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Gamer: No. 10 Ole Miss guts out a 38-35 win over a talented A&M team

Posted by | Nov 4, 2023 |

Gamer: No. 10 Ole Miss guts out a 38-35 win over a talented A&M team

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss defeated Texas A&M in a last-second, 38-35 win at Vaught-Hemingway Saturday in another SEC matchup that is turning into a heated rivalry. 

Offense

The taelented Aggie defense caused some problems for the Rebels on their opening drive. Despite a pass interference call, A&M stood tall defensively causing a rare, short opening drive for Ole Miss.

Off the defensive stand, Jaxson Dart went to work to find some points for the Rebels. A couple of throws to Dayton Wade, Caden Prieskorn and Tre Harris eventually set up a 9-yard rushing touchdown for Quinshon Judkins, putting Ole Miss up 7-0 half way through the first quarter.

Dart commented postgame on being able to throw it to multiple receivers throughout the game.

“I feel like it was finally nice to have Coach kind of talk about it going into the game that we had all the guys around us and this was like the most healthy that our team has been. It’s really nice when you’re able to throw it up to Tre (Harris), to JWatk (Jordan Watkins), (Caden) Prieskorn and all those guys and they’re able to make plays, makes my job easier.” 

Jaxson Dart on if this was his best game yet

Year two in the system has proven to be the difference for Dart this season. The Rebel QB finished the day with 387 yards passing and two scores, while also completing 73% of his passes.

Looking to add to the lead, Dart just kept finding Wade and Harris as Judkins started to get things going in the run game. Dart ended up coming out of the game for a play after a ‘scary’ hit, but then came right back out, throwing one up in the endzone for ‘Big Play’ Tre Harris to do the rest and give the Rebels a 14-0 lead.

“Obviously, Tre (Harris) showed up today and that was kind of where we thought the matchup was that would help us in our favor. Inside people really struggled with them, so it was just to let Tre go one-on-one outside.” 

Kiffin on the emphasis on getting Harris the ball

Harris had another outstanding performance as he has done time and time again this year. The Rebel playmaker hauled in 11 catches on the day with 213 yards and a score.

Driving the field again behind the arm of Dart, the Rebels set themselves up in the red zone before penalties killed the drive, forcing a field goal attempt. Unfortunately, the attempt by Caden Davis was blocked and the Aggies returned it all the way back for six, making it 14-7 midway through the second quarter.

Looking for an answer, Dart continued to show his toughness and have his way with the A&M DBs. Harris just kept making plays as well, getting Ole Miss back into Aggie territory which allowed Dart to find a wide-open Jordan Watkins streaking down the sideline for a 29-yard score, making it 20-7 Rebels after the failed 2-point attempt.

Dart continued to showcase his arm talent. The Rebel QB found Prieskorn and Harris for back-to-back chunk plays, setting up Judkins for his second score of the game, a 6-yard scamper that gave Ole Miss a 28-14 lead after the successful 2-point try.

After the Aggies answered with a touchdown of their own, Tre Harris just kept making ridiculous plays to help the Rebels march into enemy territory again. The A&M defense eventually stood tall, forcing a field goal from Caden Davis which made it 31-21 with under a minute in the third quarter.

With four and half minutes left in the game, the Rebels kept the trend of feeding Judkins and Harris to try and win the game. Two catches from Harris eventually led to Judkins doing the rest, ending the drive with a direct snap, 1-yard rushing touchdown. It was his third of the game, 12th on the season, as the Rebels took the lead 38-35 with less than two minutes in the game

Judkins had a huge day on the ground against a very good Aggie defensive front. Having his way in the second half, Judkins ended with 23 carries for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Ole Miss special teams stood tall, tipping the last second field goal attempt for the win.

“I think it says a lot about the team… I’m gonna sit here and say how resilient we are. I really do think our players played really well today, overcoming adversity in areas. It’s unusual to have a 10 point swing on one play…I really do feel like our offense knew they were gonna score. It was actually like, don’t score too fast.” 

Lane Kiffin on the trend of 4th quarter wins 

Defense

Answering the bell right back after the Aggie defense opened the game with a stop, the Rebel defensive line caused problems right from the start, making this look like a defensive battle early.

The Rebel defense came out aggressive from the start, delivering big hit after big hit. The Aggies had their best starting field position of the game around midfield as the first quarter was winding down; however, the Ole Miss defense continued to show their resilience, forcing another punt.

After holding the A&M offense to little-to-nothing for a majority of the first half, the Rebel defense caved just enough for the Aggies to put together a nice drive to answer the Ole Miss score. The Rebels still led, 20-14, with under 2 minutes in the half.

Head coach Lane Kiffin spoke postgame about the Aggie offense gaining momentum close to the end of the first half.

“Those are really good players, a really good running back and a good offensive line.So they moved the ball on us. We played a really good first half and we broke some on defense (in the 2nd half). It sounds like you can get a little bit spoiled with the way that we were playing defense against not upper echelon offenses the last few weeks, that’s a positive way of saying that. This was a more still offensive face than the last few weeks and so they were gonna make some plays.” 

Lane Kiffin on the A&M offense

Despite the score on A&M’s final possession of the half, the Rebel defense played aggressive in the first half. Ole Miss held the Aggies to under 100 yards in the passing and rushing game, holding them under 100 yards total until that final scoring drive.

With all the momentum, the A&M offense was driving the field to open the second half, looking to take their first lead of the game. However, a nearly seven minute drive came to a stop when John Saunders Jr. came up with an interception in the endzone, his third pick of the year.

Saunders Jr. broke down his interception postgame.

“I was definitely expecting it. He was trying to stutter like he was shaking, blocking, but I was prepared for it. They do a lot of like tricky stuff in the end zone, trying to play with your eyes and stuff. So I just kept my eyes on the receiver and then located the ball and was able to bring it down.” 

John Saunders Jr. on his third pick of the year

The big momentum shift did not seem to shake up the A&M offense, as they went right back to work. Starting with short throws and pounding the football to the edge on the ground, the Aggies marched down the field to cut the lead to 28-21 with a brother-to-brother touchdown pass from Max Johnson to Jake Johnson.

Keeping the trend of trading scores back and forth, the Aggies marched the length of the field on the Rebel defense again. A tough catch put A&M at the 1-yard line, setting up another Aggie rushing touchdown to cut the lead down to three with twelve minutes left in the game.

Just as they did the entire second half, the A&M offense ‘nickel-and-dimed’ the ball down the field, draining the clock with a chance to take a late lead. They did just that, taking a page out of the NFL trends with the ‘tush-push’ to take a 35-31 lead with four and half minutes in the game.

Following the late score from the Rebels, the Aggies had just under two minutes to attempt to win the game or tie it up for overtime. After two near interceptions, the Rebels eventually held A&M to a field goal attempt, which was tipped and short, allowing the Rebels to secure the victory.

The Ole Miss defense undoubtedly played a much better first half of football in this one. However, the Rebel defense played a huge part in the victory as Trey Washington led the way with 10 tackles. John Saunders Jr. also came up with the touchdown-saving interception and Zxavian Harris returned from injury and continued to be his usual self, recording 7 tackles, a tackle for loss, and getting a finger on the field goal attempt, as he served as a disrupter on that Rebel front.

Up Next

The 8-1 Rebels will travel to Athens next week to take on SEC powerhouse, the Georgia Bulldogs. This could be a top-10 matchup with possibly College Gameday in attendance, pending the UGA score later today. Gametime and television details are not yet set in place.

Kameron Wicker

Kameron Wicker

Kam is an undergraduate at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he’s from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn’t stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He’s a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.

About The Author

Kameron Wicker

Kam is an undergraduate at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.

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