‘I knew we were going to score’: Calmness and confidence fueled Ole Miss during its final drive

Staring at a two-score deficit with less than nine minutes to go and the season seemingly already lost before the calendar turns to October the Ole Miss offense was not feeling the same sense of panic the rest of the record crowd at Vaught-Hemingway was experiencing on Saturday.

Trailing by nine points in the fourth quarter the No. 20 Rebels scored 15 points in the final five and a half minutes to beat No. 13 LSU, 55-49, in an all-time classic.

You may ask yourself, ‘Self. How does an Ole Miss offense manage to make a rarely seen comeback in that fashion?’ The answer is boiled down to one word — calmness.

From quarterback Jaxson Dart to wide receiver and hero Tre Harris there was a sense of calm amongst the Ole Miss offense when it huddled up for that game-winning final drive. Dart connected with Harris for a 13-yard touchdown for what ended up being the final score and winning play.

Calmness was the theme of the day long before Dart huddled his teammates at their 12 yard-line needing at least a field goal and less than three minutes on the clock.

“I woke up today an I had a soothing calmness over me,” Harris said. “Usually, I’m amped up for the game but I was extremely calm the entire day. I just came into the game ready to play against a couple of guys I knew, playing against my home state (team) and everything like that. I just came into the game prepared, ready and calm.”

The zen-like approach worked as the Ole Miss offense put up video game and record-shattering numbers.

Saturday’s point total of 55 was the most points scored against an Associated Press-ranked team in school history. The 706 total yards of offense was the sixth-most in program history and the fourth game under head coach Lane Kiffin with at least 700 yards.

But stats were not on the mind of Dart, Harris or anyone on the Ole Miss offense. When that final drive came about there was a sense among the 11 players huddled together.

“I just thought we had an overwhemling amount of confidence, moving the ball all game long,” Dart said. “I just think it was really cool, before I even went out for the huddle on the sideline I knew we were going to score. I looked in everybody’s eyes just to see how determined they were and focused, also just calm.”

Calm continued to be the common thread postgame from Dart, Harris and even running back Quinshon Judkins who returned to form with nearly 200 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Entering this week the question was can this Ole Miss team avoid the slippery slope last year’s team did not after the loss to Alabama.

Staring down a second-straight loss in the Southeastern Conference it had the feeling that another long year was waiting for Kiffin and Ole Miss. Instead the confidence put the Rebels season back between the ditches and the final two drives could be remembered as season-savers when all is said and done.

“My storyline is this. Not all the points and everything,” Kiffin said. “It’s down two scores in the fourth quarter, easy to give in. Not fluke plays. Guys had to drive the length of the field twice. Had to stop (LSU) and then stop them again. Which we did. When they threw to us and dropped the interception the games over, but we still stopped them. Just proud of these guys.”

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