Rebels Edge Vanderbilt, 26-23, In OT

Sept. 18, 2004

Complete Game Book in PDF Format
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes

OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss senior PK Jonathan Nichols drilled a 35-yard field goal in overtime as the Rebels scored 16 unanswered points to rally for a 26-23 victory over Vanderbilt in front of 55,824 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field.

The victory was Ole Miss' first of the season, as the Rebels improved to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. The Commodores dropped to 0-2 overall and 0-2 in the SEC.

Sophomore QB Ethan Flatt made his first career start for the Ole Miss, completing 21-of-32 passes for 187 yards. He was 4-of-4 for 39 yards to engineer a 10-play, 56-yard drive that resulted in Nichols' 34-yard field goal with 2:23 remaining in regulation to tie the game at 23-23.

Senior WR Bill Flowers was Flatt's favorite target, catching 10 passes for 75 yards.

Junior RB Vashon Pearson recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game, netting 111 yards on 17 carries, including a 54-yard TD run that gave the Rebels a 10-3 lead with 5:32 left in the first quarter.

"I am very proud of this team and staff," Ole Miss Head Coach David Cutcliffe said after the win. "Even when we fell behind, this team never gave up. It was great to see everyone continue to compete and get better in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt is a very good football team and we feel fortunate to come away with this hard-fought win.

"This win is something we needed badly for the sake of our confidence. Hopefully, we can build on this momentum. This win will make us practice better. We are pretty banged up right now and need to focus on getting some players healthy again. We have tried to find a way to be the best football team we can be. We are far from that right now, but it's easier to come back to practice once you gotten that first win under your belt."

After Pearson's TD run, Vanderbilt scored 20 straight points to build a 23-10 lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter.

Junior QB Jay Cutler scored on a six-yard run on the final play of the first quarter and Patrick Johnson added the PAT to tie the game at 10-10.

The Commodores took a 16-10 halftime lead when Cutler hit Erik Davis for a 15-yard TD pass with 9:26 left in the second quarter. Vanderbilt tried to go for two on the ensuing PAT, however, Steven Bright's run failed off a fake PAT attempt.

Cutler finished the afternoon 9-of-17 passing for 131 yards with one TD and one interception, and added 60 yards rushing on 22 carries.

Junior FB Matthew Tant added a three-yard TD run halfway through the third quarter and Johnson added the PAT to make it 23-10.

The Rebels began their comeback on the ensuing possession, marching 58 yards in nine plays, capped by Nichols' 26-yard field goal to make it 23-13 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

Nichols made 4-of-6 field goal attempts on the afternoon.

Ole Miss took advantage of a Vanderbilt kick-catch interference penalty, that resulted in the Rebels' setting up at the Commodore 24-yard line. Four plays later, senior FB Lorenzo Townsend found the end zone from three yards out and Nichols added the PAT to make it 23-20.

Ole Miss held a 365-314 advantage in total offense and the Rebel defense sacked Cutler six times on the afternoon. The six sacks was the most by Ole Miss since recording seven in the 2000 Egg Bowl against Missisisppi State.

Sophomore LB Patrick Willis led the defensive effort with seven tackles.

"Our defense made some big plays on third down and a huge play on fourth down in the overtime," Cutcliffe added. "Those stops allowed us to get back in the game. I thought our defense played better as the game went along. We fought hard today and I was pleased with the effort."

Senior TB Norval McKenzie led the Commodores in the rushing department with 99 yards on 15 carries.

Vanderbilt junior WLB Moses Osemwegie recorded a game-high 11 stops (eight solo), including one sack for seven yards.

The win was the Rebels' 11th in their last 12 meetings against the Commodores, including their fifth straight.

Ole Miss steps out of SEC action next Saturday, when it travels to Wyoming for a 2 p.m. kickoff. The contest will be available via pay-per-view in the Oxford area with Richard Cross and Walker Jones or along the Ole Miss Football Radio Network with David Kellum, Harry Harrison and Stan Sandroni.

RebelsCalendar

Next Event

Team Stats

The University of Mississippi Athletics