Ole Miss QB Matt Corral: “If we play like that against Mississippi State, we’re going to get blown out.”
Saturday night was the end of the Matt Corral era inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
And while Ole Miss got the victory, it wasn’t the send-off Corral was hoping to give Rebel fans.
The Rebels defeated Vanderbilt 31-17 to move one win closer to a 10-2 season. Up next is the annual Battle of the Golden Egg on Thanksgiving night.
Moments after the victory, however, Corral did not care about celebrating. No after, on Friday, announcing 2021 would be his final season as an Ole Miss Rebel. Vanderbilt was his final home game.
None of that processed with him fully, yet.
Instead, Corral was still processing a victory as if it was a gut-wrenching loss.
“None of that stuff’s really hit me yet, at all,” Corral said. “As much as I’m trying to feel some type of way about it, giving my brothers a hug every time I see them walking off the field, it still has yet to hit me.
“All I’m thinking about is (Sunday) and getting ready for (Mississippi) State. Because, it was a sloppy win today. You don’t really have to know football to see that. You can just see it in our play. We just have to get better.”
In his final performance at home, Corral finished with 326 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The pick came late in the fourth quarter when Ole Miss was trying to ice the game and go up three scores.
There was no time for reflection for Corral. With a short week, preparation for the in-state rival starts on Sunday with a regular practice.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said he took a few minutes postgame to gather himself. He was trying to decide what he would tell the team in his postgame locker room speech, but he opted against his usual route of going over the things they did poorly.
Rather, he’d planned to reflect on Senior Day and the achievement of capping an undefeated regular season at home, but Corral had already gathered the offense up in a corner of the locker room for a heart-to-heart.
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“(I told them that) this was nothing to celebrate,” Corral said of his speech to his teammates. “It’s nothing to celebrate and go out and have a good time.
“If we play like that against Mississippi State, we’re going to get blown out, and that’s the reality of it.”
Of all the accolades and achievements Corral has accumulated individually and helped the program reach, it is his off-the-field leadership that has stood out in Kiffin’s eyes.
Kiffin couldn’t have been more candid when asked what Corral has meant to the program the last two years.
“A ton” Kiffin said. “I think that I get a lot of credit for coming in here and what’s happened and the change and the wins and losses and all that stuff, compared to where it was before. I would argue that (Corral) deserves more credit than me for that.
“I think he’s had a lot to do with changing the mindset of people around here, and I think we’ve helped him with it. I think he’s kind of taken over for us.”
The celebration and reflection of his college career will come, but Corral is still focused on the task at hand — the Egg Bowl and a second-straight bowl game appearance.
