Ole Miss Rebels Football - Notable Games

Notable Games

• 1952: Maryland- The Rebels splashed onto the national scene by defeating the highly ranked Maryland Terrapins in Oxford on Nov. 15, 1952 by the score of 21–14. This game is credited by many for being the catalyst to the great run the rebels had from 1952 to 1963.

• 1959: LSU- On Halloween night, two of the top teams in the country squared off in Baton Rouge, LA. The game would be a defensive struggle with the Rebels clinging to a 3–0 lead in the fourth quarter. Future Heisman winner Billy Cannon changed the game off a fortuitous bounce on a punt return that went 89 yards into college football lore. The replay is still played whenever a reference to this rivalry is made. Ole Miss would have one last chance to pull off the win, but was stopped short on 4th and a yard at the goal-line by Billy Cannon. LSU won 7–3.

• 1960: LSU- On Jan 1, 1960, one of the most anticipated rematches in college football history took place. This game, however, would not be the classic that transpired only weeks before. Ole Miss dominated the game from start to finish and came away with a decisive 21–0 win over the Tigers. The Rebels finished the season having only given up 21 points all year, declared national champions by several polls, and named the third rated team in history (through 1995) by the Sagarin ratings, behind only two great Nebraska teams.

• 1969: Tennessee More affectionately known as, "The Mule Game", the Rebels faced off against the Tennessee Volunteers in Jackson MS for a crisp mid-November affair. Prior to the game, Tennessee's Steve Kiner was interviewed by Sports Illustrated. When asked about the Rebels and all their horses in the backfield, Kiner replied, "...more like a bunch of mules." When asked specifically about Archie Manning, he responded, "Archie who?" This inspired the Johnny Rebs and propelled them to a 38–0 shellacking of the Vols. This win would push the Rebels into the 1970 Sugar Bowl where they defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks to cap off the season.

• 1977: Notre Dame- On a hot, humid day in the south, the Rebels took advantage of the weather to stun the Irish 20–13. It would be the only loss the Irish would suffer that season as they went on to claim the 1977 AP national championship. The Rebels were actually awarded the national championship by Reader's Digest at the end of the season due to being the only team to defeat Notre Dame that season.

• 1986: LSU- The Rebels jumped out to an early lead in Baton Rouge and managed to hold on to a 21–19 win. It was the biggest win for the Rebels in a relatively dry decade that only saw the Rebels go to three bowl games.

• 1997: LSU- Coming off two years of probation, it was anticipated it would be a couple of more years before the Rebels would fully recover. However, Ole Miss served the rest of the SEC notice that they were far from being dead by knocking off the 7th ranked Tigers 36–21 in Baton Rouge a week after LSU shocked the top-ranked Florida Gators. The Rebels would sustain several years of moderate success in the years following culminating with a top 15 finish in 2003 and winning 10 games in a season for the first time in 30 years.

• 2008: Florida- After three years of SEC purgatory, the Rebels desperately needed a spark. That spark came in the form of defeating the fourth ranked Florida Gators 31–30 in Gainesville. Ole Miss took a 31–24 lead with 5 minutes to go in the game on an 86-yard bomb thrown by Jevan Snead to Shay Hodge. Florida responded within two minutes to bring the game within one, only to have the PAT blocked by Kentrell Lockett. Florida would get the ball gain but would turn the ball over on downs after Heisman winner Tim Tebow would be stopped on fourth and one. The win would catapult the Rebels to back-to-back Cotton Bowl victories.