TAMPA, Fla. — Lane Kiffin ended his first season as Ole Miss coach with an exclamation point.
Ole Miss held off a late Indiana comeback to win the Outback Bowl, 26-20 on Saturday. The Rebels led by as many as 14 points before No. 11 Indiana (6-2) came back to tie the score, but quarterback Matt Corral led the Rebels on a quick scoring drive with under five minutes left to regain the lead. The defense forced a late turnover on downs to end the Hoosiers' late rally try.
Ole Miss finishes the season 5-5.
Here are five takeaways from the Rebels' win.
Where’s this defense been?
Ole Miss entered the game allowing more yards per game than any FBS team. This wasn’t a defense that looked comfortable slowing down winless Vanderbilt, let alone a top-25 opponent. But the Rebels did just that Saturday, holding Indiana to 20 points and 4.3 yards per play.
"I think we really limited explosive plays and made them drive the length of the field," Kiffin said. "We forced a long field goal and did a good job that way."
Sure, Indiana started a backup quarterback. But that same backup quarterback scored 14 points against Wisconsin, which owned the nation’s No. 1 total defense.
Ole Miss held Indiana to a paltry 141 yards and three points in the first half and intercepted one pass in the red zone to end a Hoosiers scoring threat. Though the tackle-for-loss and sack numbers weren’t high, the Rebels supplied consistent pressure off the edge, especially from senior Sam Williams.
Oh, that defense
Ole Miss allowed more than 100 points across nine fourth quarters this season. Naturally, Indiana started scoring in bundles in the fourth quarter of this one. Ole Miss led by 14 points when the third quarter ended. By the time there were six minutes left in the game, the score was tied.
The Ole Miss defense still deserves some credit for playing the best three quarters it had all season to start the game. But for a team that has struggled to finish games all season, this was the worst possible scenario for a game to end.
Until it wasn't. The defense got the stop when it needed to in the final minutes, going back to the way it played in the first three quarters just like Kiffin advised them to in the huddle before the drive began.
"That's what we wanted," linebacker Jacquez Jones said after his 13-tackle performance. "We knew it was going to come down to us. That's what we wanted and I feel like we got. Big Sam (Williams), Ced (Johnson), all them boys rushing the quarterback, they couldn't block them boys."
No weapons, no problem
Corral played Saturday without most of his favorite targets. Wide receivers Elijah Moore and Braylon Sanders, tight end Kenny Yeboah and running back Jerrion Ealy all missed Saturday for various reasons. But Corral still managed to spread the ball well, picking apart the Indiana drop-eight zone and completing passes to eight different receivers.
"We said 'Look around the country,' " Kiffin said. "'There are some teams that are stepping up with players out and there are teams that are making excuses.' We wanted to be that team that stepped up. It was awesome to see."
Corral struggled against drop-eight zone early in the season, particularly against Arkansas when he threw six interceptions. But Saturday, Corral used his check down options and short, timing throws to navigate the zone properly and slice without mistakes through an Indiana defense that led college football in interceptions this season.
Getting creative
Everyone notices when backup quarterback John Rhys Plumlee plays slot receiver. Plumlee caught five passes for 73 yards, ran once for four yards and completed a 4-yard pass.
But Ole Miss used a number of other converted or less-heralded players in creative ways Saturday, and all season. Converted running back Tylan Knight forced a third-quarter fumble and tight ends Casey Kelly and Chase Rogers caught nine passes after catching two combined in the first nine games.
"These are guys that haven't played a lot, just like John at receiver, and they want to play more," Kiffin said. "Now they get a chance to play and they made plays today. It was awesome to see."
Fix the kicking
Kicker Luke Logan had one of his better games on the year, hitting two first-half field goals. But those field goals were from 26 and 24 yards out. He got another try from 37 yards to put Ole Miss up two scores in the fourth quarter but he couldn’t connect. Logan didn’t make a kick longer than 40 yards in either of the last two seasons despite being Ole Miss’ primary kicker.
Logan is a senior who can come back because of the NCAA’s eligibility rules for 2020-21. But Ole Miss needs an upgrade at that position if it wants to feel comfortable with leads.
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