Texas A&M Aggies vs Ole Miss Rebels Match Player Stats On Nov 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 18, 2017

Nick Starkel outdueled Jordan Ta'amu in a battle of two inexperienced quarterbacks as Texas A&M survived Ole Miss 31-24 on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

Starkel, making his third career start, threw for 272 yards and a touchdown as the Aggies improved to 7-4 (4-3 SEC).

Ta'amu had a chance to tie it late in the fourth quarter, but the Texas A&M defense was able to hold its ground. The junior from Pearl City, Hawaii, who was making his fourth career start, finished with 189 yards passing, most of them coming in the first half.

Ole Miss falls to 5-6 (2-5 SEC) under interim head coach Matt Luke.

It was a tale of two halves in Oxford. The defense took over in the second half of a game that saw 28 points equally split in the first quarter and 45 in the first half.

Derrick Tucker put the Aggies ahead with the only score of the third quarter when the freshman free safety intercepted Ta'amu for a 19-yard return for a touchdown.

Rebels tailback Jordan Wilkins rushed for 147 yards, with 123 of them coming in the first half. His 64-yard touchdown run equaled his longest run of the season for the senior.

Ole Miss' Braylon Sanders scored his first career touchdown on a 30-yard catch as Ole Miss took a 24-21 lead into the half.

Keith Ford scored for Texas A&M on a 1-yard run and Damion Ratley hauled in a 10-yard touchdown in the first half.

Texas A&M defensive tackle Zaycoven Henderson picked up a targeting penalty and ejection with 1:07 on the clock in the second quarter. The 15-yard infraction set up a 28-yard Gary Wunderlich field goal with 24 seconds remaining.

Freshman Travon Fuller was also ejected for a blindside block in the third quarter. It's took the Aggies out of field-goal position.

Wunderlich's field goal was the 63rd of his career and tied him with Jonathan Nichols for most in Ole Miss history.

The game took on a somber tone at the end of third quarter when Ole Miss running back D'Vaughn Pennamon left the game on a cart with a knee injury.