Rebels Hand Sooners Second Loss of Season

By Isaiah Magar

13th-ranked Oklahoma hosted the 8th-ranked Rebels of Ole Miss

Fresh off a loss to the Bulldogs of Georgia, Ole Miss was foaming at the mouth for a chance at redemption — eager to prove they belonged in the playoff discussion and the SEC title race. The Sooners weren’t about to make it easy, looking to keep their own momentum going after a victory over South Carolina.

1st Quarter

Ole Miss opened the game with several solid plays, including a 25-yard dart from Chambliss to Cayden Lee down to the Sooner 29-yard line. The drive stalled, however, and the Rebels settled for a 45-yard field goal to go up 3-0.

In his third game back from injury, Mateer led the Sooners down the field on a drive that mirrored Ole Miss’s start. It eventually stalled after a holding penalty against Oklahoma, and the Sooners tied the game with a field goal of their own, 3-3.

The ensuing Rebels drive ended with a 28-yard touchdown run by Kewan Lacy. The Oklahoma defense made a few solid plays, but multiple explosive 20+ yard gains by the Rebels helped them find the end zone and take a 10-3 lead.

Both teams traded defensive stops to force punts and close out the 1st quarter, with Ole Miss leading 10-3.

2nd Quarter

Oklahoma opened the 2nd quarter with a beautiful 76-yard pass from Mateer to Isaiah Sategna III. Mateer stayed calm under pressure as Sategna slipped behind the defense. After the catch, Sategna showed off his blazing speed to find pay dirt and tie the game at 10.

The Sooner defense continued to make plays, forcing Ole Miss into a punt that pinned Oklahoma at its own 3-yard line. Disaster struck soon after — a handoff to Tory Blaylock resulted in a safety, giving the Rebels a 12-10 lead.

The ensuing kickoff was returned by Izaiah Hartrup to near midfield. Chambliss made several key plays to get Ole Miss inside the Sooner 5-yard line, but was then oddly replaced by fellow quarterback Austin Simmons. The Oklahoma defense held firm and forced a 23-yard Carneiro field goal, extending the Rebel lead to 15-10.

OU crossed midfield on their next possession, but a stout Ole Miss defense stopped them on 4th down, resulting in another scoreless drive.

The Rebels responded by marching down the field with ease and punching it in on a direct snap to Lacy, giving Ole Miss a 22-10 lead with under a minute to go in the half.

3rd Quarter

Oklahoma’s offense opened the second half with a quick three-and-out, resulting in a punt. The Sooner defensive line answered, forcing a 4th-and-short for Ole Miss. Coach Kiffin elected to go for it at his own 25, but a direct snap to Lacy was blown up for a 10-yard loss, giving OU the ball at the Rebel 15-yard line.

Even then, the Ole Miss defense held strong, forcing Oklahoma to settle for another field goal to cut the score to 22-13.

On the Rebels’ next drive, they moved down the field with ease until the OU defense stiffened up. However, a questionable roughing-the-passer call extended the drive, leading to a 30-yard field goal and a 25-13 lead.

After a kickoff out of bounds, Sooner running back Xavier Robinson broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run, igniting the crowd and cutting the deficit to 25-20.

With the home crowd roaring, the Oklahoma defense came up big again, forcing a quick punt and giving the Sooners another opportunity. They capitalized as Robinson found the end zone once more, this time from nine yards out, giving Oklahoma its first lead of the game at 26-25. The two-point attempt failed.

The Rebels closed the quarter by converting a risky 4th down with a quick pass for a first down.

4th Quarter

The 4th down gamble paid off, as Chambliss found Trace Bruckler for an 8-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead for Ole Miss, 31-26, after a failed two-point try.

The Rebels forced a punt on the next OU possession, threatening to stretch their lead, but the Sooner defense held firm again, forcing their fourth punt of the game. However, disaster struck when Sategna fumbled the return near midfield, and Ole Miss recovered.

A quick pass got the Rebels inside the OU 15-yard line, but once again the Sooner defense held, limiting them to a Carneiro field goal that made it 34-26.

With just over two minutes left, the Sooners faced a crucial 3rd down. Mateer’s pass fell incomplete, but a pass interference call extended the drive. Still, Oklahoma couldn’t cash in — the drive stalled deep in Rebel territory, and the Sooners turned it over on downs.

The Sooners were able to hold the Rebels to a punt, but had less than a minute to work with. The Ole Miss defense stood tall and knocked down a Hail Mary attempt, sealing a 34-26 win and improving to 7-1 on the season. The Sooners dropped to 6-2.

You can find Isaiah Magar on X here.

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