Two Saturdays in the Vaught: The excitement and joy of back-to-back wins over LSU and Arkansas

OXFORD, Miss. — With various breaks due to periods of living significant distances from Oxford, I’ve spent much of the past 45 years attending Ole Miss football games. I can’t recall any time during that period where we had back-to-back games in Vaught-Hemingway that carried as much weight as the two just witnessed.

Granted, part of that time we were still playing some of our home games in Jackson, so there weren’t a lot of these opportunities in my early years as a fan. But even given that, I haven’t experienced anything like these past two weekends hosting LSU and Arkansas. We did win pretty big consecutive home games in Oxford in 2003 against Alabama and Arkansas, but alas, I was living in Tampa at the time and didn’t make either one of them. In fact, the only two home games I made that year were Texas Tech and LSU (Both losses. Feel free to pin the Rebs not being national champions that year on me.)

The 2023 matchup with LSU was a big game. I knew it was a big game. You knew it was a big game. All God’s children knew it was a big game.

Of course, leading into the matchup much of the talk was about Lane Kiffin not having a signature win at Ole Miss. We all felt at the time last year that defeating Kentucky was huge (They were ranked 7th leading into the contest) but they finished the season unranked, so in most people’s opinion, that one didn’t count.

My oldest son Will travelled down with a friend from Nashville to join me for the game. We didn’t know what to expect going in. I certainly believed we had a shot despite what had occurred in Tuscaloosa the week before, but I can’t say I was confident. The Rebels backs were against the wall, and they needed to answer the challenge.

There’s no need to rehash the action of the game. You were either there or watched it and have likely read countless summaries. Jayden Daniels was tremendous for LSU, he played about as well as a quarterback could play. Jaxson Dart was right there with him. I couldn’t help but think that for some of the Rebel fans older than me, this must have reminded them of the Archie Manning-Scott Hunter duel when Alabama edged the Rebels. But the outcome was different this time around. The good guys won. Lane Kiffin had his signature win. And if there is such thing as a signature play, Dart’s run and hurdle to end the third quarter was one for him. I doubt any of us will ever forget it.

Jaxson Dart hurdles an LSU defender. (Photo: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)

I have to say – and those who know me know this is unusual for me – that even down nine in the fourth quarter, I still felt like we were going to find a way. I kept telling myself that some teams come back from this kind of situation every week, and although I couldn’t recall us doing it in recent years, I figured we were due. I also vividly recalled numerous situations where we just needed a first down late to put away a game and failed to do so before eventually falling (Texas A&M, Vandy, and LSU contests all come to mind). So again, when LSU was in that same situation against us, I figured it was our turn.

I can’t speak to what was going on elsewhere in the stadium, only to what happened in section N when the last pass was batted away. It was pure bedlam. Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria.

Excitement and joy! (Photo courtesy Clint Crockett)

The feeling I had leaving Vaught-Hemingway that night is only topped by how I felt after Bama in 2014. That’s how great it was. And if the Tigers end up losing four more games and falling out of the rankings by year-end, it’s not going to diminish my memories of the victory.

On a side note, in addition to our regular crew, I had the privilege of sitting by two young men—Matt Lowry and Chris Glaze—who were as into the game as we were. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and celebrating such a huge victory. I didn’t find out until a day after they sat near us again for the Arkansas contest that Matt is actually the legendary Left Field Mask guy from Swayze Field. Many of you will recall that during the years Mike Mayers (pronounced Myers) pitched for the Rebels, a fan in left field would stand up while wearing a Michael Myers Halloween hockey mask and not move for the duration of his time on the mound. It was classic. Truly great stuff. I hope to have the opportunity to celebrate future Rebel victories with both Matt and Chris.

Left Field Mask guy, Matt Lowry (Photo by Robert Jordan)

But I digress.

So, we had a week to come down from the LSU win before facing Arkansas. We were supposed to beat them. They were coming in with three consecutive losses and we had just managed our biggest win in a while. So why weren’t we all more confident? Because bad things have happened against Arkansas. Very bad things. Now don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our share of nice wins against the Hogs over the years, but at least a couple of the losses are the kind that stick with you forever. (That’s part of what made taking them out in Omaha on our way to the 2022 baseball national championship particularly sweet.)

This time my younger son Wes and his wife Aiden made the trek from Clarksville, Tennessee to join Janna and me for the contest. Among my group, I don’t think any of us expected to lose, but we also weren’t expecting a walk in the park. I personally felt a little more confident when I woke up on game day and saw the line had moved to Ole Miss -13. I surmised that someone must know something we do not. Turns out they didn’t.

Tailgating in the Grove (Photo courtesy Clint Crockett)

Again, no need to rehash all the details of the game. We started slow. Picked things up and seemingly had things under control until an abysmal third quarter. I honestly felt better about our chances down nine to LSU than I did up three to Arkansas. The Rebels were just off. But after we fell behind my friend G Morgan, leaned down to me and said, “We’re winning this game.” I can’t say I was convinced but he’s been right about these things before in key moments. Omaha being one. Then for the second straight Saturday Ole Miss made the plays when it mattered most. I’ll take any kind of SEC win, so you won’t get any complaints from me about the road it took to get there.

Ashanti Cistrunk runs after intercepting Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson, October 7th, 2023. (Photo: Joshua McCoy, Ole Miss)

It is worth mentioning that although I’ve had my moments over the years, I do not consider myself a trash talker. That honor in the family belongs to my son Will, who displayed signs early on as a 9-year-old yelling at Gary Sheffield and 70-something year-old Yankee pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre at a Red Sox-Yankees spring training game in 2005. Continuing his tradition, he made sure to give a particularly obnoxious LSU fan the business after the Rebel win the week before. So, as Arkansas fans exited the stadium Saturday night, I could not resist letting out a few loud “Omahawgs!” cheers. Perhaps not my finest hour. But do I regret it? I do not.

Who knows what the future holds for Ole Miss football in 2023? What I do know is that for two straight Saturdays the Rebels secured important victories and I was thankful to experience them both. And while many teams around the country have already seen their expectations shattered, hope springs eternal in Oxford.

(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)