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After ten years of losing to the Crimson Tide and after a century of losing to teams ranked No. 1 in either the Associated Press or Caoches poll, the Ole Miss Rebels defeated Alabama by a score of 23-17 in a game that is the defining moment thus far of the Hugh Freeze era of Ole Miss football.
The game was won in dramatic fashion, as Rebel cornerback Senquez Golson picked off Blake Sims in the end zone with just under a minute to go, sealing the upset in the Rebels' favor. Leading to that moment, Ole Miss had scored a go-ahead touchdown, but missed the extra point, meaning that an Alabama touchdown was a likely guaranteed victory. It was an intense, nerve-wracking moment for all 61,000 fans in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and thankfully for this particular bloggeur it ended in the Rebels' favor.
It was a game where narratives were flipped and ideas about Ole Miss football were changed for fans of the Rebels, Crimson Tide, and college football in general. Ole Miss buckled down and won a game against a top foe in the fourth quarter, something that Rebels fans have become accustomed to after years or losing in dramatic fashion. Bo Wallace, who was predicted to be a heavily turnover-prone quarterback this tame, threw three touchdowns in the second half and zero interceptions. As a coach, Hugh Freeze was aggressive and, aside from a couple absolutely failed attempts at misdirection, did not rely much on "gimmicks" or "tricks" to win. And Blake Sims, Lane Kiffin, and the Alabama offense were absolutely flustered and frustrated by the Ole Miss Landsharks defense for four full quarters of football.
After an afternoon at the game and a night spent celebrating in Oxford, I can humbly say that i've never experienced something so simultalenously exhilarating and exhausting. What an incredible moment to be an Ole Miss fan. We'll have plenty of analysis and opinions to come on this game for the rest of this week, so do yourselves a favor and keep checking in with us at Red Cup Rebellion.
Hotty Toddy.