College Football, if nothing else, can be highly entertaining, given the contemporary personalities involved. On another #CheckerNeyland night in Knoxville, we had upstart Josh Heupel, whose 2021 Tennessee team runs a “Don’t Blink” offense and - on the other side - the now venerable Lane Kiffin, who left the Vols for “Greener Pastures” in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 2009. While wondering from whence the chants “Let’s Go Kiffin” were emanating, there was a football game to be played, and like the coaches, this one was entertaining. For many in the stands, the entertainment eventually turned into indignation.

This game went down to the last play, and the visiting Rebels survived, 31-26.

The first sellout of since 2015 brought together a frenzied crowd of 102,455 in a electric setting for the upstart to attempt an upset. Ole Miss put the first points on the board early in the first quarter, but it wasn’t easy. After a fourth down try was successful, the Rebels were stopped by a holding penalty, then punted. Tennessee’s Velus Jones, Jr., muffed the punt near the 10 yard line, and the visitors recovered, punching the ball into the end zone with a Snoop Conner run, making the score 7-0 after Caden Costa’s conversion.

The first quarter offensive onslaught that marked Tennessee’s two previous SEC wins wasn’t happening against the Rebels. In fact, in the eyes of many, the defense produced the first touchdown. Tyler Baron scooped up a Matt Corral fumble on another 4th down try and rumbled 50 yards for the apparent score, only to have the run negated by a ruling that the Ole Miss quarterback’s forward progress was stopped while he was retreating backward to pass. This questionable call set the stage for the fourth quarter histrionics.

But there was a game to be played between those two moments, and Tennessee’s defense did indeed score before the offense, pressure causing Corral to ground the ball in the end zone while in the grasp of Omari Thomas, making the score 7-2. The Vols offense clicked on all cylinders following a 27 yard return of the safety kick by Jimmy Holiday to the Rebs’ 49. Three plays later, Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker hit Cedric Tillman on a 16 yard slant pass for what proved to be Tennessee’s only lead of the game following Chase McGrath’s PAT, a 9-7 advantage. Mississippi tacked on a Costa field goal, making the score 10-9 at the first break.

At times in the second quarter, it appeared that Ole Miss would run away from the Vols, especially on the legs of Heisman trophy candidate Corral, who torched the Vols for 195 yards rushing on 30 carries in the game. Two Rebs’ TDs made the score 24-9, and last year’s Vols would have folded, with fans exiting the stadium by halftime. 2021’s resilient bunch wouldn’t let that happen. Tennessee managed a 39 yard McGrath FG as time expired after Kiffin attempted to ice him with three consecutive time outs. The fans persistent boos portended the drama that was to follow at the end of the game.

A dedicated VOL fan. Image by Tom Mabry

Tennessee came out strong in the third stanza, marching 77 yards in 8 plays with Jabari Small scoring the touchdown on a one yard run. Now, the game was on with the Mississippi lead cut to 24-19. Ole Miss scored again via a Dontario Drummond 16 yard pass from Corral, and Tennessee’s Hooker then found his own running legs, scoring from five yards with out to make the score 31-26 with 13:41 left in the game.

The teams traded fourth quarter jousts into each other’s territory as players on both teams fell a seemingly endless series of injuries and cramps which served to further delay the long contest with seemingly interminable gamesmanship. The Vols defense managed to keep Ole Miss off the board, but struggled again with their offense, even while supported by a rare Corral interception by Trevon Flowers.

Nevertheless, Tennessee had their chances to win. A fourth and 24 pass from Hooker to Jacob Warren that was ruled just short of a first down caused yet another delay. The officials reviewed the play, as many of the Vols’ faithful - after watching the replay on the Jumbotron - believed without a doubt that Warren had extended the ball past the Ole Miss 40 yard line for a first down with 54 seconds remaining.

The disputed call was the impetus for what occurred next, when a veritable melee ensued and countless beer cans and other debris rained down on the field and into the stands, including a golf ball that ostensibly hit Kiffin and even a mustard bottle that struck the field. Countless warnings from the public address announcer went unheeded, as the Ole Miss team retreated away from the sideline to avoid the projectiles.

While many sober observers believed that the game would be suspended at this point, after twenty minutes the game remarkably resumed, and Tennessee wasn’t finished. After stopping Ole Miss and causing a punt that Jones returned 40 yards, Tennessee managed to get to the Ole Miss 8 yard line on a Joe Milton run as time expired, Hooker having been injured two plays previous. Ole Miss escaped in more ways than one with its final five point margin.

While Heupel was obviously disappointed with the loss, and the fans reaction to the loss, he was buoyed by his team’s unrelenting effort. The task will not be any easier next week, as Tennessee travels to Tuscaloosa to meet a top 5 Alabama team. Kiffin’s team heads for a showdown at Arkansas. He is probably happy to have survived the barrage that greeted him in Big Orange Country.