Injuries and poor tackling cost the University of Arkansas its first victory since the opening week of the season in a 37-33 loss to Ole Miss at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday night in Little Rock.
Ole Miss QB Jordan Ta'amu threw for 387 yards and 2 TDs on 26 of 35 passing, and he ran 17 times for 141 yards and 1 TD for the Rebels.
Scottie Phillips capped a 7-play, 97-yard drive in 1:20 with a 5-yard TD run to put the Rebels up with 42 seconds remaining. The Hogs could not respond, falling to 1-6 and 0-4 in the SEC.
The Hogs racked up 476 yards of total offense despite finishing the game with their third-string running back and second-string quarterback after injuries to Rakeem Boyd, Devwah Whaley and Ty Storey. Ole Miss finished with more than 600 yards.
The Razorbacks opened the second half with eight consecutive rushes before Storey threw incomplete on third down, allowing kicker Connor Limpert to boot a 38-yard field goal for a 30-17 lead.
Ole Miss responded on third and 11 of the Rebels' next possession. QB Jordan Ta'amu found Octavious Cooley beyond the first-down marker, but a missed tackle allowed him to spring for a 66-yard TD reception to cut the lead to 30-24.
The Hogs again went run heavy, setting up Limpert's fourth FG, this one from 36 yards out for a 33-24 edge with 2:33 left in the third quarter. The only completed pass of the drive was from Storey to Pettway for 17 yards.
Ole Miss missed a 28-yard field goal to give the Hogs possession at thier own 20.
Storey ran for 10 yards, but instead of going out of bounds, he left his feet and got drilled by an Ole Miss defender, sending him out of the game and Cole Kelley into it. A pass interference call on Ole Miss on third and 20 gave Arkansas a first down at its own 45, but a sack of Kelley later forced Arkansas to punt the ball for the first time with 7:09 left in the game.
Ole Miss pulled within 33-31 after a 10-play, 84-yard drive. Isaiah Woullard capped the drive with a 2-yard TD run with 4:15 remaining.
Arkansas managed two first downs before Reid Bauer's 64-yard punt put Ole Miss at its own 4 with 2:02 left to set up the game-winning drive.
After the teams traded field goals on their opening possessions of the game, the Hogs forced a punt by the Rebels. The Hogs ran the ball six consecutive plays before Storey hit Cheyenne O'Grady for a 39-yard touchdown and 10-3 lead with 3:24 left in the first quarter.
Ole Miss moved to the Arkansas 35 on the ensuing possession, but Ta'amu threw into double coverage and cornerback Ryan Pulley came away with the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
Two plays later, Boyd sprinted for 69 yards — the Hogs' longest play of the season — and a touchdown for a 17-3 lead. He had 6 carries for 106 yards and 1 TD after the run.
The Rebels responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by Ta'amu's 18-yard run up the middle to cut the edge to 17-10 with 12:34 left in the half.
Arkansas scored a third consecutive touchdown on a five-play, 75-yard drive. Storey had to leave after taking a hard shot on a trick play that saw him lose 5 yards on a reception. After remaining on the ground for a few moments, Storey was replaced by Cole Kelley, who found La'Michael Pettway for a 39-yard TD on the very next play.
After Ole Miss missed a field goal, Storey returned to move the Hogs down the field and set up Limpert's second FG, this one from 38 yards, for a 27-10 lead with 2:36 left in the half.
Ole Miss made it 27-17 at halftime on a 6-yard pass from Ta'amu to DaMarkus Lodge.
The Razorbacks gained 303 yards in the first half, while the Rebels put up 284. The Hogs threw only two incompletions and averaged 8.4 yards per carry in the first half.
EARILER