Ole Miss defensive end Jared Ivy after collecting a fumble. The defense accounted for 9 sacks and 15 tackles for loss on Saturday. (Photo Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics)
The Rebels got right with a homefield league victory, while Mississippi State and Southern Miss continued to struggle through tough seasons.
Ole Miss 26, Oklahoma 14:
The No. 18 Rebels sacked up a badly needed SEC win at home in an 11 a.m. game.
Literally, as the Rebels (6-2, 2-2 SEC) delivered nine sacks — and fifteen tackles for loss — against the visiting Sooners (4-4, 1-4), who are trudging through their first season in a new conference.
Sophomore linebacker Suntarine Perkins led the way for Ole Miss wth four sacks among his 11 tackles (eight solo).
The Rebels were held to 69 rushing yards — 2.2 yards per attempt — but senior Jaxson Dart completed 22 of 30 passes for 311 yards and a TD.
With national leading receiver Tre Harris out wth an injury suffered against LSU, six Rebels had at least two catches led by senior tight end Caden Prieskorn’s five catches for 71 yards and a TD.
The Sooners, playing for a new offensive coordinator — Joe Jon Finley, an Ole Miss assistant for Lane Kiffin in 2020 — ran effectively for 125 yards in the first half, with an early drive that ended without scoring at the Rebels’ 2.
The Rebels, who came into the game with the nation’s leading rush defense, gave up just 22 yards on the ground in the second half.
Sophomore Jackson Arnold completed 22 of 31 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the face of relentless Ole Miss pressure.
Oklahoma led 14-10 at halftime, but Ole Miss responded with a 17-point third quarter, including Prieskorn’s 24-yard TD and a 1-yard run by 325-pound short-yardage specialist JJ Pegues, who also had three tackles for loss, including two sacks.
The Ole Miss defense didn’t allow Oklahoma to cross the 50 in the second half until the middle of the fourth quarter. The drive reached the Rebels 13 but unraveled with three consecutive sacks.
Ole Miss makes the treacherous trip to Arkansas on Saturday for an “early” kickoff, most likely at 11 a.m. or noon.
Arkansas 58, Mississippi State 25:
Taylen Green put on a show as the visiting Razorbacks romped in Starkville.
Green, a junior quarterback, passed for five touchdowns and ran for another as Arkansas (5-3, 3-2 SEC) left no doubt in the overwhelming road victory.
A bad season for Mississippi State (1-7, 0-5) arguably got worse, as the Bulldogs were shredded for 673 yards of total offense, including 359 on the ground. Green completed 23 of 29 passes for 314 yards and rushed for 79 more.
Freshman Braylen Russell added 15 yards rushing on 16 carries.
In this current seven-game skid, MSU had made a habit of playing tough in the second half after falling behind early. In this one, the Bulldogs trailed 41-10 midway through the third quarter, then responded with a pair of TDs to make it 41-25 headed to the fourth. But Arkansas put it well out of reach with 17 fourth-quarter points.
MSU finished with 471 total yards but suffered five turnovers, including three lost fumbles. Freshman QB Michael Van Buren completed 22 of 31 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns but was picked off twice and lost two fumbles.
Bulldogs junior Davon Booth rushed 17 times for 93 yards, while junior Kevin Coleman had eight catches for 100 yards. Both of them scored, including Booth’s 54-yard catch that tied the score at 7 with 11:45 left in the first quarter.
Mississippi State has a chance for a badly needed “get right” game on Saturday, as UMass visits for a 3:15 p.m. game. On Oct. 12, UMass lost to Missouri.
Arkansas, now just one win from bowl eligibility, entertains Ole Miss.
James Madison 32, Southern Miss 15:
A big second quarter turned the tide for James Madison (6-2), which trailed 3-0 at the end of the first at home in Harrisonburg, Va.
It was the first game for interim Southern Miss head coach Reed Stringer. Will Hall was fired last Sunday after Southern Miss (1-7) lost 44-28 in its homecoming game against Arkansas State.
But the Golden Eagles continued to struggle offensively. Sophomore QB Ethan Crawford completed just 11 of 34 passes for 178 yards and an interception. The running game averaged 3.2 yards per carry on 44 attempts.
Dannis Jackson, a senior from Sumrall, made five catches for 94 yards.
Trailing just 23-15 after a 15-yard TD run by Kenyon Clay early in the third quarter, Southern Miss had the misfortune of having the resulting point-after kick blocked and returned for two defensive points.
USM returns to Hattiesburg for a Nov. 9 game against Marshall.
