Ole Miss Football: 3 takeaways from dramatic win for Rebels

Ole Miss football fans were disappointed a week ago but after a brilliant performance the Rebels are thinking Sugar Bowl and Matt Corral is back in the Heisman race.

What a difference a week makes for fans of the Ole Miss football team. The Rebels weren’t quite up to the task of taking down mighty Alabama last week.

But after surviving a scare and a 2-point conversion, the party is on Saturday in Oxford. And thanks to the 52-51 win over Arkansas, in one of the most entertaining games of the season, the Rebels are in the driver’s seat for the Sugar Bowl.

Arkansas was in a similar situation as Ole Miss. The Razorbacks were dominated last week by Georgia, which came on the heels of huge wins over Texas and Texas A&M.

But on the road against Ole Miss, Arkansas was more than up to the task and quarterback KJ Jefferson was outstanding.

He just wasn’t quite as good as Matt Corral, who might have had his Heisman moment Saturday or at least did enough to stay in the race.

The Razorbacks, down seven following a 68-yard touchdown pass from Corral, which put Ole Miss football in front 52-45, drove the length of the field and scored with no time left on the clock thanks to a touchdown pass from Jefferson.

Instead of playing for overtime, Arkansas went for the win and missed it. Here are three takeaways for Ole Miss after winning a classic SEC West game.

A signature win for the Rebels

Unlike Arkansas, which had beaten two ranked teams and rivals, Ole Miss didn’t have a win over a ranked team this season and didn’t perform all that well against Alabama.

To be fair, Alabama takes just about everyone behind the woodshed and Saturday was a true test of what this team is capable of and the Rebels passed.

The defense obviously tends to give up lots of points but Matt Corral is dynamic and the Rebels could be favored in the rest of the games from here on out.

Auburn comes to town and there is a trip to LSU but Ole Miss has a legitimate shot of playing in the New Year’s Six and looks like a top-10 team.

Matt Corral helps himself in the Heisman race

It’s going to be really tough for Ole Miss to get back into the College Football Playoff Race. The one positive is that the Rebels avoid Georgia and Alabama the rest of the way and every game is winnable. It would be interesting to see what happens if the Rebels go 11-1.

Winning out would certainly help Matt Corral’s Heisman Trophy campaign and after a forgettable game against Alabama, Corral was special against Arkansas.

Corral was 14-of-21 for 287 yards and two touchdown passes, one of which was a 68-yarder to Braylon Sanders with just over a minute left to put the Rebels in front 52-45.

Sanders was wide open but it was a perfect throw from Corral who also ran for 94 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns in the win. The quarterback has been putting up gaudy numbers but with a win over No. 13 Arkansas on a game-winning drive, he proved he can deliver in the clutch too.

Lane Kiffin has worked his magic

Ole Miss football fans should be elated about what head Lane Kiffin has done during his first two seasons and they should enjoy it while it lasts because history tells us it won’t last forever.

It’s incredible how Kiffin has rehabbed his image though. He worked under Nick Saban and eventually earned his shot to be Ole Miss head coach and in just two years, he’s got the Rebels back to being an SEC contender.

Corral is going to be a Heisman finalist and the Rebels are likely playing on New Year’s Day this year, even if they don’t make it to the Sugar Bowl, which is their likely destination with a 10-2 finish.

All of that is good for recruiting and that’s likely to take off too. Kiffin’s offense is exploding and kids love to score points.

Plus what quarterback wouldn’t want to play for Kiffin and guess who’s the top quarterback recruit for many schools right now — Arch Manning and he’s interested in Ole Miss.

We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves but it’s easy to feel optimistic about where the program is headed and it’s safe to say hiring Kiffin was a slam dunk.