Ole Miss Falls Short in Back-And-Forth Game vs. Alabama
OXFORD, Miss. — The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels fell to the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night by a final score of 30-24.
The Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC) struck first late in the first quarter, and they were able to push their lead to 10-0 with a Jonathan Cruz field goal in the second. Bryce Young responded for Alabama with a touchdown pass of his own, one of two in the half, to narrow the Rebel lead, but another rushing score from Judkins pushed the Ole Miss advantage to 17-7.
Right before the half, Ole Miss forced a punt, and running back Zach Evans fumbled the football on the ensuing possession, giving the Crimson Tide a short field to work with. Young connected for his second touchdown pass of the half on that possession to send both teams to the locker room with a 17-14 score in favor of the Rebels.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading scores during the third quarter, leaving the score knotted at 24 entering the final frame of play. The Crimson Tide, however, held the scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to come away with the win.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 200 yards on the day, and Malik Heath was his leading receiver with 123 yards. Quinshon Judkins led the Rebels in rushing with over 100, and his two rushing scores in the first half put him in sole possession of the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season.
Next week, the Rebels will travel to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks in Fayetteville. Kickoff is set for either 6 or 6:30 p.m.
You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.
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