Bowl Champs: Ole Miss Tops Pitt 38-17
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It was worth the wait.
Six
weeks after closing out its regular season by defeating No. 24
Mississippi State to bring home the Egg Bowl trophy for the first time
since 2008, Ole Miss (7-6) took down Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl in
Birmingham, Ala., 38-17. It was Ole Miss’ first bowl appearance since
topping Oklahoma State 21-7 in the 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl. The 38
points scored by Ole Miss is a BBVA Compass Bowl record.
“I try
to not make too much out of a single game either way, but it’s no
question that this advances our journey a bit and the process we’re on
to develop in the SEC West year in and year out,” Ole Miss head coach
Hugh Freeze said.
Ole Miss has now won nine of its last 10 bowl
games and each of its last five. The win moves Ole Miss’ bowl record to
22-12. The Rebels’ 22 bowl victories are tied for the 11th most in the
country with Auburn and LSU.
Ole Miss sophomore quarterback Bo
Wallace, the BBVA Compass Bowl MVP, finished the game 22-32 passing for
151 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Rebels
spread the ball around through the air with three receivers catching
five or more passes. Freshman running back I’Tavius Mathers led Ole
Miss on the ground with six carries for 96 yards, including a 62-yard
touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the longest in BBVA Compass Bowl
history.
On the defensive side of the ball, junior middle
linebacker Mike Marry led Ole Miss with seven tackles, four tackles for
loss and a forced fumble.
Playing in front of a predominantly
red-clad BBVA Compass Bowl record crowd of 59,135, Ole Miss got off to
a quick start. Rebels cornerback Senquez Golson dropped back into
coverage and picked off Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri’s pass and
returned it to the Panthers’ 23-yard line. The interception was
Golson’s third of the season, with all three coming in the last three
games.
Following Golson’s interception, which was just the third
against Sunseri this season, Wallace capped off a five-play, 23-yard
drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Ja-Mes
Logan to give the Rebels a 7-0 lead. Wallace later
completed his eighth consecutive pass to start the game with a 27-yard
touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Randall Mackey, who made a
gorgeous diving catch in the end zone to give the Rebels a 14-0 lead.
Mackey’s touchdown reception was the first of his career.
Following
a Pitt touchdown, Wallace completed his third touchdown pass of the
game with an 18-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Vince Sanders.
The touchdown pass, Wallace’s 22nd of the year, moved him up to fourth
on the Ole Miss single-season list, surpassing Eli Manning’s 2002 total
of 21.
The Rebels closed out the first half with a 31-yard field
goal from Bryon Rose that gave the Rebels a 24-10 lead going into the
break. Ole Miss’ 24 first-half points tied the BBVA Compass Bowl record
for most points scored in a half.
Ole Miss took a 21-point lead
with 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a one-yard
quarterback sneak from Barry Brunetti that put the game on ice. The
Rebels’ defense gave up just four yards in the entire third quarter,
and did not allow a single first down.
Following the game,
Freeze was doused with yellow Gatorade and spoke about how far Ole Miss
came during the season after being picked to finish last in the
Southeastern Conference in the preseason prognostications.
“Our
guys really chose to buy in and decided we can determine who we want to
be. We don’t have to have someone else determine that,” Freeze said. “I
didn’t know if we could (go to a bowl) or not, but I knew we could
attack each week as an individual challenge and game. I was very clear
with our goal in year one, that was to play with passion of football
for our great university. I have no question, it was not always the
prettiest thing, but I don’t doubt one single game that we didn’t give
passion for our university.”
|