Eli Manning got his first look at Matt Jones nearly 20 years ago — during Arkansas’ seven-overtime game with Ole Miss.
Manning remembers what he saw that Nov. 3, 2001, night in Oxford, Miss., and it still amazes him.
“It doesn’t look like you’re running that fast,” Manning told Jones on Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club. “It doesn’t look like you’re running a 4.4. It looks like you’re running a 4.8 and everybody else is running a 5.8.”
Manning, 40, son of Ole Miss football hero Archie Manning and younger brother to NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, was in his sophomore season with the Rebels the night Jones and the Razorbacks defeated the Rebels 58-56.
Monday, Manning and Jones, 38, were brought in as guests of Little Rock Touchdown Club founder David Bazzel to reminisce about the game, the longest of its kind at the time in college football.
A crowd of more than 600 were entertained with video clips from the game, followed by commentary from Manning and Jones.
Former Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt taped an audio statement, as did Bill Curry, a former college coach at Georgia Tech, Alabama, and Kentucky — who was one of the ESPN commentators at the game.
“It was one of those games, where you responded to the tough situations,” Manning said. “When you needed two points, you got some. When you needed fourth and 6, you got some.
“So many big plays. … To come up a yard short, you feel like you gave it your all. You’re disappointed. It took us like two weeks to get back going, and it took us out of the race for the SEC West.”
Ole Miss, which came into the game with a 6-1 record, ended the regular season 7-4 and did not play in a postseason bowl game.
Arkansas, which came into the game at 4-3, finished the regular season 7-4 and lost 10-3 to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
The game ended on a failed two-point conversion try by Ole Miss in the seventh overtime, and it does not bring back the fondest memories for Manning.
It does bring back memories.
“I remember my brother [Peyton] was mad,” said Manning, who threw six TD passes against Arkansas, including five in the overtimes. “That year, when I was a sophomore, I ended up throwing more touchdown passes than he did.
“He said, ‘That overtime game shouldn’t count. You threw five touchdowns in overtime. There should be like an asterisk.
“I said, ‘No, no, no, no. I’m taking them all.’”
Manning finished his career at Ole Miss with 81 touchdown passes before embarking on an NFL career that lasted 16 seasons with the New York Giants and included two Super Bowl victories.
Jones, known more for his loping runs and calm demeanor, ended his Arkansas career throwing 53 touchdown passes while rushing for 24.
Jones was a first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005 and played four seasons at wide receiver.
One play that both Manning and Jones remember, albeit differently, occurred in the sixth overtime with Ole Miss leading 50-48.
Arkansas had just scored on a run by Mark Pierce and the Razorbacks cooked up a two-point conversion call that involved tight end Jason Peters, who was primarily a defensive end at that point of his career.
Peters played 17 years in the NFL as an offensive tackle, mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles.
On this play, Jones faked a handoff to Cedric Cobbs, drifted back as the Rebels rushed, before lofting up a pass that Peters snagged in the back of the end zone.
“It looked like a busted play,” Manning said. “Like street ball. I think you’re supposed to hand it off there, and now you throw it to a left tackle for 20 years.”
Jones, who admitted that he lives a life of playing golf five days a week in Northwest Arkansas, said the play was one that offensive coordinator David Lee suggested on a call from the press box.
“That’s how we drew it up,” Jones said.
Manning said he watched a replay of the game recently to prepare for Monday’s engagement.
“It was definitely one of the most memorable games I’ve ever played in,” Manning said. “It was a game that was talked about, still talked about. You just wish you were on the winning side of it.”
Jones said it was enjoyable to see some of the players who went on to prominent NFL careers play in that game.
“All the players making plays,” Jones said. “Jason Peters, Shawn Andrews, Kenny Hamlin.”
One of the oddities of the game was that the score was tied 17-17 after regulation, and Jones wasn’t inserted into the game until the second half.
Jones hadn’t even started playing quarterback as a true freshman until Arkansas had a rescheduled game — after the tragedy of 9/11 — against Weber State two weeks earlier.
Jones got to show his skills as a run-pass threat in that game, then was really put to the test against Ole Miss.
Jones finished the night completing 3 of 6 passes for 61 yards and 1 touchdown, and he rushed 18 times for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns.
It was Fayetteville native and sophomore Zak Clark, who ended up finishing his career at the University of Central Arkansas, who started the game.
Clark, who is now the head coach at Searcy High School, was in attendance Monday.
“That’s why we only scored 17 in regulation,” Clark jokingly said of his role in the game. “I remember meeting Eli at the Manning Camp a couple years later. And he was going, ‘That quarterback [Jones] just kept making plays.’”