Rebels Swat Yellow Jackets, Win Music City Bowl
Ole Miss junior
quarterback Bo Wallace threw one touchdown and ran for two more, and
the Rebels' defense held the Georgia Tech triple-option attack in check
en route to a 25-17 victory Monday afternoon at LP Field in the 2013
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.
The Rebels'
victory was their sixth straight bowl victory, which is currently the
longest in the country. Auburn and Florida State, which play each other
in the national championship game Jan. 6, each have bowl winning
streaks of five games.
"I have been careful to say that one game
doesn't really define where a program is, particularly in the early
stages," head coach Hugh Freeze said. "I still believe that, but I also
said that there is no question that winning a bowl game is very
advantageous heading into recruiting and the offseason and for the
confidence of our young men.
"Ole Miss is tied for the
nation's longest bowl win streak right now, and I didn't want to screw
that up today. To win two bowl games in our first two years with what
we inherited says that we're headed in the right direction for sure.
It's a very positive step." Wallace, who was named the game's MVP,
finished the game 22-32 for 256 yards, as well as a career-high 86
yards rushing on 13 carries. The Pulaski, Tenn., native's 342 total
yards Monday pushed his season total to 3,701, topping Eli Manning's
school record of 3,572 yards set in 2003.
"I have said that
there's no way we would be sitting here with 15 wins, including two
bowl victories, in two years had Bo not been here with us," Freeze
said. "I knew from watching him prepare that the way we ended the
season didn't set well with him, nor did it for me. I liked the way he
prepared and I'm proud that he was able to have the game he had today."
Junior Donte Moncrief led the Ole Miss receiving corps with six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively,
junior linebacker Serderius Bryant and sophomore defensive tackle Issac
Gross each had eight tackles, while freshman Tony Conner and senior
defensive end D.T. Shackelford had seven tackles. Bryant led the Rebels
with a team-high six solo tackles, and Gross recorded a team-high three
tackles for loss.
Despite just over a month of time elapsing
since its last game, the Ole Miss offense came out flying, going 75
yards in a fast-paced 15 plays, capped off by a 17-yard touchdown run
by Wallace on third and long. Georgia Tech followed Ole Miss' drive
with an equally impressive opening drive, going 74 yards in 14 plays to
tie the game at seven points apiece.
The Ole Miss defense
clamped down after that though, allowing just 34 total yards for the
remainder of the half, and 75 total yards in the Yellow Jackets' seven
drives after their score.
"We knew that there would be an
adjustment to the speed at which Georgia Tech operates offensively,"
Freeze said. "I couldn't be more proud of (defensive coordinator) Dave
Wommack, his staff and the job they did in scheming and giving us a
plan. We had some outstanding individual efforts from Issac Gross, D.T.
Shackelford and certain others, too." Wallace broke open the 7-7 tie
with 7:59 remaining in the first half when he hit Moncrief in stride
down the right sideline for a 28-yard touchdown. It was Moncrief's
sixth touchdown reception of the year.
On Georgia Tech's second
drive of the third quarter, sophomore Mike Hilton caused a fumble which
was recovered by fellow sophomore Trae Elston at the Yellow Jackets'
44-yard line.
Ole Miss took advantage of the game's first
turnover with Wallace scampering 10 yards up the middle for his second
rushing touchdown of the day, giving Ole Miss a 20-7 lead.
Down 23-7, Georgia Tech scored 10 unanswered points in 1:18 of game time in the fourth quarter to pull within six at 23-17.
The
Ole Miss defense sniffed out a Georgia Tech reverse play with 4:22
remaining in the game and forced a fumble. The fumble was recovered by
the Yellow Jackets in their own end zone, resulting in a safety, which
gave the Rebels a 25-17 lead.
Facing third and 13 with less than
2:30 remaining in the game, Wallace found freshman wide receiver Laquon
Treadwell down the middle of the field for 27 yards to extend the Ole
Miss drive and keep the Georgia Tech offense off the field.
The
Yellow Jackets would eventually take over with 37 seconds remaining in
the game, but junior Senquez Golson picked off the Yellow Jackets'
first pass and the game was sealed.
The win gives Ole Miss its eighth victory of the season as it finishes the year with an 8-5 mark.
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