Falling to the Memphis Tigers, 15-10, at the Liberty Bowl, Saturday was not the start to the season Ole Miss redshirt freshman QB Matt Corral envisioned.

Shutout in the first half, the Rebels managed just 173 yards of total offense. Making his first career start, Corral finished nine for 19 for 93 yards and an interception.

“We didn’t quite get the job done, obviously,” Corral summarized. “Today is a chance to get better. Throw it away and move on to next week.”

Breaking in a new offensive coordinator in 2019, Corral was expected to play a significant role in the Rebels’ rushing attack under Rich Rodriguez. Instead, he ran for just 17 yards on nine attempts.

Despite the lackluster numbers, Corral thought his team was properly prepared.

“We had a good game plan. We just weren’t executing. We had missed blocks, I had an interception.”

Ole Miss’ offensive line did not do Corral many favors as he was sacked three times and faced constant pressure throughout the day. Down 13-10 with less than six-and-a-half minutes left, the Rebels had a chance to compose a potential game-winning drive. It was not to be as Corral was sacked in the end zone for a safety to bring the score to the game’s final.

“There are no adjustments. We have a game plan and we stuck with it,” Corral said.

“It was there, we just needed to execute and there’s nothing else to say about what happened. We needed to execute. That was it.”

Ole Miss’ leading rusher on Saturday, senior Scottie Phillips, ran for 62 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Seeking more efficient execution, the Rebels return home to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to face the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET.