There's only one more day separating Ole Miss fans from the most eagerly anticipated football season in over half a century — maybe even ever depending on who is asked. On Saturday, the Rebels face the Furman Paladins, the No. 9 ranked FCS team preseason.
Let's just say it's been a while since these two programs have faced off on the gridiron.
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States, and the country was just a few years removed from World War I. That same year, Ole Miss and Furman met for the first and only time, ending with a 7-2 Paladin victory in Greenville, S.C..
Fun fact, Ole Miss actually wouldn't be called the "Rebels" until 1936. Back in the mid 20's, even the "Mississippi Flood" wasn't a thing yet. Ole Miss was up-down-down in the 1920s, while Furman actually never had a sub .500 record during that era. As a matter of fact, Furman had multiple 10-win seasons during the 20's. However, there were not affiliated with any conference. Ole Miss was led by four different head coaches during that era, R.L. Sullivan, R.A. Cowell, Chester Barnard and Homer Hazel.
Let's just say that a lot has happened over the last century. Ole Miss is a member of the esteemed Southeastern Conference while Furman has found its home in the FCS, both schools having pockets of success along the way.
Ole Miss is 95-29-5 all-time in season-opening games like this Saturday. The Rebels have also won 22 of their last 27 openers on the field.
Some have been against "cupcakes" and were predictably uninteresting to watch, while some like the 2013 opener with Vanderbilt was an absolute treat to watch. It was probably the most exciting opener of the new millennium.
2013: "Jeff Scott is Great Scott"
It's not often that two SEC opponents meet up in Week 1 of a season, but that's exactly what happened between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt a decade ago.It also turned out to be one of the most exciting college football games of the 2013 season as a whole.
Take yourself back then, and both programs were in a similar position. Ole Miss was coming off a 7-6 first year under Hugh Freeze, one that just a handful of plays kept them from being 9-3. The hype was real, especially after reeling in one of the best recruiting classes in the country with the likes of Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil, Tony Conner and others. On the flip side, Vanderbilt football was red hot for the first time since World War I, coming off a 9-4 season. James Franklin completely revived the program before bolting for Penn State that offseason.
This matchup that took place at 8:15 p.m. CT on August 29, and turned out to be one of just two sellout crowds that season.
Right on cue, it was one of Ole Miss' highly touted freshman that got the Rebels' first turnover, crazy enough, on his very first collegiate play. Tony Conner picked off Austyn Carta-Samuels just a few plays in to eventually set up an easy Andrew Ritter field goal to put the Rebs up 3-0 early. And after forcing a punt that lead grew as backup/special package QB Barry Brunetti scored on the goal line to put the Rebs up 10-0 seemingly in a blink of an eye.
Then, Jordan Matthews happened.One of the best receivers in the SEC at the time was borderline unstoppable that night, and he and Vanderbilt proceeded to score on three consecutive possessions in the second quarter to give them all the momentum going into the locker room at half up 21-10.
WRITER'S NOTE: Alright, this is the point where I actually went to bed when watching this game live. I have been kicking myself ever since. But, I did manage to watch what I missed on the DVR the following morning.
After missing a field goal late in the first half, Ritter missed a second one on Ole Miss' first possession coming out of halftime. But it wouldn't be long until Ole Miss got hot again offensively. Laquon Treadwell showed off why he was the best receiver prospect in America during the third quarter and Ole Miss scored on three consecutive possessions by the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Bo Wallace's second score of the game gave Ole Miss a 32-28 lead with 9:05 left to play. After a couple punts, the drama was ramped up to 11.
In attempt to retake the lead from the Rebels, Matthews put it all on the line. Literally. With under four minutes left, Matthews caught a tough ball in the middle of the air, while being drilled to the turf by Ole Miss' Cody Prewitt. Matthews proceeded to display concussion-like symptoms, one of which vomiting on the turf. After tapping out briefly, he answered a 4th and 18 prayer that set Vanderbilt up to take the lead. the 'Dores exposed a corner blitz and found tight end Steven Scheu wide open on the sideline for a 34-yard score.
With 1:30 left to play and with few chances for Ole Miss to stop the clock, it looked as if Vandy was going to take the home dub. Jeff Scotthad other ideas, and all it took was two plays.
Wallace handed the ball off to Scott left side on a buck sweep. Thanks to some excellent perimeter blocking by Treadwell and Ja-Mes Logan, Scott was able to get a first down out of it, but nobody said the play was over. Vanderbilt's safety took a poor angle to Scott, and then Scott cut inside to turn the safety completely around. Scott was then gone with only black jerseys chasing him. That bore the call headlined above: "Jeff Scott is GREAT Scott!"
The 75-yard touchdown run put the "surrender Cobra" into full effect around the stadium. But, with how whacky everything was, there was still time for Vandy to win it.
Aided by a facemask penalty on the ensuing kickoff, Vandy had great field position to work with. The 'Dores were able to cross midfield, but Carta-Samuel's throw to Jordan Matthews was tipped and picked off by Prewitt just playing center field. Game over. Ole Miss wins.
After the midnight madness, Bo Wallace threw for 283 yards, Scott finished with 138 yards after being quiet most of the night and Treadwell made a great first impression with 82 yards on nine catches. The game will likely never be forgotten in regards to this series.
Kickoff this Saturdayis slated for 6 p.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN+/SECN+ or listened to on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
