Ole Miss wide receiver Braylon Sanders rushes for a touchdown in Ole Miss’s game against Arkansas on Oct. 9, 2021. Photo by HG Biggs.

The Ole Miss Rebels were able to come away against the Razorbacks, but it did not come easily. It came down to the wire on Saturday, as Arkansas scored on a touchdown with one second left. Down by one, the Razorbacks opted to go for two, and quarterback K.J. Jefferson overthrew it, causing Arkansas to lose the game. It was a nail-biter, to say the least.

The game was tied 45-45 with 1:22 left in the game. Matt Corral and Lane Kiffin wasted no time and scored in only fifteen seconds. The game looked to be over, but Arkansas had other plans. They stormed down the field and scored with only one second on the clock. Down by one, kicking a field goal would have sent both teams to overtime, but instead, head coach Sam Pittman opted to go for a two-point conversion.

This failed attempt allowed the Rebels to defeat the Razorbacks 52-51.. It was a typical Ole Miss vs. Arkansas match-up and it was nothing short of dramatic.

Here are a few takeaways from the game:

Ole Miss defense getting gashed on the ground

There was a lot of hype on the improvement this year on defense, and unfortunately, it was not shown against Arkansas. The Razorbacks rushed for 350 yards on the day, led by Raheim Sanders who had 17 attempts for 139 yards. Ole Miss continued to play a three-man front that led to huge runs up the middle. There was not enough depth on the field to stop the plays and the Rebel defense gave up 51 points.

An Ole Miss defender tackles an Arkansas ball carrier during Ole Miss’s homecoming game on Oct. 9, 2021. Photo by HG Biggs.

Losing the battle in the trenches

The offensive and defensive line struggled throughout the entire game. The offensive line’s weak spots were exposed last week against Alabama, and this weekend was no different. To add to the mess that is the current offensive line, starter Caleb Warren was out this week with an injury. Jordan Rhodes, his backup, started this week before leaving the game in the third quarter, forcing redshirt freshman Cedric Melton to step up. Jonathan Mingo was out for his second straight week, and with a less than ideal receiving group, the offense has been struggling.

Matt Corral is a ridiculously good running back, and quarterback

Starting running back, Jerrion Ealy, was out with a rumored concussion injury for this game. Not only did Henry Parrish Jr. and Snoop Conner dominante on the ground, but so did Matt Corral. The Heisman contender rushed for 94 yards and passed for 287 yards. Corral ran in for 2 touchdowns, making it eight rushing touchdowns on the season.