
After an Ole Miss three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer marched his team downfield and scored on an 8-yard keeper. Things went from bad to worse for the road Rebels (6-4, 4-4) when another stalled offensive possession resulted in a punt that was recovered by speedy Sooner specialist Isaiah Sategna for a touchdown.
Trailing 14-0, Ole Miss found an offensive rhythm, with running back Shekai Mills-Knight being a bright spot in the ground game. His presence was known until he was sidelined for the remainder of the contest with an ankle injury. With Mills-Knight out, offensive coordinator John David Baker turned to Southern Utah transfer Joshua Dye to carry the load. Dye scored on a 19-yard carry to eat into the Sooners’ lead.
Ole Miss was down 14-7 at halftime. Oklahoma, after receiving the opening kick to begin the second half, ate more than six minutes of clock and capped the drive with a 9-yard Jonathan Hatton Jr. touchdown run. Up 21-7, Brent Venables’ group had a chance to widen the gap with reigning Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Tate Sandell lining up for a 39-yard field goal. The Rebels caught what felt like their first break of the game with the ball sailing right of the goalpost.
The road team’s luck was tested on third-and-15 on its side of the field, and star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss delivered with a 32-yard run to keep the possession alive. Just two plays later, Chambliss found tight end Caleb Odom in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game.
It was then on Pete Golding’s defense to get a stop to continue his team’s momentum with just under 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The defensive-minded Ole Miss head coach was unable to deliver, however. Oklahoma faced third-and-6 on its side of the field, and Mateer answered the bell with a 12-yard pass. Oklahoma later faced third-and-7 near midfield, and Mateer delivered another 12-yard strike to move the chains.
Ole Miss finally got a third down stop later in the drive, but only after the Sooners had gotten to the Rebels’ 30-yard line. Sandell’s name was called upon once again. This time, he delivered from 41 yards out.
A costly turnover on downs by the Rebels on their side of the field gifted Oklahoma the game with 3:25 left in regulation. On fourth down, Chambliss found Deuce Alexander in Sooner territory. The side judge ruled the play a catch and an Ole Miss first down. The referee’s call was overturned on the field and upheld after a booth review.
The Sooners, when given the ball back, were not quite ready to deliver the death knell, as a quick sequence of plays ended in Sandell missing a 51-yard field goal.
Ole Miss got back on the board after an 11-play drive ended with kicker Lucas Carneiro connecting on a 41-yard try. Then, the near-impossible happened. The Rebels recovered an ensuing onside kick and had a viable shot at tying the contest with 36 seconds left. The game ended with Chambliss targeting the right corner of the end zone and Odom being unable to corral the ball with a sea of Sooner defenders disrupting his efforts.
Chambliss finished the day completing 14 of 27 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. The dual-threat quarterback also led Ole Miss in rushing with 84 yards on 11 carries. Dye had a complementary 58 yards on 11 rushes. Odom was the top target in the air with 56 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Tah’j Butler, playing in the place of a banged-up Keaton Thomas, was Golding’s top defender. The linebacker had 15 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Along with Thomas, Ole Miss notably lacked defensive end Kam Franklin and offensive guard Patrick Kutas, with Mills-Knight’s injury adding to the list of Rebels having to be sidelined.
Mateer was 10 0f 19 for 111 yards in the air. He also led Oklahoma on the ground with 70 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Defensively, the Sooners were anchored by standout linebacker Kip Lewis, who had 14 tackles and a pass breakup.
The biggest difference in the game was offensive efficiency. Oklahoma, with former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten calling plays for the second time this season, converted nine of 16 snaps on third down. Ole Miss was four of 12 on third down.
Next up
Ole Miss had a lot going in its favor before the Rebels kicked off against Oklahoma a day later than initially scheduled. Multiple teams ranked ahead of the red and blue ended up in the loss column, giving Ole Miss a somewhat navigable path to the College Football Playoff. All the Rebels had to do was win out. With the shortfall in Norman, though, the Rebels have been eliminated from the playoff conversation.
The regular season is not over, though. Ole Miss will return to Oxford and host Wofford on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+ and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
