An early second-half collapse by No. 8 Ole Miss erased a double-digit lead in a tough matchup at No. 13 Oklahoma, but a fourth-quarter resurgence and a fumble recovery by an unexpected hero found Lane Kiffin’s team walking 34-26 victors on the road with College Football Playoff hopes elevated.
With rumors swirling on social media that Kiffin is entertaining a prospective job offer from Florida, which fired Billy Napier last weekend, the college football world wondered how dialed in the Rebels would be and if distractions would mar a golden opportunity to win in enemy territory. Skeptics, pointing back to a back-half fall from grace when rumors of Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for Auburn arose during the Rebels’ 2022 season, were silenced on Saturday.
Just about everything went wrong for Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1 SEC) at the start of the second half. A head-scratching decision to go for it on fourth and one on the Rebels’ 25-yard line on the first Ole Miss offensive drive of the third quarter resulted in a bad snap and a 10-yard loss for the red and blue. Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2 SEC) promptly took advantage of the miscue, but only with a field goal — one that the Rebels countered.
Then it all went downhill for Ole Miss. One play after a rare botched kickoff by Lucas Carneiro, Sooner running back Xavier Robinson took off for a 65-yard touchdown, cutting Ole Miss’ once double-digit advantage to five points. A quick three-and-out by Ole Miss primed Oklahoma to take its first lead of the game, and it did in seven plays, with a nine-yard rush by Robinson capping the drive.
Last week, Ole Miss saw the momentum pendulum swing in its home opponent’s favor in the second half, with Georgia scoring 17 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes of action. However, things were different on Saturday. A deep shot from Trinidad Chambliss to freshman Winston Watkins Jr. worked Ole Miss into deep Oklahoma territory, and likely gave Rebel fans a collective sigh of relief.
An eight-yard touchdown hauled in by tight end Trace Bruckler, who typically sees snaps for blocking purposes, reclaimed the Ole Miss lead. That was not the last time Bruckler would make an impactful play.
Following a quick three-and-out by Ole Miss with seven minutes remaining in regulation, Bruckler forced what may well have been a game-saving fumble when he punched the ball out of Isaiah Sategna’s hands while the star Sooner was returning an Oscar Bird punt. Ole Miss turned a five-point advantage into a 34-26 lead on a 37-yard boot from Carneiro, and attempts by Oklahoma to neutralize the scoreboard bore no fruit.
“This was a big win. This was hard, and we didn’t want to go on the road and lose two in a row,” Kiffin said of the victory. “Obviously, we want to be undefeated, but 1-1 is something to build on.”
Against one of the nation’s, and arguably the SEC’s, toughest defensive units, Ole Miss had 431 total yards and moved the ball effectively for the most part. Chambliss tossed for 315 yards and a touchdown, completing 24 of 44 passes against the Sooners. The Division II transfer’s top target was Watkins, who logged 111 yards on four receptions. On the ground, trustworthy bell cow Kewan Lacy had 78 yards and two scores.
Defensively, Pete Golding’s group bounced back from a dismal outing at Georgia last weekend, one in which it did not force a stop throughout the entirety of the four-quarter contest. Versus the Sooners, though, a safety, a pair of forced turnovers on downs, and a trio of sacks proved effective. Giving up explosive plays remained a problem for Ole Miss, nonetheless, with Oklahoma scoring two 65-plus yard touchdowns.
Rebel edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen was the shining star for the visitors. The brother of former Ole Miss standout Princely Umanmielen gave Oklahoma field general John Mateer fits all day, logging 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. Suntarine Perkins also had a nice day on the stat sheet, with five tackles, 1.5 of which resulted in a loss of yards.
Mateer ended the day completing 17 of 31 passes for 223 yards and a score. Robinson was the Sooners’ biggest weapon in the rushing attack, with 109 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
“I think we didn’t make as many mistakes,” Kiffin said of the defense. “Last week Georgia made some really good plays, but there were a lot of times where we didn’t make them work for it.”
Aside from Bruckler, the Rebels’ unsung hero was Carneiro, who was a perfect four-of-four on field goal attempts. His longest boot came from 45 yards out.
An exchange of field goals on each team’s first offensive possession of the contest got the scoring started. Chambliss, with a 25-yard pass to Harrison Wallace III, set Ole Miss up to score the first touchdown, and Lacy put his team up 10-3 with a 28-yard touchdown run.
Oklahoma’s lone touchdown of the half came on a busted 3rd and 5 play. Instead of throwing the ball away, Mateer benefited from Umanmielen tripping. The fall allowed Mateer to keep the play alive and look downfield, where he found standout wideout Isaiah Sategna for a 76-yard touchdown
A costly series of penalties committed by the Sooners found Oklahoma facing first down from its own two-and-a-half-yard line with just under 11 minutes left in the second quarter. A read to running back Tory Blaylock was snuffed by Rebel defensive tackle Will Echoles, yielding a safety — and Ole Miss pounced.
The Rebels capitalized on the error with a field goal, though a touchdown would have been preferable. Austin Simmons came in and threw two incomplete passes after a run, forcing Kiffin to settle for three points.
Another momentum killer for Oklahoma occurred at midfield when Mateer was hit in the backfield by Umanmielen on fourth and short. Ole Miss, with a dwindling first-half clock, looked to take a commanding lead into the intermission. A 31-yard bomb from Chambliss to Cayden Lee worked the Rebels into the red zone. A direct snap to Lacy put Ole Miss ahead 22-10 with 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Ole Miss took a 22-10 lead to halftime after a quick Oklahoma three-and-out. And despite a third-quarter meltdown, the team earned a gritty win and has a favorable slate of matchups ahead.
Ole Miss, after spending back-to-back weekends on the road, will return to Oxford to face a battered South Carolina. That game will kick off from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, at a time yet to be determined.
