Post Game Review: No. 15 Ole Miss 31, Texas A&M 28

After four weeks without football at Kyle Field, Texas A&M took No. 15 Ole Miss to the wire but ultimately dropped their fourth-consecutive game, 31-28.

Lane Kiffin wasted no time showing off his rush-heavy offensive scheme. A&M’s rush defense allowed the Rebels to move 75 yards in the opening drive, and quarterback Jaxson Dart sealed the deal with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade, 7-0.

In his first start, Conner Weigman took the field and found a way to bite right back. The true freshman took command, and with the assistance of Devon Achane, the Aggies responded with a 77-yard drive. On fourth-and-1, Weigman made it known that he came to play, finding Moose Muhammad on a slant route to tie things up, 7-7.

A&M’s defense stalled Ole Miss’ next drive at the Rebels’ 40-yard line. Once the offense took the field, Achane sparked the drive with a 19-yard gain. Fisher utilized Achane in his playcalling, totaling eight carries in the first two drives, but when Weigman had to opportunity to sling it, the freshman did. Weigman completed passes to Muhammad and Donovan Green before finding fellow freshman Evan Stewart in the endzone with an impressive one-handed grab in the back of the endzone.

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One of A&M’s few bright spots, Devon Achane rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries. Achane also caught seven passes for 41 yards and a score.

Through the first quarter, Weigman completed all of his first six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. A perfect completion rate for the freshman.

Ole Miss found their groove back, utilizing Quinshon Judkins for a handful of runs to help propel them downfield. The Aggies finally found a third-down stop on the 14-yard line, but Kiffin chose to go for it. Still, the Aggies stood their ground to force a turnover on downs.

On the Aggies’ third drive, Achane broke out down the sideline and was one tackle shy of a house call. However, the 31-yard run did place A&M past midfield. However, A&M could not capitalize on the field position.

To follow, Ole Miss and A&M swapped three-and-out possessions. The Rebels got the ball, and what looked to be another three-and-out was converted by a rush up the middle. Ole Miss moved past midfield. However, McKinnley Jackson made his presence known on the line of scrimmage with his first sack of the season. Soon after, Bryce Anderson and Tyreek Chappell swarmed to the ball to bring down Dayton Wade, and the Rebels knocked in a 46-yard field goal, 14-10.

Once Weigman returned with the ball, the Aggies couldn’t make much of their final possession before the half.

The Weigman-to-Muhammad connection continued as the Aggies' first pass after the break was a 31-yarder. Following, the Aggies struggled to gain yardage as Weigman was sacked and incomplete passes wasted the drive.

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Behind Quinshon Judkins, the Rebels dominated on the ground with 63 rushing attempts to A&M’s 29. 

Backed up on their own 6-yard line, Ole Miss found themselves downfield due to their fast-tempo offense. Short gains and a 56-yard bomb placed the Rebels in a position to walk right into the end zone. However, A&M’s defense brought the fire. The Aggies forced two zero-yard gains before the Rebs punched in a touchdown on third down, 17-14.

A 17-yard grab by Jalen Preston ignited the drive, yet the flame burned out as A&M failed to execute and punted it away. Ole Miss’ Zach Evans emerged with a 27-yard rush to plant them in near the 50-yard line. Three more 15+ yard runs set them up in the red zone for an easy two-yard pass to increase their lead, 24-14.

A&M went three-and-out their following drive, but Ole Miss handed it right back after a failed drive. On their own 38, Weigman used Stewart on two clutch grabs, one that planted the Aggies near the goal line. On third-and-goal, a beautifully executed play left Noah Thomas wide open for the score, 24-21. 

Yet, Judkins wasn’t done showing off his speed. The freshman sprinted down the field for a 61-yard gain before being caught by Jaylon Jones. The run set the Rebels up for an easy walk-in touchdown three plays later. 

In desperate need of a response, Weigman marched back out and connected on a 15-yard pass to Moose Muhammad before rushing 13 yards for another first down. Yet, a series of incomplete passes prevented the Aggies from breaking into the red zone as they were forced to punt. 

The Rebels continued to advance up the field without much resistance as Dart crossed midfield on third down with a 9-yard gain. Fortunately for A&M, a delay of game call pushed Ole Miss back, and they returned the ball right back to the Aggies.

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Moose Muhammad led A&M’s receiving corps with 112 yards on eight receptions, including a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game in the first quarter. 

Maintaining A&M’s consistent attack, Weigman and Muhammad converted on back-to-back passes for a combined 35 yards before Stewart caught a 17-yard dart. In the red zone for the fourth time of the night, Ole Miss nearly ended A&M’s drive with a near interception that was ruled incomplete. Achane then put the Aggies right back into contention with a 7-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to three points with just over one minute left. 

In the ensuing possession, Ole Miss went three-and-out and gifted Weigman one final opportunity with 58 seconds left. Despite a gritty last-ditch effort, the Rebel defense held firm as tight end Blake Smith couldn’t hold on to what would have been a first down. 

RUMBLED: Quinshon Judkins had himself quite the 19th birthday. The true freshman running back was a weapon for Ole Miss all night long and relentlessly torched A&M’s secondary. The Alabama native rushed for 205 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries.

STUMBLED: A&M’s defense struggled all night. Ole Miss rushed for a staggering 390 yards and converted on 7-of-16 third downs and 2-of-4 fourth downs. Dart’s quarterback keepers also exposed the secondary, as he totaled 140 passing yards and three touchdowns in addition to 95 rushing yards. The run defense has been a flaw in A&M’s defensive scheme this far, and D.J. Durkin’s three-man front didn't do any favors. 

TURNING POINT: Right after an Aggie touchdown to make it 24-21, Quinshon Judkins’ 61-yard rush in the fourth quarter put this one away. It was the longest run by a Rebel this season and was certainly the highlight of his personal charge in a four-play, 75-yard drive that put the game out of reach. 

UNSUNG HERO: Conner Weigman took Kyle Field with an undeniable confidence and sense of leadership, especially among the emerging freshman class. It was exactly what Jimbo Fisher needed out of his five-star. Weigman went 28-for-44 for 338 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start. Weigman’s four touchdown passes ties an A&M record for freshmen. Unfortunately, his breakout game was spoiled by the loss. 

KEY STAT: The last time Texas A&M dropped four straight games was in 2005, when they fell to Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Texas. To make matters worse, Jimbo Fisher is now 2-7 in A&M’s last nine games against FBS competition. Oh yeah, Ole Miss also rushed for 390 yards, the second-most allowed in A&M history behind the 2003 Texas game  (393). 

Scoring Summary

First-quarter

OM 14:12 - Jaxson Dart 18-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 1:58. Ole Miss 7, Texas A&M 0

A&M 9:12 - Conner Weigman 3-yard touchdown pass to Moose Muhammad. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards. TOP: 3:21,.Ole Miss 7, Texas A&M 7

A&M 4:16 - Conner Weigman 15-yard touchdown pass to Evan Stewart. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards. TOP: 2:56. Texas A&M 14, Ole Miss 7,

Second-quarter

OM 3:33 - Jonathan Cruz 46-yard field goal. Drive: 15 plays, 62 yards. TOP: 5:33. Texas A&M 14, Ole Miss 10.

Third-quarter

OM 8:00 - Jaxson Dart 1-yard touchdown pass to Casey Kelly. Drive: 13 plays, 94 yards. TOP: 5:43. Ole Miss 17, Texas A&M 14

OM 1:02 - Jaxson Dart 2-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Mingo. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards. TOP: 2:26. Ole Miss 23, Texas A&M 14

Fourth-quarter

A&M 9:11 - Conner Weigman 2-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards. TOP: 2:57. Ole Miss 24, Texas 21

OM 7:18 - Jaxson Dart 2-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Mingo. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 1:53. Ole Miss 31, Texas A&M 21

A&M 1:25 - Conner Weigman 7-yard pass to Devon Achane. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards. TOP: 01:56. Ole Miss 31, Texas A&M 28