Lucky 7: Corral has more than a half dozen touchdowns as Rebels roll

Sep. 19—OXFORD — Unfortunately for Tulane, a nearly two-hour weather delay couldn't delay another offensive eruption from Ole Miss.

Saturday's matchup between the No. 17 Rebels and Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. but didn't get underway until 8:45 following nearby lighting strikes and heavy rain.

A wet field didn't slow Ole Miss down in the slightest.

The Rebels scored 40 first-half points and picked up 27 first downs before on the way to a dominant 62-21 victory. The Rebels racked up 707 yards of offense —almost equally divided between running and passing— in the game, the fourth most in school history, and had a school-record 41 first downs, just four shy of tying the NCAA record.

The win ensures that Ole Miss (3-0) will be undefeated heading into a highly-anticipated matchup at No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 2. The Rebels are off next weekend.

"I wish that we didn't have a bye, because we're playing so well," head coach Lane Kiffin said. "But it is what it is, and we'll look to get better during that ... (and) get ready for some really good teams."

Redshirt junior quarterback Matt Corral accounted for seven total touchdowns (three passing, four rushing) in the win. It tied him with Showboat Boykin (1951) for the most touchdowns by an Ole Miss player in a single game, and it was the first time an SEC quarterback has ever had three passing touchdowns and four rushing in the same game.

Corral was 23-of-31 passing for 331 yards and added 68 yards on the ground. He now has 14 total touchdowns this season without a turnover.

You'd have no idea he was a leading Heisman Trophy contender, however, listening to him postgame.

"You know, I can name many mistakes that I made in that game," Corral said. "There (are) bigger plays that could be made if I don't make those mistakes. Just keep being focused on those little things. Every little detail matters, and I think that's what's going to help us kind of pull it in the next week."

The Ole Miss defense was stout in the win as well, holding a Tulane offense that came into Saturday's game averaging 52 points per game and 490 yards of offense to just 305 total yards. It's the lowest yardage total the Rebels have allowed this season.

In Corral-like fashion, junior safety A.J. Finley didn't feel the defense played all that well, either.

The expectations in 2021 are a little bit higher.

"I'm honestly not pleased. They shouldn't have scored 21 points, in my opinion," Finley said. "(We) had a few plays where we could have prevented the stuff that happened. But I'm honestly not happy with the way we played on defense."

Uncooperative weather forced both teams into their respective locker rooms for an additional 1.5 hours. For better or worse, weather delays are something Kiffin got used to as the head coach at Florida Atlantic.

Kiffin exactly knew what to do in such a situation, and the Rebels showed no ill effects from the delayed start.

"It's like being a veteran player," Kiffin said. "FAU really helped us on that. For (head strength coach) Wilson (Love) and I, this happens all the time, with lightning delays down there, we had a number of games down there (postponed). We had extra food ready for them, we changed uniforms at half (with) so much rain. You don't over warm-up, just in case you get stalled again.

"I think our experience there helped that, because we certainly played really well from the start."

Corral threw a pair of first-half touchdowns and ran for another two, as the Rebels put up 448 yards of first-half offense against a Green Wave (1-2) squad that had no answers for anything Ole Miss threw its way on offense.

The Rebels came out and established the run early, racking up 124 yards on the ground in the first quarter alone. Fifteen of the Rebels' 23 first-quarter plays were runs.

But just when Tulane thought it could pick its poison, Corral did what he does best — he ripped the Green Wave's collective heart out.

Corral threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the second quarter alone and connected on backbreaking strike after backbreaking strike. He had eight pass plays of 15 yards or more in the game.

To no one's surprise, the final nail in Tulane's coffin came via Corral midway through the second quarter. The Green Wave had gotten itself back in the game on a 39-yard scoring strike from quarterback Michael Pratt. Tulane then attempted an onside kick it failed to recover. On the very next play, Corral threw a perfect 50-yard strike to junior Jonathan Mingo to put the Rebels back up 33-14, ending any last gasp of hope Tulane might have been holding onto.

"I've been pretty positive about (Corral) but also trying to keep him from all the rat poison," Kiffin said. "(I) kind of expected he would play like this, just because he's off the charts talented like I've said before, top-10 pick. But now he has the work ethic, that he's put in the preparation".

Mingo achieved his career-high in receiving yards in the first half and finished with 136 yards and two scores. Junior Jerrion Ealy had his first breakout effort of the season, rushing for 103 yards on just 15 carries. A week after running for nearly 340 yards against Austin Peay, Ole Miss put up another 372 yards on the ground.

Senior wide receiver Dontario Drummond caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter, his eighth-straight game with a scoring grab. It is the longest such streak for a Rebel since at least 1965. Drummond also added an 11-yard rushing touchdown on the first rushing attempt of his career.

Following the off week, the Rebels will play the top-ranked Crimson Tide in a matchup of head coach Nick Saban vs. Kiffin, who served as Saban's offensive coordinator for three seasons.

Corral emphasized how much the Rebels needed to work on in the next few days and just how advantageous the week of preparation would be headed into the matchup. He also pointed out how the word "Alabama" hadn't yet been mentioned around the locker room.

But even Kiffin had to joke about the anticipation leading up to the Rebels' next game.

"We talk all the time about worrying about what we can control. We certainly can't change this date," Kiffin said before taking a brief pause for comedic effect. "Who do we play after this date? I haven't looked yet."