Heartbreaking.
No. 10 Ole Miss held on as Texas A&M dropped its ninth-straight game on the road in disheartening fashion at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, 38-35.
Despite a resilient fourth quarter for the Aggies, the Rebels’ potent offense was too much for A&M to handle.
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin returned to his former stadium, and his defense took the field with Jayvon Thomas earning his first start at corner. The first play earned the Rebels a free 15 yards with a pass interference call on the true freshman Thomas. Veteran Demani Richardson started off the day right with two big tackles (one for loss) to force the Rebels off the field.
Sidelined with an injury, the Aggie offense took the field without Evan Stewart. Following a 19-yard grab from Jahdae Walker, A&M only found one positive yard, and Nik Constantinou punted 46 yards downfield.
Ole Miss earned its second first down with a 14-yard pass before Jaxson Dart began to feel the pressure of A&M’s defensive front. After back-to-back incompletions, the quarterback threw for nine on third down. Classic Kiffin went for it on fourth-and-1, and a two-yard rush kept the drive moving.
Short competitions set up a deep shot for 39 yards to Tre Harris. A nine-yard rush by Quinshon Judkins finished in the end zone and put the Rebels up first, 7-0.
After a false start penalty, Ainias Smith earned 11 out of the backfield before Noah Thomas converted another first. Another false start pushed the Aggies back on third down, and a dropped pass by Thomas concluded the unsuccessful drive.
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The Rebels rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns against the Aggies.
Ole Miss’ first three-and-out of the day came after the Aggies showed their disruptive defensive ways with a tackle-for-loss, sack and an incompletion.
Back on offense, a trio of short gains moved the chains until A&M stalled out, and a 35-yard punt downed Ole Miss on their six-yard line to conclude the first quarter.
A pair of chunk plays for Ole Miss torched A&M’s secondary as they moved smoothly downfield with catches for 15 and 29 yards. A handoff to Judkins went for 10 as Dart was pummelled by Chris Russell Jr. and headed to the sidelines.
Yet, the running back had no problem taking over and running up the middle for two first downs. The eight-play, 94-yard drive was capped off on a 50-50 ball thrown by Dart and caught by Harris for a touchdown, 14-0.
A&M’s offensive responded with a three-and-out.
Harris moved the Rebels into A&M’s territory, and a pass to Wade Dayton picked up 31 more. Two plays for 51 yards followed. However, the drive took a turn for the worst for Ole Miss as they were pushed back 20 yards and failed to find a way into the end zone.
Former A&M kicker Caden Davis kicked a 41-yarder for the Rebels. Yet, Shemar Turner blocked his old teammate, and Jacoby Mathews was there to return it all the way to the house to put the Aggies on the board, 14-7.
However, Ole Miss answered right back with a four-play, 66-yard drive to extend Kiffin’s lead over Jimbo Fisher. The home squad’s two-point conversion attempt was no good.
Max Johnson & Co. finally gained some momentum with a pair of 11-yard pickups from Amari Daniels and Moose Muhammad. The Aggies moved the chains once again with another grab by Walker. In the red zone, Le’Veon Moss stepped through untouched to score A&M’s first offensive touchdown, 20-14.
Backed up on their own 6-yard line, Ole Miss could not ignite a spark offensively before the half.
After the break, A&M began its march with some momentum. Smith’s first reception was a chain-mover, and another grab by Muhammad inched the Ags closer to midfield. A leaping catch for Thomas converted a crucial third down.
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A&M allowed 11 “big” passing plays of 15+ yards that resulted in 302 yards gained by Ole Miss.
An offensive pass interference call on Muhammad pushed the Aggies back until an Ole Miss holding penalty gifted A&M a first down. Moss and Daniels found yardage on the ground and set up a promising first-and-5 situation for Johnson & Co.
What could have been a successful 75-yard drive went awry as the lefty quarterback was intercepted in the end zone — Johnson’s first turnover of the day.
Looking to test A&M’s secondary, the Rebels punched back with a 40-yard bomb. That drive, a frustrated Shemar Turner — who was making a big impact for the Aggies defensively — was ejected after taking a jab at an Ole Miss offensive lineman.
Judkins easily weaved his way in for a touchdown, and the two-point conversion was good this time to make it a two-score game, 28-14.
After a first down from Moss, the running back went down with what appeared to be a knee injury. The march was brought back to life by Smith, who earned a first down and more to gain 27 yards. Daniels toted the rock again, and the Johnson brothers kept the Aggies in range with a 28-yard score to make it 28-21 in the third.
Ole Miss responded with a drive anchored by steady carries from its stable of running backs. After driving to A&M’s 39, Harris made an incredible grab to propel his offense 32 yards downfield and add to his special day. Davis capped off the drive with a 22-yarder through the uprights.
Walker was targeted to pick up 19, and Smith found another nine before the final quarter began. Some tough running by Daniels earned a new set of downs. What initially looked like an incomplete pass was overturned as Smith came down with a clutch catch to put A&M on the two.
A&M’s second score of the half came two plays later as Daniels found his way in for six points.
Only down 31-28, Durkin’s defense did exactly what the Aggies needed and stepped up with a three-and-out to give the ball back to the offense.
An initial first down was gained by Thomas through the air, and another was found by Max Wright. Rueben Owens ran a pair of carries for nine, and a quarterback sneak gained the needed yard on fourth down. Daniels sped away for eight and nine-yard rushes until Johnson leaped over the trenches for the score and A&M’s first lead of the game, 35-31.
Up by four with four minutes to go, A&M’s defense faced its most significant test.
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Max Johnson completed 31-of-42 passes for 305 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Dart and the Rebels started their drive on the 25-yard line, and Taurean York pressured the signal-caller as he threw incomplete. Harris moved beyond the line to gain, caught a pass for 19 yards, and Ole Miss was handed 15 more on a PI call.
The Rebels kept things moving, with Judkins earning yardage up the middle. Another gain from the running back put the home team on the 3-yard line. After an injury break and a timeout called by Fisher, Judkins punched in the score, 38-35.
A&M had one final drive. It began with a four-yard pass to #4 and a first down by Smith. Walker gained positive yardage and went out of bounds to stop the clock. On second down, the transfer made a great backpedaling catch out of bounds, passing the line to gain.
After an incompletion, Trey Washington broke up a pass, but Walker’s heroics converted another first down.
On second down, Ole Miss’ DeShawn Gaddie caught what appeared to be the game-ending interception. After review, it was determined Gaddie did not maintain control as he went out of bounds. The offensive drive resumed with a seven-yard grab by Smith.
Randy Bond was set up for a 47-yard field goal that was ultimately tipped and short.
RUMBLED: Jaxson Dart commanded Ole Miss’ potent offense as he threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday. Dart was also a perfect 6-for-6 on throws over 20 yards. In addition, Ole Miss played turnover-free and added an astounding 134 yards after the catch. Tre Harris had an incredible game with 11 grabs for 213 yards.
STUMBLED: As seen above, the Rebels wreaked havoc through the air. On the flip side, Texas A&M gave up nearly 400 passing yards. Yes, the secondary has been thinned out due to injuries, but letting one receiver, Harris, put up 213 yards is embarrassing.
TURNING POINT: Unfortunately, this one was determined by the last play of the game. The back-and-forth final quarter ended with Randy Bond’s game-tying field goal attempt. The ball was tipped, resulting in a missed field goal and a win for the Rebels.
UNSUNG HERO: Talk about the resiliency of Max Johnson. A&M’s backup quarterback has battled adversity, constant pressure and taken beatings in the pocket. Johnson threw for 99 yards in the fourth quarter to give his team a chance to take down the tenth-ranked Rebels.
In addition, Jahdae Walker has proved himself as a reliable component of A&M’s receiving corps. The wideout led the Aggies with exactly 100 yards on eight receptions, including a couple of crucial catches in the fourth quarter.
KEY STAT: Nine. Texas A&M has now lost NINE true road games as the inexcusable road woes continued on Saturday in Oxford. A&M has not won a road meeting since October 16, 2021, against Missouri. 749 days to be exact...
Of A&M’s last 11 losses over the past two years, eight of them have been by one score.
Scoring Summary
First-quarter
OM: 1:05 - Quinshon Judkins 9-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards. TOP 3:02. Ole Miss 7, Texas A&M 0.
Second-quarter
OM: 12:53 - Jaxson Dart 11-yard touchdown pass to Tre Harris. Drive: 8 plays, 94 yards. TOP 2:37. Ole Miss 14, Texas A&M 0.
A&M: 8:12 - Shemar Turner blocked field goal, returned 68 yards by Jacoby Mathews for touchdown. Ole Miss 14, Texas A&M 7.
OM: 6:53 - Jaxson Dart 29-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Watkins. Two-point conversion is no good. Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards. TOP 1:12. Ole Miss 20, Texas A&M 7.
A&M: 1:44 - Le’Veon Moss 13-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards. TOP 5:09. Ole Miss 20, Texas A&M 14.
Third-quarter
OM: 7:04 - Quinshon Judkins 6-yard rushing touchdown. Two-point conversion is good. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards. TOP 1:13. Ole Miss 28, Texas A&M 14.
A&M: 5:05 - Max Johnson 28-yard touchdown pass to Jake Johnson. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards. TOP 1:59. Ole Miss 28, Texas A&M 21.
OM: 00:46 - Caden Davis 22-yard field goal. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards. TOP: 4:19. Ole Miss 31, Texas A&M 21.
Fourth-quarter
A&M: 12:04 - Amari Daniels 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards. TOP 3:42. Ole Miss 31, Texas A&M 28.
A&M: 4:34 - Max Johnson 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards. TOP 6:24. Texas A&M 35, Ole Miss 31.
OM: 1:40 - Quinshon Judkins 1-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards. TOP 2:54. Ole Miss 38, Texas A&M 35.
