First and 10: Ten Interesting Facts as the Rebels Get Ready to Face the Aggies

OXFORD, Miss. — As you’re waiting for Ole Miss to kick off against A&M at 6:00 p.m. (CT) this evening, here are ten interesting facts about the Rebels. 

Hotty Toddy!

1) GameDay at Ole Miss

Today marked the second visit to Ole Miss from ESPN GameDay in the show’s 35-year history. Before today, Ole Miss was 1-0 in GameDay appearances after having beaten No. 1 Alabama, 23-17, in the show’s prior visit.

Today also marked the first time for a sitting head coach to serve as the celebrity guest picker for GameDay as Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin joined the crew to offer his picks, including the Rebels’ vs. the Aggies.

The country's 'first dual-threat coach,' Lane Kiffin, has spoken: "Ole Miss Rebels." #HottyToddy #BeatTAMU pic.twitter.com/QXLinuzWkq

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) November 13, 2021

2) Ole Miss in the Statistical Rankings

Ole Miss, No. 12 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll, ranks top 10 in the nation in FIVE separate categories: total offense (524.2), rushing offense (237.9), first downs (241), passes had intercepted (2) and turnovers lost (6).

The Rebels are No. 4 in the FBS in both total offense (524.2 ypg) and first downs (241) and lead FBS in both fourth down attempts (35) and fourth down conversions (24).

3) King Corral

Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is the only FBS player with more than 2,500 pass yards and more than 500 rush yards. Thus far, he has thrown for 2,527 and 16 TDs, while running for 58.7 yards per game and 10 rushing TDs. 

Matt Corral is going to be very good in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/9ZDHf3awkS

— Joseph Herff (@JosephHerffNFL) November 6, 2021

He’s also one of just two FBS quarterbacks with at least 15 passing TDs and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

4) Fast, Fast, Fast…

The Rebels’ offense moves at a torrid pace, and the unit ranks No. 7 in FBS in number of plays per game (77.9), averaging a play every 20.9 seconds.

Ole Miss ran a school record 101 plays on offense in the win at Tennessee. The 101 plays run were tied for the ninth-most in SEC history and are the most since 2018 when Texas A&M ran 107 in a seven overtime loss to LSU.

5) Play it Again, Sam

After his performance against Liberty last weekend, Sam Williams became the all-time, modern-day, single-season sacks leader at Ole Miss. He now sits at No. 2 in FBS with a total of 10.5 on the year and has notched one sack in eight of the nine games this season.

Tennessee’s win probability

Before this play: 38.6%
After the play: 15.8%

Clutch sack from Ole Miss edge defender Sam Williams. One of the most impactful plays of #CFB Week 7.
pic.twitter.com/x3vrbcnQdv

— Anthony Treash (@PFF_Anthony) October 17, 2021

6) Another Day, Another Star

Injuries to some of the Rebels’ top receivers have forced Ole Miss to embrace the ‘next-man-up’ mentality.

The Rebels are the only team in the country with six different players who have registered at least one 100-yard receiving game this season: Dontario Drummond (177 vs. Louisville and 107 vs. Austin Peay), Jonathan Mingo (136 vs. Tulane), Bralyon Sanders (127 vs. Arkansas), Jahcour Pearson (135 at Auburn), Dannis Jackson (126 vs. Liberty) and John Rhys Plumlee (110 vs. Liberty).

7) Ole Miss’ Texas connection

The Ole Miss roster features eight players who hail from the Lone Star State:

WR Miles Battle (Houston)

OL Erick Cade (Denton)

WR JJ Henry (NcKinney)

DL Isaiah Iton (Pearland)

DB Jaylon Jones (Dallas)

DB Jalen Knox (Arlington)

OL Cedric Melton (Houston)

LB MoMo Sanogo (Plano)

8) Snoop and Matty

Ole Miss running back Snoop Conner and QB Matt Corral are tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with 10 apiece.

Seventeen of Snoop’s 23 career rushing touchdowns have been from five yards or less, including 12 1-yard TD runs. He and Corral currently rank third in the SEC and No. 18 nationally with 10 rushing TDs on the season.

THAT’S HOW YOU FEEL, SNOOP CONNER?! 🙃 pic.twitter.com/VKhO9zAzAq

— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) September 7, 2021

They are the first Rebel teammates ever to tally 10 or more rushing touchdowns in the same season. The 10 rushing TDs are the third-most ever by a Rebel quarterback in a single season. Conner currently ranks fourth on Ole Miss’ career charts with 23 career rushing touchdowns.

9) Fourth down and full speed ahead

Ole Miss leads the country in both fourth down attempts (35) and conversions (24). The Rebels rank No. 23 in the FBS, converting fourth downs at a 68.6 percent clip. 

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss have gone for it on fourth down at least three times in eight of Ole Miss’ nine games this season. The Rebels have been perfect on fourth down attempts against Louisville (3-for-3), Tulane (5-for-5) and LSU (3-for-3).

10) Costa from Far

True freshman kicker Caden Costa from Mandeville, Louisiana, is 11-for-14 on field goal attempts, including a 50-yarder vs. Arkansas.

The young man is a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals less than 40 yards. His 11 field goals on the season are the most by a true freshman since 2006, when Joshua Shene connected on 14 successful attempts. He’s the first Rebel to connect on a 50-yard field goal since Andrew Ritter made a 50-yarder against Idaho in 2013.

Hotty Toddy!

(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)