Vanderbilt Commodores vs Ole Miss Rebels Match Player Stats On Sep 26, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 26, 2015

OXFORD, Miss. -- Vanderbilt gave Ole Miss everything it wanted, but running back Jaylen Walton and a huge stop by the defense were the difference in the No. 3 Rebels' 27-16 victory at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night.

Walton ran 21 times for 133 yards, including a game-clinching 3-yard scoring run with 6:47 left, as Ole Miss (4-0) kept its SEC and national title hopes in good standing by beating the Commodores at home for the first time in its last four tries.

With Vanderbilt trailing by four midway through the fourth quarter, the Rebels' Chad Kelly threw the ball out of bounds on third-and-7 from the Ole Miss 49. But a pass interference penalty on cornerback Torren McGaster kept the drive alive, and Walton - who had success running outside all night - gashed the Commodores for runs of 24 and 14 to set up his score.

Ole Miss moved the ball on Vanderbilt (1-3) throughout the night, but struggled in the red zone. It caught up to them when the Commodores' Johnny McCrary found running back Ralph Webb with a 7-yard scoring toss on third-and-goal to knot the score at 13 with 7:39 left in the third.

Finally, the Rebels seemed to break through when defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche - lining up at running back - scored on a 1-yard run with 1:25 left in the third, giving Ole Miss a 20-13 lead.

However, Vanderbilt bounced back with Tommy Openshaw's 34-yard field goal with 12:12 to play, and threatened moments later when safety Jahmel McIntosh picked Kelly and returned the ball to the Rebel 19.

But the Rebels' Woodrow Hamilton broke through the middle of the line and stuffed Webb for a 4-yard loss on third-and-1 and Openshaw pulled the ensuing field goal wide left, keeping the deficit at four.

Ole Miss had a 278-111 edge in total offense in the first half, but Vanderbilt made plays at the right times to keep the score at 13-3.

The Commodores found something briefly when they went to their up-tempo offense in the first quarter. Vanderbilt moved the ball 73 yards in 19 plays and put Ole Miss behind for the first time all year when Openshaw hit a 28-yard field goal.

But the Rebels took just 1:02 to answer, taking the lead when Kelly hit Damore'ea Stringfellow with a 20-yard throw near the front right end zone pylon, and Gary Wunderlich's point-after made it 7-3.

Two second-quarter Wunderlich field goals, coming from 19 and 39 yards, helped pad the Rebels' lead.

NOTES: Ole Miss LT Laremy Tunsil was held out again amidst an NCAA investigation into alleged improper benefits he received. ... Ole Miss starting S Tony Conner was held with a torn meniscus, for which he had surgery on Tuesday. ... Vanderbilt held out starting ILB Nigel Bowden due to a concussion. He didn't make the trip to Oxford. ... Ole Miss junior pitcher Brady Bramlett sang the national anthem. ... Ole Miss wore its powder blue helmets for the second week in a row, while Vanderbilt wore its all-white uniforms for the first time this season.