OXFORD —The situation demanded a moment when the Ole Miss football offense jogged onto the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with 4:34 left in Saturday’s game against Texas A&M.
Down four, Lane Kiffin‘s unit delivered. The Rebels marched 75 yards in nine plays before Quinshon Judkins put the Rebels ahead with a 1-yard touchdown, his third of the afternoon. Zxavian Harris blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired, and the Rebels escaped with a 38-35 win.
Jaxson Dart put together one of his best performances as a Rebel. In the face of college football’s best pass rush, he was crisp and decisive with his throws. And his stat line showed it. Dart finished the game 24-for-33 for 387 yards and two touchdowns.
End zone interception helps save the Rebels
The Aggies (5-4, 3-3 SEC) finally seemed to solve a resolute Ole Miss defense with their first drive of the third quarter, running downhill with bruising backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels.
On first-and-goal from the Rebels’ 5-yard line, Max Johnson had plenty of time in the pocket, but his throw sailed over his intended target and into the arms of Ole Miss’ John Saunders Jr.
Saunders’ third interception of the year gave the Rebels (8-1, 5-1) the ball at their 20-yard line after a touchback. They needed just four plays to march 80 yards into the end zone.
That turned out to be a vital reprieve for an Ole Miss defense that struggled in the second half, allowing 21 points. The Aggies took their first lead on Johnson’s QB sneak with under five minutes to go, but the Rebels’ offense responded.
FULL UPDATES:Ole Miss football score updates vs. Texas A&M in SEC Week 10 action
Another big game for Ole Miss’ Tre Harris
Tre Harris endured a relatively quiet week by his standards when the Rebels played Vanderbilt last Saturday, catching six passes for 67 yards without finding the end zone.
There was nothing quiet about what Harris did Saturday.
The Louisiana Tech transfer — once an unranked prospect now playing against one of the most athletic teams in college football — looked like the best player on the field.
Dart found him again and again. In the first half, Harris amassed 113 receiving yards. His acrobatic grab on a back-corner fade set the Rebels up with a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
In the second half, Harris made an impressive grab in double coverage that preceded Judkins’ second touchdown run of the day in the third quarter. He later set up a Rebels’ field goal by fighting through pass interference to make a great 32-yard catch down the right sideline.
He finished his day with 11 receptions for 213 yards.
Big special teams play keeps the Aggies in it early
Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis came on with just under 9 minutes remaining in the first half, looking to turn a 14-0 Ole Miss lead into a three-score advantage.
Shemar Turner blocked his effort, and Jacoby Mathews scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown. An afternoon that looked like it might become comfortable for the Rebels was suddenly anything but.
The Aggies and Rebels then traded touchdowns – though Ole Miss failed a two-point attempt – and Kiffin’s team went into the locker room holding a 20-14 lead despite a 299-134 advantage in total yards.
But the Rebels’ failure to turn that dominance into a more significant margin on the scoreboard didn’t cost them.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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