Big Plays Lead Rebels To Victory In Home Opener
Ole Miss Tops SEMO 31-13 In Front Of Sellout Crowd
OXFORD, Miss. – Playing
in front of a sellout crowd of 60,815 in its home opener Saturday
evening, the Ole Miss football team (2-0) raced out to a 31-0 lead by
halftime, and cruised to a 31-13 victory over Southeast Missouri (0-2)
at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Junior quarterback Bo Wallace
passed for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and rested in
the second half as senior quarterback Barry Brunetti took over. In his
place, Brunetti rushed for a career-high 111 yards, including a
four-yard scamper up the middle with 3:06 to play in the first quarter,
giving the Rebels a 10-0 lead. Brunetti’s touchdown rush was his third
of the season, matching his season total from a year ago. While
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze was pleased with his team’s victory
Saturday, he also wished the Rebels had finished a bit stronger in the
second half. “We’re happy to be 2-0, come out of the game
healthy, and get a lot of kids in the game,” Freeze said. “Those kids
give a lot of effort practicing and preparing, and some playing time is
good. At the same time, I’m disappointed in the passion we played with
in the second half. With the stretch of games we have coming up,
that will not get it done. We are going to need those second- and
third-string players before it’s all over. We have to expect more of
ourselves and finish stronger. If we want to go to the next
level, we have to start playing better for the entire game. We can do
special things and shock some people, but we have to learn to play
better with the lead as well as when behind.” Starting in
place of injured preseason All-SEC linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, junior
linebacker Serderius Bryant had a fantastic game, recording a career-
and team-high 15 tackles, including a career- and team-high eight solo
tackles. Junior free safety Cody Prewitt grabbed his second
interception of the season, and sophomore defensive back Chief Brown
had his second career fumble recovery. “(Serderius) seemed
to be solid,” Freeze said. “His assignments were solid. Serderius is a
good player, and I don’t think the linebackers had any breakdowns.” Following
a 37-yard field goal by senior kicker Andrew Ritter and Brunetti’s
aforementioned touchdown run, the Rebels used the long ball to put
points on the board in a hurry. Wallace connected with
freshman tight end Evan Engram down the left sideline for a 64-yard
touchdown with 1:06 to play in the first quarter, and then hit junior
wide receiver Donte Moncrief for a 67-yard touchdown pass with 13:03 to
play in the second quarter, giving the Rebels a 24-0 lead. Sophomore
running back I’Tavius Mathers closed out the Ole Miss scoring with a
nifty 10-yard rush on his second carry of the season. Mathers finished
the game with 56 yards on four carries after missing the Rebels’ season
opener at Vanderbilt with an ankle injury. Ole Miss’ 31-point lead at halftime was its largest since holding a 31-0 halftime lead over Mississippi State on Nov. 28, 2008.
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