TAMPA, Fla – Lane Kiffin ended her first season as Ole Miss’s coach with an exclamation point.
Ole Miss weathered a losing comeback from Indiana to win the Outback Bowl, 26-20, on Saturday. The Rebels overcame no fewer than 14 problems before No. 11 Indiana (6-2) fell back to tie the game, but quarterback Matt Corral led the Rebels in a quick score with less than five minutes to go. . to regain leadership. The defense forced an expired roll on the downs to end the Hoosiers rally.
Ole Miss ends the season 5-5 on a day when Kiffin was granted a contract extension.
Here are some takeaways from the rebels’ victory:
Ole Miss entered the game consistent with allowing more game-consistent yards than any Football Bowl Subdivision team. It wasn’t such a comfortable defense that it stopped Vanderbilt without a win, let alone a Top 25 opponent. But the Rebels did it precisely this Saturday, keeping Indiana at 20 numbers and 4. 3 yards consistent with the game.
“I think we limited the explosive plays and knocked them down,” said Ole’s coach, Miss Lane Kiffin. “We forced a long basket and we did a smart job that way. “
Of course, Indiana is a backup quarterback. But that same quarterback scored 14 points against Wisconsin, which had the number one overall defense in the country.
Ole Miss held Indiana to a measly 141 yards and 3 runs in the first half and intercepted a pass in the red zone to cap off a purposeful threat from the Hoosiers. While the number of tackles that opposed a loss and sacks was high, the Rebels provided constant tension at the rim, especially from Sam Williams.
Ole Miss has allowed more than a hundred numbers in nine fourth quarters this season. Naturally, Indiana started scoring in batches in the fourth quarter of this one. Ole Miss led 14 numbers at the end of the third quarter. With six minutes remaining, the score was tied.
Ole Miss’s defense still deserves some credit for betting the 3 most productive quarters of the season to start the game. But for a team that has struggled to finish games all season, it was the worst situation imaginable for a game to end.
Until it doesn’t. The defense was given the save when necessary in the final minutes, reverting to the way they played in the first 3 quarters, just as Kiffin had asked them to do before the march began.
“That’s what we’re looking for,” linebacker Jacquez Jones said after his thirteen-tackle functionality. “We knew it was coming back to us. That is what we are looking for and I feel like they gave it to us. Big Sam [Williams], Ced [Johnson], all those guys running for quarterback Array couldn’t block them. “
Corral played on Saturday without a maximum of his favorite targets. Wide receivers Elijah Moore and Braylon Sanders, tight final Kenny Yeboah and running back Jerrion Ealy all missed Saturday for reasons. But Corral still controlled to distribute the ball well, separating Indiana’s drop-8 zone and passing 8 other receivers.
“We said, ‘Look around the country,'” Kiffin said. There are groups that step forward with players and there are groups that make excuses. “We wanted to be that team that got stronger. It is wonderful to see it ”.
Corral had trouble opposing the drop-eight zone early in the season, that is, opposing Arkansas when he threw six interceptions. But on Saturday, Corral used his characteristics and short, timed shots to navigate the zone well and cut smoothly thanks to an Indiana defense that has led school football in interceptions this season.
Everyone notices when backup quarterback John Rhys Plumlee plays slot catcher. Plumlee passed for 73 yards, ran once for 4 yards and finished a 4-yard pass.
But Ole Miss has used several other less creatively traded or advertised players on Saturday and the season. Converted running back Tylan Knight forced a fumble in the third quarter and tight ends Casey Kelly and Chase Rogers had nine assists after catching two combined in the first nine games.
“These are guys who haven’t played a lot, like John at wide receiver, and they need to play more,” Kiffin said. “Now they have a chance to play and they played today. It’s wonderful to see it. “
Kicker Luke Logan had one of his most productive games of the year, scoring two box goals in the first period. But the targets of the box were 26 and 24 meters. They gave him another 37-yard check to put Ole Miss up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but he couldn’t connect. Logan hasn’t kicked more than 40 yards in either season when he was Ole Miss’s lead kicker.
Logan is a senior who would possibly return due to the NCAA eligibility regulations for 2020-21. But Ole Miss wants to move up to this position if she wants to feel comfortable with the slopes.
Follow Nick Suss on Twitter @nicksuss.