Faith and Lane Kiffin channeling Bob Knight: Behind scenes of play that sealed Ole Miss win vs Texas A&M

OXFORD — Quarterback Jaxson Dart, wrapped in angst stemming from his lack of control, coped by picking his fingernails toward the back of the Ole Miss football sideline.

As Texas A&M kicker Randy Bond lined up his 47-yard, game-tying effort, Ole Miss star running back Quinshon Judkins and assistant coach Kevin Smith turned their faith over to a higher power.

"I was actually with my position coach praying," Judkins said.

Closer to the action, Lane Kiffin combined two of his passions: Coaching and trolling.

The Rebels' coach had already spent one timeout to ice the kicker. He positioned himself to make Bond think he might use another one, even though NCAA rules don't allow it.

"I kind of pretended and said to the ref, right in front of the kicker: 'I got one more timeout,' " Kiffin recalled postgame. "And then I stood by the line judge, trying to get the kicker's attention you know, just to mess with him. Whistling to draw his attention. I don't know that it worked. His kick was probably going right down the middle."

It certainly looked that way, until it came into contact with the left hand of a leaping Zxavian Harris, the Rebels' 6-foot-7, 335-pound defensive tackle.

Ole Miss defensive back John Saunders Jr. – on the field for the play – briefly feared the kick might still reach the uprights.

"It had the arc at first," Saunders said. "But then it fell short. I was just thankful. I just started hugging teammates. We were all just happy, people crying happy tears. It was crazy."

The test of emotional fortitude ended as the ball met the turf behind the Ole Miss end zone, and the 65,680 fans inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium roared with as much relief as they did glee.

No. 10 Ole Miss 38, Texas A&M 35.

The special teams unit − which looked like it had cost the Rebels (8-1, 5-1 SEC) a comfortable victory when the Aggies (5-4, 3-3) blocked a first-half field goal and ran it back for their first points of the game − picked up an Ole Miss defense that sputtered late, conceding 21 second-half points.

Kiffin shared that Dart had pessimistically predicted the Aggies would convert their kick. Bond, a junior, was 18-for-25 on the season coming in. Kiffin spun that into a tribute to legendary college basketball coach Bob Knight, who died earlier this week.

"Watching too much Bobby Knight this week about the power of negative thinking," Kiffin said.

Judkins took a more rose-colored outlook.

"I just didn't have any doubt," he said.

Judkins' faith was driven by the presence of Harris, who returned to action this week after missing two games for medical reasons.

"He definitely has an impact, especially on field goal plays, goal-line runs, things like that," Judkins said. "That's where he has a tremendous impact as far as I've seen."

Harris had gotten a piece of one of the Aggies' extra-point attempts earlier in the game, Saunders said. That kick still sailed through the uprights.

GRADES: How we graded Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin in dramatic win over Texas A&M

Crucially, this one didn't. A loss Saturday would have taken many of Ole Miss' goals off the table ahead of a trip to Georgia next week. Harris' intervention meant everything remains on the table for these Rebels, who celebrated to the point of delirium postgame.

"I kind of blacked out," Dart said. "I just ran around screaming."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin channels Bob Knight on Ole Miss blocked kick vs Texas A&M