Ole Miss can finally feel a measure of vindication.
A year after getting crushed by a Big 12 team in a major bowl, the Rebels thrashed Oklahoma State 48-20 in the Sugar Bowl to notch back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time since 1961-62.
The 48 points were the most Ole Miss had ever scored in a bowl game.
And this one was never in doubt.
After a brief feeling out period where the two teams traded field goals, quarterback Chad Kelly started airing the ball out with good results. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 302 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
Three of Kelly’s touchdown passes went to receiver Laquon Treadwell, who set the Ole Miss career record for receptions with 202. He finished the night, which could be his last in an Ole Miss uniform, with six catches for 71 yards.
Kelly's other touchdown went to offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, who became the first offensive lineman to score a touchdown in a bowl game in 20 years.
Ole Miss’ balanced attacked — the Rebels passed for 347 yards and rushed for 207 yards — kept the Oklahoma State defense off-balance and led to a 34-6 halftime lead.
Oklahoma State tried to make it interesting in the second half by replacing starting quarterback Mason Rudolph with J.W. Walsh. Walsh’s mobility seemed to catch the Ole Miss defense, which had kept the Cowboys quiet for the majority of the game, off-guard. Walsh rushed 10 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than a quarter, but it was too little, too late.
The SEC West improves to 5-1 in bowl games so far this season with Arkansas and Alabama’s national championship still remaining. The Big 12 is 0-4 this bowl season with Kansas State, TCU and West Virginia yet to play.
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