Explaining the entire 2021 Ole Miss football season in 10 game-changing plays
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OXFORD — Ten wins. Top-10 team. Ten plays.
No. 8 Ole Miss finished its first 10-win regular season on Thursday with a 31-21 win over Mississippi State. It was a fascinating season in which the Rebels forged a new identity on the fly and found ways to win that didn't really match its reputation.
With the regular season finished, let's take a look at 10 plays that defined it. We're not talking about the 10 best or most electric plays. Think of them more like CliffsNotes. These 10 plays led one to the other and tell the story of how coach Lane Kiffin and the Rebels went from a fringe top-25 team to the SEC's third-best squad in just three months.
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HOW IT HAPPENED: No one saw the best season in Ole Miss history coming. Except Lane Kiffin and his players.
1. Chance Campbell stuffs Malik Cunningham
First defensive drive of the season. Louisville had gone 44 yards on 10 plays to get to Ole Miss' 39-yard line. The Cardinals dial up a zone read with a QB keeper on fourth-and-1.
Maryland transfer Chance Campbell was there. The linebacker stuffed Cunningham for a loss of two. The Ole Miss defense didn't give up points until the third quarter of that game. Campbell finished his season with 12.5 tackles for loss, a mark that ranks top five in the SEC.
2. Matt Corral uses the truck stick
Everyone knew Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral had a strong arm. His transformation into one of the SEC's most powerful runners was unexpected. Think back to his 15-yard touchdown run against Tulane — his second of four rushing scores that day — where he juked two defenders, put his shoulder through a third and carried the fourth and fifth defenders into the end zone with him.
Corral actually ranks higher on the SEC's rushing touchdowns leaderboard than passing touchdowns. That says a lot.
3. Kiffin goes for it all, gets nothing
It was fourth-and-1 from the Ole Miss 31-yard line. Alabama was already up 14-0. The Rebels had already failed to convert two fourth downs, both of which led to Crimson Tide touchdowns. Kiffin kept his offense on the field. Running back Jerrion Ealy picked the wrong hole and lost four yards.
Six plays later, Alabama went up three touchdowns. Ole Miss converted about 62% of its fourth down tries this year. Whether you love analytics or think Kiffin needs to be more conservative, it's impossible to tell the story of the year without at least a couple fourth down tries.
4. The 2-pt conversion that changed everything
It was 52-51. Arkansas had just scored a touchdown as time expired to put Ole Miss on the ropes. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman kept his offense on the field to try to win in regulation. Quarterback KJ Jefferson rolled right. Sam Williams and Tavius Robinson gave chase. Jefferson floated one to the back of the end zone. No one in sight. Rebels win.
Before that play, Ole Miss had allowed 483 yards and 35.9 points per game in 15 contests under Kiffin. Since then, those numbers are down to 426 yards and 20.7 points per game.
5. The injury that should've changed everything
Ole Miss was up five points on Tennessee near midfield in the fourth quarter. For the 29th time that night, Corral carried. This time, something went wrong. He was tackled for no gain, twisting his left ankle on the play. He later returned and Ole Miss held on to win the game, but that ankle changed everything for Ole Miss' offense.
The receiving corps was already broken down with injuries to Jonathan Mingo and Braylon Sanders. Corral's legs were the offense; he ran for 195 yards against Tennessee alone. He only ran for 147 yards in his last six games combined as his ankle never quite healed, and arguably got worse after reaggravating the injury against Auburn.
6. An INT turns the Tigers' tides
The first quarter didn't go Ole Miss' way against LSU. The Tigers built a 7-0 lead and set up a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line to extend their lead. But freshman defensive back Tysheem Johnson had other plans, intercepting LSU quarterback Max Johnson.
Ole Miss responded with 31 unanswered points and cruised to an easy win in front of one of the largest and liveliest crowds in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium history.
7. Red zone woes doom Rebels vs. Auburn
Ole Miss caught the break it needed. Auburn muffed a punt, giving the Rebels the ball at the Tigers' 29-yard line down 11 points in the third quarter. But that muffed punt led to nothing. Ole Miss went four-and-out, including a crucial incomplete pass from Corral to Casey Kelly on fourth-and-1 when kicking a field goal could've put the Rebels a touchdown and two-point conversion away from tying the game.
On eight red zone trips against Auburn, Ole Miss came away with two touchdowns, two field goals and four turnovers.
8. Sam Williams blows up Liberty
Ole Miss sacked Liberty quarterback Malik Willis nine times, but none was more crucial than the one senior Sam Williams pulled off on third-and-20 late in the fourth quarter. Williams, who broke the Ole Miss single-season sacks record this season, forced a fumble and derailed a drive on the play, two things he did many times this fall.
It'd be impossible to tell the story of this Ole Miss football season without Williams' contributions, and no game was that more evident than against Liberty.
9. Ashanti Cistrunk sets up the big win
Ashanti Cistrunk isn't a star. He's a reserve linebacker. He substitutes in on obvious passing downs. He's an easy Rebel to forget about. Except during the Texas A&M game.
The Aggies got the ball back down two points with seven minutes to go. On first down, Cistrunk batted away a Zach Calzada pass. On second down, Cistrunk intercepted Calzada in single coverage, giving the struggling Ole Miss offense the ball back in great scoring position. Ole Miss went on to win and take control of second place in the SEC West because one of the defense's unheralded players.
10. A fourth-down swing pass seals it
It'd be easy to pick another touchdown, sack or turnover that defined Ole Miss' 10th win. But the play that sticks out from the Egg Bowl is a lot smaller.
The Rebels lined up for a fourth-and-4 leading 17-6 one minute into the fourth quarter. Kiffin and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby dialed up their favorite play of the night, a swing pass to the wide side of the field with receivers blocking on the perimeter. Ealy caught this one and took it 11 yards into the red zone. Six plays later, Ole Miss scored what ended up being the decisive touchdown.
It's easy to remember the failed fourth down gambles. Like the two botched ones that bookended the Egg Bowl. But that aggression, that willingness to play to win instead of playing not to lose, worked out plenty. In a lot of ways, it sealed the Rebels' 10th win.
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football's 2021 season in 10 game-changing plays recap
