It was the best of times, then it was the worst of times Monday night for Ole Miss. The No. 11 Rebels built a huge lead on No. 4 Florida State only to fly back to Oxford with a 45-34 loss.
The Rebels led 28-6 before allowing 33 unanswered points. They held Heisman hopeful Dalvin Cook to 91 yards on 23 carries, but an exhausted defense saw redshirt freshman Deondre Francois throw for 419 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Ole Miss Heisman candidate QB Chad Kelly threw for 313 yards, but 214 of them came in the first half that saw the Rebels’ tempo take over. That same tempo was too much for the Rebels’ own defense to handle when it couldn’t find rhythm in the third quarter. More on that below.
Florida State did it despite Cook mysteriously dropping a touchdown on a run just shy of the end zone and despite not being a factor for much of the game.
What it means: A big bag of mixed results. The first-half Rebels looked like world-beaters. The third-quarter Rebels couldn’t get a first down.
It means the depth chart has new holes. Ole Miss lost its best cover corner Kendarius Webster on the first series and top two running backs to knee injuries before it was said and done. Right now, the Rebels pretty much have zero running backs.
Dink and dunk offense killed the defense. DE DeMarcus Walker’s 4.5 sacks helped kill the offense. Down 11 points with about 5 minutes to play after the sixth field goal from Ricky Aguayo, the Rebels went to a slow-paced offense that took on the look of a different unit and ended in Kelly’s third pick. Better find some balance between the two between Wofford and Alabama.
What I liked: Ole Miss has arguably the best receiving corps in America. And some of them are frighteningly young. Mississippi’s top two receiver recruits A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf were involved early. Brown caught a pass on the first drive and Metcalf caught a touchdown pass. The 6-foot-4 freshman tipped the ball away from an interceptor and hauled it in for a 14-3 lead.
Redshirt freshman Van Jefferson caught a 20-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as junior DB Trey Marshall held on to him. Eight receivers caught passes and four scored against a secondary that should wind up being one of the best in the country.
What I didn’t like: Tempo gaveth and tempo tooketh away. The same tempo that got Ole Miss off to a hot start burned it in the third quarter. Two turnovers and a tired defense led to a third-quarter letdown.
Ole Miss led 28-6 with 3:04 seconds left in the first half, Florida State had a 36-28 lead with 4:12 left in the third quarter. Two turnovers in three plays started the third quarter, a ball off tight end Evan Engram’s hands and a Kelly fumble forced by Walker, the one-man tank, helped Florida State score 33 straight.
On a drive to go up eight, tight end Ryan Izzo was wide open for 29 yards to the Ole Miss 2, and he caught a touchdown pass that linebacker Rommel Mageo wasn’t even close to defending in the back of the end zone. Walker ended the next drive with a sack.
The defense had been on the field more than 30 minutes by the time the third quarter ended, and the offense did nothing to bail it out – no first downs and minus-7 yards in the quarter. Losing every running back on the roster doesn’t help any team, but Ole Miss went away offensively from everything that gave it a big lead.
Who’s the man: Senior tight end Evan Engram caught 9 passes for 121 yards and a TD. He had 7 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in the first half. The 21-yard touchdown came on 3rd-and-17. He has receiver hands at tight end and is a security blanket who could go for 1,000 if he gets enough of a share in a loaded group.
His 32-yard gain in one-on-one coverage with Marcus Lewis started a drive that got the Rebels within five points in the fourth quarter.
Key play(s): On his own 42 with a 3rd-and-15, Francois found Travis Rudolph wide open for a 27-yard gain that set up Ricky Aguayo’s fifth field goal for a 42-34 lead with 9:16 left.
What’s next: Ole Miss hosts Wofford, a much-needed break after that debacle in a tale of two halves.
