The 2021 Ole Miss football season was filled with dramatic and memorable moments.
Written by Emily Welly | Illustrated by Abbey Edmonson
From thrilling wins to history-making moments, the 2021 Ole Miss football season was one to remember. Here are five of the most
memorable events from last season.
TEN-WIN SEASON
On Thanksgiving night 2021, the Rebels beat the Bulldogs 31-21 in the Egg Bowl in Starkville, capturing the program’s first-ever 10-win regular season.
THE NO. 1 GAME
The No. 1 game of the 2021 college football season, according to ESPN, was the Ole Miss-Arkansas showdown in Oxford. The last two minutes of the Oct. 9, 2021, game were something to behold. First, Arkansas scored to tie the game, 45-45. Ole Miss answered immediately with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Matt Corral to Braylon Sanders. With the extra point, the Rebels took the lead, 52-45. In the final second of the game, Arkansas scored another touchdown, but Ole Miss stopped their attempt at a 2-point conversion and won, 52-51.
TRASH IN TENNESSEE
In the fourth quarter of the Oct. 17, 2021, game in Knoxville, Tennessee, fans objected to a call by throwing trash — water bottles, beer cans, pizza boxes, paper cups and more — onto the field. Coach Lane Kiffin kept a golf ball that was thrown at him (and, in March, he jokingly used it for the ceremonial first pitch at an Ole Miss-Tennessee baseball game). The trash throwing caused a 20- minute delay, Tennessee was fined $250,000 by the SEC and 18 fans were arrested. But Ole Miss took the win, 31-26.
ELI MANNING MADNESS
The weekend of Oct. 22, 2021, was all about Eli Manning in Oxford. His No. 10 jersey number was retired, he was inducted into the M-Club Hall of Fame, he led the team on the Walk of Champions on Saturday morning before the game against LSU, and MANNING was painted in the end zones of Hollingsworth Field.
THE SUGAR BOWL
Throngs of faithful Ole Miss fans traveled to New Orleans to start 2022 by cheering on the Rebels in the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Fans may be ready to forget the actual game (Ole Miss lost to Baylor, 21-7), but the experience of traveling with friends and family to celebrate the team that secured its first 10-win regular season will be remembered forever.