(Courtesy: Ole Miss Athletics)
On the next-to-last Saturday of the SEC football regular season, the reigning theme of this fall — chaos — continued to assert itself. And it started early in Gainesville.
Florida 24, Ole Miss 17:
The path to the expanded College Football Playoffs was clear for the Rebels. And then, shockingly, it wasn’t there at all.
With an extra week to prepare after a big win against Georgia, No. 9 Ole Miss seemed sometimes to be oddly disengaged against a Florida team that looked out of its depth at times earlier this season.
What will stick with Rebels fans for a few days — yes, probably still being discussed over turkey and dressing and pie — were the golden opportunities that eluded their grasp in Gainesville.
Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 SEC) had every chance to avoid getting into a fourth-quarter situation where it desperately needed to press for success. The Rebels went 0-for-3 in red zone attempts and failed to connect on numerous pass plays that could have changed the complexion of the game.
And when Ole Miss took a 14-7 second-quarter lead, Florida (6-5, 4-4) resisted the urge to fold. The Gators, fresh off a victory against a ranked LSU squad, were made of sterner stuff. They caught a break when the Rebels’ true home-run threat, Tre Harris, re-aggravated a leg injury that had plagued him for several weeks.
Harris and Jaxson Dart hooked up for a 43-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7, but it would be the only catch of the game for the dangerous wide receiver.
Without Harris, Dart was pressing in the waning minutes to make a big play. Instead he had two interceptions – one on an ill-advised throw into triple coverage in the end zone, the other on what appeared to be a busted sideline route by Juice Wells.
Dart finished the game 24 of 41 for 323 yards with two touchdowns and the two picks. He was also the leading Ole Miss rusher with 71 yards on 14 carries, often eluding Florida’s pressure.
Florida freshman QB DJ Lagway played within himself, completing 10 of 17 passes for two TDs, while Montrell Johnson rushed 18 times for 107 yards and a TD. Ole Miss outgained Florida 464-344 but turned the ball over three times and struggled to convert third downs.
What now? Ole Miss is home against Mississippi State on Friday in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC. The Rebels will be headed to a fine bowl game, no doubt, but that may be cold comfort after dreams of a playoff berth.
Missouri 39, Mississippi State 20:
The visiting Tigers (8-3, 4-3) had a big game on offense with season highs in points and yards (473) in league play.
No. 23 Missouri pounded away with their running game, gaining 204 yards on 56 carries, to dominate time of possession.
For all that, Mississippi State (2-9, 0-7) faced a big fourth-and-3 inside the red zone while trailing 31-20 but came up short. Missouri responded with a 14-play, 83-yard drive that took 8:43 off the clock.
MSU freshman Michael Van Buren passed for 191 yards and a TD, but fumbled on a first-quarter sack, leading to a 68-yard scoring return. Teammate Davon Booth had 124 yards rushing on 12 carries with a 43-yard scoring run in the third quarter.
Friday in Oxford, the Bulldogs have one more chance to avoid a winless league season for the first time since 2002. Could they catch a dejected Ole Miss squad with superior talent sleeping? We will find out soon enough.
South Alabama 35, Southern Miss 14:
Inside the numbers, the host Golden Eagles (1-10) put up a decent fight in their Hattiesburg season finale. But the numbers that really matter are those on the scoreboard.
Southern Miss dominated the time of possession by almost 18 minutes, held South Alabama (6-5) under 400 yards of total offense and only had one turnover.
But it didn’t add up to a victory, or an end to a losing streak that has now reached nine games.
Southern Miss led 8-0 halfway through the first quarter and trailed only 14-11 at halftime.
But an anemic passing game, a common theme for much of the season, put South Alabama in a position to pull away.
The Golden Eagles visit Troy on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
