Game Notes: Ole Miss picks up first win over Texas A&M since 2016

SERIES INFORMATION

• Ole Miss and Texas A&M met for 13th time in a series that started in 1911.
• Texas A&M now leads the all-time series vs. Ole Miss, 9-2.
• Today’s victory marked the first win on the field for the Rebels over the Aggies since 2016.
• The original record is 9-4 in favor of A&M, with wins in 2014 and 2016 by Ole Miss vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• The Aggies still hold a 4-2 edge in games played in Oxford, Mississippi.
• This is the ninth time the Rebels and Aggies have squared off since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012.
• Today marked the first time that Ole Miss and A&M will face each other as ranked teams since 2015.

CAPTAINS

• Snoop Conner (RB), Cedric Johnson (OLB) and Otis Reese (DB) 

STARTERS

• First career start for OL Eli Acker.
• Nick Broeker, Matt Corral and Jeremy James are the active Ole Miss leaders with 20 consecutive starts.
• Other notable career starts include WR Dontario Drummond (28th), DB Keidron Smith (27th), QB Matt Corral (24th), DE Sam Williams (24th), OL Nick Broeker (20th) and OL Jeremy James (20th).

GENERAL NOTES

• Attendance for tonight’s game was a sellout of 64,425, the seventh largest crowd ever at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
• With the win, Ole Miss improved to 8-2, its best record through 10 games since starting the season 8-2 in 2014.
• The Rebels improved to 6-0 at home this season.
• Ole Miss is now 67-168-2 all-time versus ranked opponents,
• It’s the second win over a ranked team this season for the Rebels … Ole Miss defeated No. 13 Arkansas 52-51 on Oct. 9.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• The Rebels’ 257 rushing yards were the most allowed by Texas A&M this season … The Aggies came into the game ranked No. 29 nationally, allowing just 123.1 rushing yards per game … A&M hadn’t allowed more than 90 yards rushing in its last three games.
• It’s just the second time all season that an Aggie opponent has surpassed the 500-yard mark in total offense … A&M was only giving up 397.6 total yards per game coming into the contest.
• Ole Miss scored on its opening drive for the sixth time this season in 10 games (4 TDs, 2 FGs).
• QB Matt Corral finished the game 24-of-37 for 247 yards and one touchdown.
• Corral has thrown a touchdown pass in 21 of his last 22 games.
• Corral ranks No. 3 in career passing yards with 7,712 yards … Corral is only the third Ole Miss QB to surpass 7,000 yards.
• Corral has now thrown 54 career passing TDs, No. 3 in program history.
• Corral remains No. 4 in Ole Miss career record book in completions (558) … He is just the fifth Rebel QB to surpass 500 career completions.
• Corral moved up two spots to No. 5 in Ole Miss history in career passing attempts (835).
• Corral is No. 3 in career total offense with 8,959 total yards.
• RB Jerrion Ealy led Ole Miss in rushing for the second straight game with a career high in both rushing yards (152) and attempts (24)
• Ealy moved to No. 8 on Ole Miss’ career rushing charts and is now at 2,055 career rushing yards … He becomes just the eighth Rebel to surpass the 2,000-yard plateau in career rushing yardage.
• RB Snoop Conner finished the game with 55 yards rushing and one TD.
• Conner is now tied for eighth in program history with 11 rushing touchdowns on the season.
• WR Dontario Drummond added to his team-leading receiving TD total and now sits at seven TDs on the season.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• Ole Miss has now forced at least one turnover in 19 of the 20 games in the Kiffin era.
• It was the second straight game and third time overall this year that the Ole Miss defense has held its opponent scoreless in the first half.
• Ole Miss has forced two safeties in the same season (Austin Peay [9/11] & Texas A&M [11/13]) for the first time since 2003.
• The Rebels limited the Aggies to 4-of-13 on third down conversions.
• DB AJ Finley recorded his first career touchdown with a 52-yard interception return for a TD in the fourth quarter.
• It’s the first interception returned for a TD since 2018 (Vernon Dasher vs. Southern Illinois).
• DB Deane Leonard led the Ole Miss defense with a career-best nine total tackles and three pass breakups … Five of Leonard’s nine tackles were solo stops.
• LB Ashanti Cistrunk registered his first career interception.

SPECIAL TEAM NOTES

• K Caden Costa was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goal attempts
• Costa’s 13 field goals on the season are the most by a true freshman since 2006, when Joshua Shene connected on 14 successful attempts.
• P Mac Brown punted a season-high six times … Four of Brown’s six punts were downed inside the 20.