.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, October 7
Oxford, Miss.
6:30 PM
Ole Miss
5-1 , 2-1
27
vs
20
Arkansas
2-4 , 0-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Arkansas
7
0
6
7
20
Ole Miss
10
7
0
10
27
Defense Shines as Football Tops Arkansas, 27-20
10/7/2023 | Football
Box Score<i class="icon-paper"></i> Box Score (PDF)<i class="icon-list"></i> Postgame Notes<i class="icon-speech-bubblesvg"></i> Postgame Quotes<i class="icon-camera"></i> Photo Gallery<i class="icon-video"></i> Highlights<i class="icon-video"></i> Lane Kiffin Press Conference<i class="icon-video"></i> Ashanti Cistrunk Press Conference<i class="icon-video"></i> Jaxson Dart Press Conference<i class="icon-video"></i> Quinshon Judkins Press Conference
Rebels Hold Razorbacks to 36 Rushing Yards, Fewest Against an SEC Opponent Since 2014
OXFORD, Miss. – A week after the Ole Miss offense put on a show under the lights at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the Rebel defense stepped up with an excellent effort of their own en route to a 27-20 victory over Arkansas in front of another sold-out crowd on Saturday night.
The Rebels (5-1, 2-1 SEC) held Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC) to 288 total yards of offense, the fewest for Ole Miss against an SEC opponent since 2019. That includes just 36 yards on the ground, the fewest yielded by the Rebels against an SEC opponent since holding Tennessee to zero on Oct. 18, 2014. Ole Miss' defense shined all around, finishing with a season-high five sacks and two interceptions, first by senior Ashanti Cistrunk in the first quarter and then by senior John Saunders Jr. to seal the game in the fourth.
Offensively, the ground game of Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV led the way for Ole Miss, combining for 159 yards and a pair of scores. Quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 16 passes for 153 yards, including a six-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade.
Arkansas struck first after an Ole Miss three-and-out. The Rebels responded on the ensuing drive, marching 66 yards to put points on the board. Caden Davis converted a 27-yard field goal with 2:47 to play in the first quarter to make it 7-3.
After allowing the Razorbacks to score on their first possession, the Ole Miss defense started to settle in. Cistrunk picked off KJ Jefferson at the 31-yard line and returned it inside the 10, putting his offense on the doorstep. Four plays later, Judkins cashed in the takeaway, running in the score from one yard out to make it 10-7. It marked his sixth rushing touchdown of the season and the 22nd of the his career, moving him into a tie for fifth all-time in program history.
The Rebel defense continued to cause fits in the second quarter. They forced four straight Arkansas punts, including a trio of three-and-outs, to flip the field. J.J. Pegues and Suntarine Perkins both found their way into the backfield, recording key sacks. Set up with excellent field position, two big burst runs from Bentley quickly moved Ole Miss inside the red zone. Dart capped off the drive with a 6-yard pop pass to Wade, who trotted into the end zone to extend the Rebels' lead to 10 at 17-7 going into halftime.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Arkansas drilled a 56-yard field goal to make it a one-score game. The Razorbacks turned up the pressure on Ole Miss, sacking Dart on fourth down to get the ball back. The Rebel defense held strong inside the red zone, though, limiting the damage to a field goal as Arkansas cut the Ole Miss lead to 17-13 with the quarter winding down.
The Razorbacks opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 72-yard touchdown drive to take a 20-17 lead over Ole Miss. After being held to 28 yards in the third quarter, the Rebels put together a gritty scoring drive on the ground. Ole Miss' running back duo accounted for 61 yards as the Rebels answered with a 7-yard rushing score by Bentley to retake the lead at 24-20. The stingy Landshark Defense forced another three-and-out after a big sack by Cistrunk on third and short. Looking to put the game away, Dart led another impressive drive down the field, resulting in a 22-yard field goal by Davis with 2:43 remaining in the game.
With one more shot, the Arkansas offense took the field. The Razorbacks managed to pick up a first down, but Ole Miss' defense stepped up one final time to put the game away. John Saunders Jr. jumped in front of the route over the middle and picked off Jefferson to seal the victory.
Ole Miss heads into its bye week with a 5-1 record and a 2-1 mark in SEC play. The Rebels are back on the gridiron on October 21 at Auburn.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook.
The Rebels (5-1, 2-1 SEC) held Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC) to 288 total yards of offense, the fewest for Ole Miss against an SEC opponent since 2019. That includes just 36 yards on the ground, the fewest yielded by the Rebels against an SEC opponent since holding Tennessee to zero on Oct. 18, 2014. Ole Miss' defense shined all around, finishing with a season-high five sacks and two interceptions, first by senior Ashanti Cistrunk in the first quarter and then by senior John Saunders Jr. to seal the game in the fourth.
Offensively, the ground game of Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV led the way for Ole Miss, combining for 159 yards and a pair of scores. Quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 16 passes for 153 yards, including a six-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade.
Arkansas struck first after an Ole Miss three-and-out. The Rebels responded on the ensuing drive, marching 66 yards to put points on the board. Caden Davis converted a 27-yard field goal with 2:47 to play in the first quarter to make it 7-3.
After allowing the Razorbacks to score on their first possession, the Ole Miss defense started to settle in. Cistrunk picked off KJ Jefferson at the 31-yard line and returned it inside the 10, putting his offense on the doorstep. Four plays later, Judkins cashed in the takeaway, running in the score from one yard out to make it 10-7. It marked his sixth rushing touchdown of the season and the 22nd of the his career, moving him into a tie for fifth all-time in program history.
The Rebel defense continued to cause fits in the second quarter. They forced four straight Arkansas punts, including a trio of three-and-outs, to flip the field. J.J. Pegues and Suntarine Perkins both found their way into the backfield, recording key sacks. Set up with excellent field position, two big burst runs from Bentley quickly moved Ole Miss inside the red zone. Dart capped off the drive with a 6-yard pop pass to Wade, who trotted into the end zone to extend the Rebels' lead to 10 at 17-7 going into halftime.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Arkansas drilled a 56-yard field goal to make it a one-score game. The Razorbacks turned up the pressure on Ole Miss, sacking Dart on fourth down to get the ball back. The Rebel defense held strong inside the red zone, though, limiting the damage to a field goal as Arkansas cut the Ole Miss lead to 17-13 with the quarter winding down.
The Razorbacks opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 72-yard touchdown drive to take a 20-17 lead over Ole Miss. After being held to 28 yards in the third quarter, the Rebels put together a gritty scoring drive on the ground. Ole Miss' running back duo accounted for 61 yards as the Rebels answered with a 7-yard rushing score by Bentley to retake the lead at 24-20. The stingy Landshark Defense forced another three-and-out after a big sack by Cistrunk on third and short. Looking to put the game away, Dart led another impressive drive down the field, resulting in a 22-yard field goal by Davis with 2:43 remaining in the game.
With one more shot, the Arkansas offense took the field. The Razorbacks managed to pick up a first down, but Ole Miss' defense stepped up one final time to put the game away. John Saunders Jr. jumped in front of the route over the middle and picked off Jefferson to seal the victory.
Ole Miss heads into its bye week with a 5-1 record and a 2-1 mark in SEC play. The Rebels are back on the gridiron on October 21 at Auburn.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook.
Team Stats
ARK
OLE
Total Yards
286
349
Pass Yards
250
153
Rushing Yards
36
196
Penalty Yards
70
44
1st Downs
17
21
3rd Downs
7
4
4th Downs
1
2
TOP
32:32
27:28
1st Quarter
ARK 7, OLE 0
ARK - Washington,Ty 3 yd pass from Jefferson,KJ (Little,Cam kick) 15 plays, 80 yards, TOP 07:46
ARK 7, OLE 3
OLE - Davis,Caden 27 yd field goal 10 plays, 66 yards, TOP 03:21
ARK 7, OLE 10
OLE - Judkins,Quinshon 1 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 01:45
2nd Quarter
ARK 7, OLE 17
OLE - Wade,Dayton 6 yd pass from Dart,Jaxson (Davis,Caden kick) 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 01:02
3rd Quarter
ARK 10, OLE 17
ARK - Little,Cam 56 yd field goal 10 plays, 37 yards, TOP 04:53
ARK 13, OLE 17
ARK - Little,Cam 26 yd field goal 11 plays, 31 yards, TOP 05:12
4th Quarter
ARK 20, OLE 17
ARK - Washington,Ty 17 yd pass from Jefferson,KJ (Little,Cam kick) 6 plays, 72 yards, TOP 02:52
ARK 20, OLE 24
OLE - Bentley IV,Ulysses 7 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:22
ARK 20, OLE 27
OLE - Davis,Caden 22 yd field goal 8 plays, 63 yards, TOP 03:01
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
16
TD
1
YDS
153
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
K
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ FootballKentucky Uniform Reveal (2025)
Thursday, September 04
The Season: Georgia State (2025)
Wednesday, September 03
PRESSER | Brycen Sanders - Week 2 at Kentucky (09-02-25)
Tuesday, September 02
PRESSER | Harrison Wallace III - Week 2 at Kentucky (09-02-25)
Tuesday, September 02