Ole Miss finished the non-conference slate of its schedule with an impressive 50-22 victory over Louisiana, putting the Rebels at the .500 mark overall on the season.
Ole Miss’ (5-5, 2-4 SEC) offense was firing on all cylinders against the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Rebels got on the scoreboard early – as quarterback Jordan Ta’amu found Demarcus Lodge for a 37-yard touchdown strike – and never looked back.
As the Rebel offense tacked on 21 more unanswered points, the Landshark defense kept Louisiana out of the end zone until the second quarter of the game, when running back Raymond Calais scampered for a 31-yard dash to paydirt.
After a 35-10 lead at halftime, the Rebel attack slowed a bit in the second half, with just two running scores – one by Wilkins in the third quarter and another by Eric Swinney in the fourth.
Ta’amu, in just his third straight start, set a new career single-game record for himself, passing for 418 yards with three passing touchdowns and two touchdowns on the ground.
Senior running back Jordan Wilkins rushed for 124 yards on 14 carries, while his teammate, sophomore wideout A.J. Brown, recorded 14 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns. The Rebels picked up a total of 641 years in total offense.
“I love the look in [Brown’s] eye,” Head Coach Matt Luke said in the post-game press conference. “You know, you could tell he was ready to go, pre-game … (I was) really pleased with him – he’s a great player … I’m glad he’s on my team.”
Ole Miss still allowed Louisiana to gain a total of 427 yards of offense in the game. Luke said his defense looked “pretty good in the first half … I thought we got a little bit sloppy in the second half. I think we missed some gaps, missed some tackles … I just want to finish that second half a little bit cleaner.”
The Rebels’ fifth win of the season came at a cost, with three players – wide receivers Van Jefferson, Trey Bledsoe and Markell Pack – suffering injuries in the game. Luke said he “wasn’t sure exactly of the extent of [Jefferson’s] injury,” adding that Bledsoe and Pack both left the game with potential concussions.
Ole Miss plays the final home game of the season next Saturday as they welcome Texas A&M into the Vaught.
Adam Brown is the Sports Editor for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.
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