Instant Reaction: No. 12 Ole Miss takes down No. 11 A&M, 29-19
OXFORD, Miss. — It was a day to remember in Oxford, beginning with ESPN’s GameDay broadcasting in The Grove and concluding over twelve hours later as No. 12 Ole Miss defeated the visiting No. 11 Aggies, 29-19.
Ole Miss moves to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play, while the Aggies fall to 7-3 overall and 4-3 In conference play. Here is our “instant reaction” from the win.
Positive
- The Ole Miss offense put up 408 yards of offense in the first half with 216 passing yards and 192 rushing yards — against the nation’s No. 2-ranked defense.
- Despite offensive struggles in the second half, Ole Miss was able to put up 14 points in the second half — seven of those coming courtesy of a defensive pick six.
- After struggling to run the ball effectively the last two games, Ole Miss rushed for 257 yards Saturday night.
- Once again, the defense showed up when it mattered. They had two takeaways in the fourth quarter, both coming in form of interception, one the aforementioned pick six by AJ Finley. The Rebels held a really good running Aggie team to 141 yards on the ground.
Negative
- In the game, Ole Miss fumbled the ball three times. Although they were able to recover two of the three, putting the ball on the ground could have been a recipe for disaster had the defense not stepped up so big.
- The Ole Miss offense struggled in the second half, only totaling 96 yards compared to the 408 yards in the first half.
Offensive MVP: Jerrion Ealy
- Jerrion Ealy ran for 152 yards on 24 carries. His longest run of the night went for 53 yards, and he averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Ealy becomes the eighth Rebel to rush for 2,000 career yards.
Defensive Co-MVPs: Deane Leonard and AJ Finley
- Deane Leonard led the team in tackles with 9 and had three pass critical breakups.
- Finley finished the game second in tackles with 8 and put the game away with his interception returned 52 yards for a touchdown.
Play of the Game: Ashanti Cistrunk’s Interception
- Ashanti Cistrunk’s interception came on 2nd and 10 from Texas A&M’s 12-yard-line, and it gave the Rebels the ball on A&M’s 18 and set up Snoop Conner’s 13-yard TD run that gave the Rebels the 22-13 lead.
(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Athletics)
Nick Filipich
Nick Filipich was born and raised in Biloxi, MS. He is an Ole Miss alum with a degree in Sports and Recreation Administration. A sports junkie with a great passion for all things Ole Miss, Nick played baseball and football in high school — which is where he discovered his love for sports. He is an avid Braves and Saints fan, and in his free time enjoys spending time with family, friends and his black lab, Dixie.
