Ole Miss Concludes Bounce-Back Season with Rebel Invasion of Birmingham
By: Ryan Schmelz
There was hardly any blue and gold to be seen in the crowd as the BBVA Compass Bowl was painted red by rebel fans. Ole Miss completed there turn around season with a 38-17 win over the Pittsburg Panthers. Finishing the season 7 and 6. The Rebel defense combined for 11 tackles for losses. 4 were from junior linebacker Mike Marry. Hugh Freeze found much success in the no-huddle offense. The up-tempo offense produced 38 first downs and 387 total yards. Despite throwing 2 interceptions, Bo Wallace was selected as the game’s MVP. Wallace was 22-32 with 151 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wallace also had 27 yards rushing. Wallace completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ja-Mes Logan early to put the Rebels up 7-0. Later Randall Mackey was found by Wallace for 27-yards. Vince Sanders caught the third touchdown pass for 18 yards. While Jeff Scott was limited to repetitions due to a hamstring injury, others stepped up in the running game. I’Tavius Mathers and Jaylen Walton totaled 152 yards off of 16 carries. The BBVA Compass bowl’s previous attendance record was 42,610 from the South Carolina, Connecticut game in 2010. The new record was 59,135. It also would be safe to assume Birmingham’s economy benefited greatly from the Rebel invasion.