On the second play of the third quarter, Arkansas running back Rocket Sanders sprinted 68 yards for his third touchdown of the game in Arkansas 42-27 win over Ole Miss on a chilly evening at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Sanders' run put the Hogs up 42-6 and gave him the fifth most rushing yards in a single game in program history. It was one of many highlights on an evening where the Hogs recorded 503 total yards of offense.
Though the Hogs were up by a significant margin at that point in the game, the Rebels pushed as much as they could for a late comeback. Ole Miss had 394 total yards of offense in the second half and 650 total yards in the game.
Undisciplined football in the early parts of the game led to 12 penalties for 116 yards by the Rebels. There were two holding calls in the first half that negated two touchdowns for Ole Miss.
The Hogs dominated the first 30 minutes of the game and led 35-6 lead at halftime, which proved to be pivotal in the final outcome. The 35 points were the most in a half against an FBS team since 2016 against Mississippi State and the 29-point lead was the largest halftime lead since the 2012 win over Kentucky.
Here's a recap and stats from Arkansas' sixth win of the season, which made the Hogs bowl eligible:
First Half
On the Rebels' fifth play of the game, there was a fumble on the handoff and Drew Sanders recovered it at the Ole Miss 38-yard line. Arkansas went three-and-out on the ensuing drive to give the ball right back.
After forcing a punt, the Hogs took over and earned their first first down on a 20-yard completion from KJ Jefferson to Trey Knox on third-and-9. Jefferson found Knox for a 16-yarder two plays later and on the very next play, Jefferson kept it for a 23-yard scramble.
Following the scramble, Jefferson found Matt Landers on a slant for an 8-yard score to put the Hogs up 7-0 with 8:28 left in the opening quarter.
An Ole Miss touchdown on fourth-and-9 was negated by a holding call and resulted in another punt by the Rebels.
Arkansas took over and Jefferson found Landers over-the-shoulder for a 23-yard touchdown pass that capped off an 8-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to put the Hogs up 14-0.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart completed a 54-yard pass to Malik Heath on the first play of the next drive. The Arkansas defense held tight and forced the Rebels to settle for a 45-yard field goal that was good with two minutes left in the first quarter.
The Hogs struck quickly less than a minute into the second quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Ketron Jackson Jr. to cap off a 7-play, 75-yard drive and put the Razorbacks up 21-3.
After gaining 38 yards on a Zach Evans run on the second play of the drive, the Rebels were forced to kick a 32-yard field goal to make it 21-6 with 4:38 left in the first half.
On the ensuing Arkansas drive, Rocket Sanders had a 50-yard touchdown negated by a holding penalty. Two plays later, he punched it in from 20 yards out to put the Hogs up 28-6.
Dart threw the ball right into the hands of Drew Sanders on the next Ole Miss drive, and Sanders returned the ball into Rebels' territory with just over a minute left in the half.
Arkansas quickly drove 48 yards on six plays and scored on an 8-yard carry from Sanders, his second touchdown of the half. The score put the Hogs up 35-6 at the break.
Second Half
On the second play of the half, Sanders sprinted 68 yards to the house to give Arkansas a 42-6 lead not even a minute in to the third quarter.
The second play of Ole Miss' first drive of the half resulted in a Quinshon Judkins fumble recovered by Dwight McGlothern at the Rebels' 46-yard line. Arkansas' offense stalled out at the Ole Miss 37-yard line and Cam Little was no-good from 47 yards on the field goal.
Ole Miss drove all the way down to the Arkansas 5-yard line, but a failed fourth down attempt gave the ball right back to the Razorbacks.
Following an Arkansas punt, the Rebels began their next drive with a 60-yard run from running back Quinshon Judkins. Ole Miss finally punched the ball in the end zone with a 1-yard carry by Judkins, and following a failed two-point conversion, the Hogs led 42-12 with 14:02 left.
Another Arkansas punt was followed up by a 5-play, 88-yard drive that was capped off by a 42-yard touchdown run by Zach Evans. After a successful two-point conversion, the Rebels had cut the Razorback lead to 42-20 with 8:02 left.
Ole Miss forced Arkansas' first three-and-out since the opening drive and turned it into a 12-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that trimmed Arkansas lead to 42-27 with just under three minutes remaining in the contest.
Following the scoring drive by the Rebels, Arkansas was able to run all but 0:29 of the clock out and emerged victorious in the final home game of the season.
