Louisville at Ole Miss

Louisville at Ole Miss

This is Missed It. Louisville at Ole Miss, Sunday, September 6, 89 and mostly clear at Nissan Stadium, wind 12 miles an hour, with the Rebels. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a beautiful day for football, Rebel Nation. The Louisville Cardinals are in town, and our Ole Miss Rebels are ready to go. Both teams come in looking for a statement, and we've got the ball first. The crowd is electric, the energy is palpable, and this is exactly where we want to be. Let's get this one started.

Q1

We start with the ball, and the offense takes the field. The first drive doesn't go our way, a quick three-and-out, and we're punting it away. Not the start we wanted, but it's early. Louisville takes over, and they start moving the ball. They're methodical, chewing up clock, and then on third down, Kienholz drops back. He finds Skinner over the middle, and Skinner makes a man miss, picking up 22 yards down to our six. The defense holds strong in the red zone, though, and they have to settle for a field goal. Hilbert knocks it through from 25 yards out, and just like that, we're down three. But there's a lot of football left. We get the ball back, and we need to answer. The offense starts to find a rhythm, moving the chains. Then, disaster. Chambliss keeps it on the read option, and he's got a head of steam. He's fighting for extra yards, and the ball comes loose. Lubin punches it out, and Scott recovers for Louisville. They take over at our 40. Our defense has to go back out there, and they do their job, forcing a punt. We get the ball back, and we need to get something going before this quarter slips away. And then, Chambliss drops back and lets it fly. He finds Ray deep down the middle, a 31-yard strike that gets us across midfield. The offense is finally waking up. We keep pushing, but the drive stalls, and Carneiro comes on to try a 43-yard field goal. He drills it, and we're tied at three. We survived that early punch, and now we're back in it.

Q2

We're tied at three, and we need a stop. Louisville gets the ball, and they're driving again. They get into our territory, and then it happens. The quarterback tries to hand it off, but the exchange is botched. The ball hits the ground, and it's chaos. Our guys are all over it, and Hayes comes up with the fumble at their 12. We take over with a short field, and we have to capitalize. We hand it to Lacy, and he plunges in from a yard out. Touchdown. The crowd erupts. Carneiro adds the extra point, and we're up 10 to 3. That's how you answer a turnover. The defense is flying around, and the offense is taking advantage. Louisville gets the ball back, but our defense is fired up now. They force a quick punt, and we're back on offense. But then, Chambliss drops back to pass, and he doesn't see the linebacker. Clark steps in front of the pass and picks it off at their 44. A huge mistake, and it gives Louisville life. Our defense holds again, forcing another punt, but we're not taking advantage of these opportunities. We get the ball back with a chance to extend the lead. We're driving, eating clock, and we get down to their 34. Lacy picks up a yard on the ground, and it's a first down. But Kennedy goes down on the play, and the drive stalls. Carneiro comes on for a field goal, but it's no good. We come away with nothing, and it feels like a missed opportunity. Louisville takes over and drives right down the field. They add a field goal of their own, and it's 10 to 6. We get the ball back with almost no time left, and we try to make something happen. But Chambliss is picked off again, and Louisville takes over. They have one play, and they make it count. Richardson takes it 30 yards to the house, and just like that, they've stolen the lead. They add the extra point, and we go into the break down 13 to 10. That one hurts.

Halftime

We're down 13 to 10 at the half, and it feels like we gave it away. The play that turned this half was that interception by Chambliss. We were up 10 to 3, we had all the momentum, and we threw it right to them. They took that momentum and ran with it, scoring right before the break to take the lead. We need to come out in the second half and remind them who we are. We need to protect the football, and we need to get back to what was working. This game is far from over.

Q3

We get the ball to start the second half, and we need a response. Chambliss drops back, and he lets it fly. Alexander is streaking down the sideline, and he's got a step on his man. Chambliss lays it out perfectly, and Alexander hauls it in for a 62-yard touchdown. The crowd is back in it, and we've got the lead. Carneiro adds the extra point, and we're up 17 to 13. Louisville gets the ball back, but our defense is swarming. They force a fumble, and we recover. We have a chance to extend the lead, but we give it right back. It's a wild sequence, back and forth, and then Louisville turns it over on downs. We take over, but we can't move the ball, and we punt it away. Louisville drives down the field and adds a field goal, making it 17 to 16. We need an answer, and we need one now. Chambliss drops back, and he finds Alexander again. Same play, same result. Alexander is behind the defense, and he takes it 62 yards to the house. It's a 16 to 24 lead, and the place is going crazy. But wait, the extra point is no good. It's a six-point lead, and we're up 24 to 18. But Louisville isn't done. Kienholz finds Hurry for a big gain, and they're moving. Then, Kienholz drops back and finds Richardson, who takes it 62 yards for the score. They add the two-point conversion, and just like that, it's tied at 24. This game is an absolute roller coaster. We get the ball back, and we need to answer. Chambliss is dealing. He finds Odom for a 35-yard touchdown, and we've got the lead back. Carneiro adds the extra point, and we're up 31 to 24. What a response. This is exactly what we needed.

The Sequence

This is where the game is decided. We're up 31 to 24, and Louisville has the ball. Our defense needs a stop. They drive, but they can't convert on fourth down, and we take over. We have a chance to put this game away. We're driving, eating clock, and we get down to their five. Chambliss keeps it, and he powers his way into the end zone. Touchdown. Carneiro adds the extra point, and we're up 38 to 24. That's a two-score lead with under seven minutes to play. We're in control. But Louisville isn't going away. Kienholz drops back and finds McCoy for a 54-yard touchdown. They add the extra point, and it's 38 to 31. The lead is down to seven, and we need to answer. We get the ball back, but we can't move the chains. We're forced to punt, and Louisville gets the ball back with a chance to tie. They're driving, and Kienholz finds Skinner for a big gain. Then, Kienholz keeps it himself and scores from seven yards out. They add the extra point, and it's tied at 38. This is unbelievable. We get the ball back with 1:28 on the clock. We need a field goal to win. Chambliss is calm, cool, and collected. He's moving the chains, getting us into field goal range. The clock is ticking down, and we're in position. Carneiro comes on for the kick, and it's good. We win. 41 to 38. What a game.

Wrap-up

That was a classic. We were down, we fought back, and we found a way to win. Chambliss was incredible, Alexander was unstoppable, and Carneiro was clutch when it mattered most. This is a huge win for the Rebels. We're 41 to 38, and we're moving on.

By the Numbers

The Rebels by the numbers. Final score, Ole Miss 41, Louisville 38. 488 yards of offense to their 469, 336 through the air and 152 on the ground. 24 first downs. 6 of 16 on third down. 2 turnovers for us, 0 for them. We held the ball for just over 29 minutes.

Outro

That was Louisville at Ole Miss, from the Rebels side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.