Arkansas Football: 3 takeaways from wild win over Ole Miss in Week 7
By Ryan Kay
3. Arkansas’ defense was dominant in the first half
The first impressive play by the defense was on a fourth-and-goal as the Rebels were looking to score a touchdown but Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Arkansas’ Jalen Catalon.
On the second Ole Miss possession, Corral was sacked by the Razorbacks’ Grant Morgan for a loss of four yards, forcing a Rebels punt. On the third possession, Corral had his second turnover of the game as his pass was intercepted by Razorback defender Hudson Clark.
The Arkansas defense would not let up.
On Ole Miss’ fourth possession, Corral threw another interception but this was returned for a touchdown by Catalon who had his second forced turnover in the first half as he returned the errant pass for a 35-yard touchdown.
The final Ole Miss possessions in the first half did not result in any points.
In the first half, Ole Miss was a very disappointing 1-for-7 on third downs and only 1-for-3 on fourth-down attempts. Corral for the Rebels only passed for 102 yards and threw two costly interceptions. Ole Miss’ rushing attack was not very efficient only totaling 42 first-half rushing yards. However, much of the Rebels disappointing first-half offensive performance could be attributed to the excellent play of the Razorbacks’ defense.