Ole Miss, Oklahoma State set to meet in Sugar Bowl showdown

A year ago the Rebels were throttled by a motivated TCU crew in the 42-3 Peach Bowl. It looks like this is a new era of Ole Miss football, one that’s prepared to rival the likes of Alabama and Florida for the foreseeable future.

Ole Miss racked up 392 yards of total offense in the first half to go with 34 points, and then cruised to a 48-20 win over Oklahoma State at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

OSU players and coaches reacted to the Sugar Bowl loss on Twitter.

According to OddsShark, Ole Miss is a 7.5 point favorite. That caught a few people off-guard – including an overwhelmed Oklahoma State defense that had no answer for the Rebels.

Oklahoma State probably wishes that it would field that kind of success in bowl games.

McCaffrey caught a touchdown pass on the opening snap and returned a punt 66 yards for another score while racking up 368 all-purpose yards, propelling No. 5 Stanford (12-2) over sixth-ranked Iowa (12-2). In that same drive, Treadwell broke one of his many records on the night, the single-season record for receptions (78 at the time). Heavy likes Oklahoma State to keep it closer than expected. With two losses, the Rebels still likely wouldn’t have been in the Playoff, but the season could have ended on an even higher note than last year’s New Year’s Six season did.

The coach said a leadership council made up of players C.J. Johnson, Justin Bell, Evan Engram, Trae Elston and Mike Hilton set the curfew for bowl week, and he believes that has worked very well with the team.

Ole Miss (No. 12 CFP) wants to prove that it’s one of the better teams in the country following an up-and-down regular season full of impressive wins and head-scratching losses. With this being the first return trip to the Sugar Bowl for Ole Miss since 1970, the taste is sweet for Rebels fans to come out on top as the Sugar Bowl victor. For this coaching staff to turn a 2-10 team into Sugar Bowl champions in a short period of time, it shows their work ethic and it shows ours.

Both of Ole Miss’ stars won’t admit it now.

The tricks continued when junior left tackle Laremy Tunsil caught a two-yard touchdown pass in the closing moments of the first half to allow the Rebels to take a 34-6 lead into the locker room at halftime. Treadwell also threw a 45-yard pass to Jordan Wilkins on a trick play.

12 Consecutive games with a TD pass for Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly.

When asked about the play, Treadwell said, “We have worked on that play a lot”. He only completed 18-of-31 of his attempted passes for a total of 179 yards. Treadwell’s streak is the longest in the SEC. The Cowboys started the season 10-0 before losing their final two games to Oklahoma and Baylor, but the first 10 games were enough to get them to the New Year’s Six. Here is our preview of the Sugar Bowl.

The Rebels busted the game open early after being tied at three late in the first quarter by ripping of three unanswered touchdowns.

MS wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (1) pulls in a touchdown reception in front of Oklahoma State cornerback Kevin Peterson (1) in the first half of the Sugar Bowl college football game in New Orleans, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016.

Northwestern (10-3) failed in a bid to finish with a school-record 11 victories.

Ole Miss getting this win wasn’t just a milestone for the SEC.

1,004.3 Yards are the combined average gained by Ole Miss and Oklahoma State this season.