Nothing mediocre about Corral in exciting Ole Miss win
Oct. 9—OXFORD — When you see a combined 103 points and almost 1,300 yards the immediate reaction is, "Wow, what a game!"
Then you peel back the layers and are reminded of a long-time truth: Mediocrity makes exciting football.
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There was excitement right down to the end when Arkansas, forced to score a touchdown, ran a play with 6 seconds left ... and 1 second remained on the clock.
I thought that only happened in Baton Rouge.
There was excitement when Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson used that 1 second to throw a potential game-tying touchdown and more excitement when Arkansas coach Sam Pittman decided to go for two.
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Had the two-point try been successful Arkansas would have won 53-52 — the same score as 2015 when the Hogs converted a fourth-and-25 to eventually beat Ole Miss in overtime, a game that kept the Rebels from the SEC championship in Atlanta.
Yes there was excitement, and while there was mediocrity it had nothing to do with the Ole Miss offense, nothing to do with Matt Corral who took the running game on his shoulders in the first half and willed his team to a win while it missed important playmakers Jonathan Mingo — for the second week — and Jerrion Ealy.
There was a lot of mediocrity about the Rebels' defense, though, and with two SEC games in the books whatever improvement there might be isn't enough.
You don't want to have to win games like this every week, and the Rebels may be forced to win another like this week against Tennessee which is also scoring a lot of points.
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For the second-straight week the Rebels' opponent was the more physical team.
The Rebels' 3-2-6 defense struggled from the outset as the Razorbacks ripped off chain-moving, clock-eating runs.
Though there was pressure on the Hogs' failed two-point play the defensive play-scheme rarely sought to pressure Jefferson, and while Jefferson overthrew some open receivers he also made big plays as his receivers victimized the Rebels in man coverage.
Ole Miss had a year to work on last year's defense and had a good plan and energy against Louisville on Opening Night.
It's not holding up in the SEC.
However, Corral is. It's not hard to see his Heisman candidacy is legitimate.
The Rebels rushed for 324 yards, but it took a while to find the space. During that time there were more called quarterback runs. Corral put himself at risk and took some hits.
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He made big plays in the passing game and put to rest talk of his seven-turnover performance last year in Fayetteville.
Corral was 14 for 21 passing with no turnovers and has now attempted 201 consecutive passes without an interception — that's ninth all-time in the SEC.
Nothing mediocre about that.
PARRISH ALFORD is the college sports editor and columnist for the Daily Journal. Contact him at parrish.alford@journalinc.com.
