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OXFORD, Miss. — Arkansas scored as time expired, but KJ Jefferson’s potential game-winning two-point conversion pass sailed over Treylon Burks’ head.
The incompletion capped a wild shootout and gave No. 17 Ole Miss a dramatic 52-51 win over the No. 13 Razorbacks inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
Jefferson’s third touchdown pass - and sixth total score - of the game found Warren Thompson in the back of the end zone as the clock hit triple zeros and Sam Pittman, like at Missouri last year, opted to go for the win instead of kicking the PAT to send it to overtime.
However, the Rebels got pressure on Jefferson, with Sam Williams and Tavius Robinson forcing him to get rid of the ball. Burks was heavily covered, but didn’t have a chance to come down with it because it was too high.
It is the second straight game Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC) has lost after its 4-0 start, while Ole Miss rebounded from last week’s loss to improve to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play.
The Razorbacks piled up 676 total yards, the most they’ve ever had in a conference game, but it wasn’t enough to top the Rebels, who finished with 611 yards.
Playing just down the road from where he grew up, Jefferson completed 25 of 35 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, plus added 85 yards and three scores on 20 carries.
Burks was his top target, catching seven passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, while Raheim “Rocket” Sanders notched his first 100-yard game, finishing with 139 yards on 17 carries.
On the flip side, Matt Corral - who threw six interceptions in Fayetteville last year - didn’t turn the ball over a single time and completed 14 of 21 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 94 yards and two scores on 15 carries.
The Rebels had a pair of 100-yard rushers - Henry Parrish Jr. (111) and Snoop Conner (110, 3 TD) - and a 100-yard receiver in Braylon Sanders (127, 1 TD).
The game started innocently enough, with both teams punting on their opening drive. Ole Miss was unable to do anything after a 30-yard punt return by Sanders, but then it turned into a track meet.
The Razorbacks drove down the field on their second possession, with Sanders converting a fourth- and third-down with his legs and also catching a pass to move the chains on third-and-long in the red zone.
That last play by Sanders set up a 5-yard touchdown run up the middle by Jefferson, making it 7-0 with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter.
Ole Miss answered with its own clutch plays on a long, 17-play drive. It converted three fourth downs and a third-and-long, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run by Corral, who carried multiple players into the end zone. Arkansas retained its lead, though, because Caden Costa missed the extra point.
On their next possession, the Razorbacks took a deep shot after notching a third-down conversion, but Thompson couldn’t reel in the perfectly placed ball by Jefferson in the end zone. That just delayed the score, though.
Four plays later, Trelon Smith scored on a 14-yard run that ended with safety Keidron Smith slinging him across the goal line to make it 14-6 early in the second quarter.
A rare non-touchback by Vito Calvaruso and excellent kickoff coverage gave Ole Miss bad field position, but it needed just two plays to cover 83 yards. Most of it came on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Corral to Dontario Drummond, who was running wide open because of a busted coverage.
After missing a PAT earlier, the Rebels went for two and Corral made something out of nothing by keeping it and getting into the end zone to tie it up 14-14.
It looked like the Razorbacks were going to keep exchanging punches, marching down the field with some nice runs by Sanders. However, as he was fighting for extra yards on one carry, he was stripped and Ole Miss recovered at the 27.
Luckily for Arkansas, its defense responded with a three-and-out, with Montaric Brown breaking up a deep ball intended for Arkansas native Jadon Jackson to force a punt.
The Razorbacks quickly got back into Ole Miss territory and they opted to put backup quarterback Malik Hornsby in the game. The move backfired, as the redshirt freshman tried reversing field on a keeper and ended up losing six yards.
Although it eventually converted a fourth down to move the chains, Arkansas’ drive stalled and it had to settle for a 50-yard field goal, which Cam Little missed wide right.
Ole Miss immediately took a shot and Jalen Catalon nearly came down with an interception. The missed kick and dropped interception came back to haunt the Razorbacks, as the Rebels went on to score on a 9-play, 68-yard drive.
Corral gave Ole Miss its first lead of the game with a 7-yard run, his second rushing touchdown of the day. That made it 21-14 with 42 seconds left in the half.
Despite having three timeouts remaining, Sam Pittman did not immediately call one after an 11-yard gain by Smith. Those lost seconds could have allowed the Razorbacks to run another play instead of them being forced to throw a Hail Mary as time expired.
Getting the ball to start the second half, Ole Miss had a chance to extend its lead and did so with a field goal. After Joe Foucha dropped an interception in the end zone, Costa redeemed himself from the earlier missed PAT by booting a 50-yarder - the Rebels’ first since 2013.
Needing a response, the Razorbacks turned to Sanders and he delivered a 42-yard run. A few plays later, on third-and-goal, Jefferson looked like he was going to keep it himself before pulling up and firing to Trey Knox for a 3-yard score. It was his first touchdown since the Missouri game his freshman year.
Using his analytics, Lane Kiffin went for it on fourth-and-1 despite being on his own 34 and Arkansas stuffed Conner for a loss of 1. Brown and Bumper Pool were credited with the tackle, but he was met by a host of Razorbacks.
The Razorbacks had a chance to take the lead on the ensuing drive, but Jefferson’s pass to an open Thompson in the end zone sailed over his head. Instead, they settled for a 31-yard field goal, which Little made to tie the game.
It didn’t take long for Ole Miss to answer. After Parrish gashed the Razorbacks on runs of 19 and 9 yards, Conner raced 51 yards up the middle for a touchdown. That put the Rebels back in front 31-24.
Back on offense, Arkansas went to Treylon Burks and he made back-to-back incredible catches - both for 37 yards - to get it down to the 1. After a false start backed them up, Jefferson kept it for a 6-yard touchdown. He jumped from the 4 and flew into the end zone to once again tie it up.
On the next drive by Ole Miss, Corral scrambled for a first down on third-and-10 and completed a fourth-down pass to move the chains. After the latter of those plays, Conner scored on a 34-yard run.
Big plays highlighted the next couple of drives, too.
It started with the Razorbacks covering 86 yards on four plays. After connecting with Thompson on a 46-yard deep ball, Jefferson threw a short pass to Burks who took it up the sideline for a 20-yard touchdown.
The tie lasted only a couple of minutes, with Corral completing a 59-yard pass to Sanders to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Conner that put the Rebels up 45-38.
After scoring on their first four drives of the second half, the Razorbacks couldn’t keep pace. They got near midfield when Jefferson was sacked by Chance Campbell to put them in a third-and-long situation and then Jefferson sailed a pass out of bounds.
Arkansas had to punt it back to Ole Miss, which had a chance to seal the victory. However, an ineligible man downfield penalty wiped out a first down completion and the Razorbacks forced a punt of their own.
With just under four minutes remaining, Arkansas drove right down the field to tie it up. Never facing a third down on the drive, Jefferson scored on a 10-yard run to tie it up at 45-45, but that left 1:22 on the clock for the Rebels.
They needed only 15 seconds, though, as Corral hit Sanders streaking down the sideline for a 68-yard touchdown. That set up the Razorbacks’ frantic final drive that took up the final 1:07 of the game.
Arkansas will return to Fayetteville for its first home game in about a month next Saturday, hosting No. 18 Auburn at 11 a.m. CT on either ESPN or CBS.
