The Ole Miss defense recorded a season-high 9 sacks, 7 in the first half, and allowed the Rebel offense to dig an early hole for the opposition. In the end, the #15 Rebels did enough to knock off the Liberty Flames 27-14 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday in the return of former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze.
Matt Corral completed 20-27 passes for 324 yards and threw his only touchdown pass to Dannis Jackson, who had a career-high 126 yards on 6 catches. John Rhys Plumlee also had a career-high 110 yards on 7 catches through the air. Jerrion Ealy had a season-high 115 yards rushing on 10 carries to go along with his 2 rushing scores.
Defensively, the Rebels pitched a first-half shutout for the 2nd time this season and were active in the Liberty backfield the majority of the contest. AJ Finley led the Ole Miss defense with a season-high 12 tackles and had two interceptions. Jaylon Jones also recorded an interception, the first of his long Rebel career. The 3 team interceptions were the most for Ole Miss since 2019. Chance Campbell and Sam Williams finished with two sacks apiece, with the latter pushing his sack total to 10.5, a single-season school record in the modern era.
Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin met with the media following the game to discuss the win. Video is courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics.