Conner Weigman couldn’t have started any better for Texas A&M. The problem was Quinshon Judkins showed up and delivered a punishing counter punch for the Rebels.

Weigman, the third different starter at QB for the Aggies got his first start against Ole Miss on Saturday at Kyle Field and came out firing to the tune of 10-for-12 passing in the first half for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. He even started 6-for-6.

Yet up against the vaunted Ole Miss rushing attack, Weigman and the Aggies couldn’t keep pace. Even after a big start, Ole Miss scored 21 points in the second half to pull away thanks to Judkins, who rushed for 206 yards on 33 carries — highlighted by a 61-yarder — and a touchdown.

Ole Miss prevailed 31-28 after the Rebels got a late stop on defense with 16 seconds remaining after the Aggies forced Ole Miss to punt with 1:25 remaining.

Ole Miss improved to 8-1 and 4-1 in the SEC, while Texas A&M fell to 1-4 in the SEC and 3-5 overall.

In the second half, Ole Miss pulled away with 3 scoring drives that covered 94, 85 and 75 yards. Along with Judkins, Jaxson Dart had an efficient game with 3 touchdowns on 138 yards and 11-for-18 passing. And Dart added 17 carries for 95 yards.

Throughout the game, Judkins was a source of big plays for Ole Miss, including runs of 16, 22, 27, 15, 13 and 61 yards to pile up the numbers.

In the first 14 plays, Weigman and the Aggies churned out 143 yards and 14 points. But in the next 22 plays, they sputtered for just 121 yards.

In a game billed as a rushing showdown, it lived up to the hype with Devon Achane and Judkins, as both eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in the first half.

Weigman pumped some life into Kyle Field with an impressive scoring drive to open his first start as Texas A&M’s starting quarterback.

He took the Texas A&M offense all the way down the field for an 8-play, 77-yard touchdown drive in the first possession of his first career start.

Facing a fourth down and 1, Weigman found Moose Muhammad III in the back of the end zone to answer Ole Miss’ opening score.

Weigman, a 5-star prospect coming out of high school in Cypress, Texas, got his first dose of action last week late in the South Carolina game when Haynes King went out with a shoulder injury.

Two possessions, 2 touchdown drives. Weigman came out 6-for-6 passing for 94 yards and 2 TD in the true freshman’s first start.

Evan Stewart with a beautiful one-handed catch for the second score.

Ole Miss got a fake punt converted for a first down from its own 15-yard line after JJ Pegues carried the ball through the middle of the offensive line. The Rebels then tacked on a 46-yard field goal to cap a 15-play drive that covered 62 yards.

Here’s Dart’s third passing touchdown of the game.