Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss: Score and Reaction for 2016 Sugar Bowl

An MVP night like Eli’s dad, Archie, had the last time Ole Miss played in the Sugar Bowl in 1970, and he’ll be in Rebel lore forever.

The game started off slowly, with Oklahoma State opening the scoring via a Ben Grogan field goal after Chad Kelly was intercepted on the game’s opening possession. Ole Miss was able to get its tempo running game going late in the first and matched that field goal to know things up at three after about 10 minutes. Kelly threw back to his left tackle, Laremy Tunsil who was wide open and strutted into the end zone.

Chad Kelly’s evolution has made Ole Miss’ offense much more unsafe entering this game. Kelly found the star wide receiver for a 14-yard touchdown, Treadwell’s third of the game, to make it 48-13.

Kelly was chosen the game’s Most Valuable Player after throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Laquon Treadwell.

Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph started the game hot, but was eventually replaced by J.W. Walsh.

One of those touchdown catches came in the second quarter to help give Ole Miss a 17-3 lead. In the receiving end, Laquon Treadwell and Quincy Adeboyejo accumulated 1,663 yard sand 15 touchdowns.

“You can’t worry about the last play”, said Kelly, who was named the game’s most outstanding player.

Gundy said Rudolph wasn’t the same quarterback in the Sugar Bowl after trying to come back from a foot injury that required surgery in November.

It wasn’t a ideal throw, and the big man had to nimbly adjust his route when the ball was in midair, but it eventually fell into his hands and he jogged untouched 2 yards for the touchdown as the Rebels ended the first half with a stunning exclamation point. He became the all-time leader in receptions in school history, passing Chris Collins, and also set a single-season Ole Miss record for receptions, per Hugh Kellenberger of the Clarion-Ledger. Senior offensive lineman Justin Bell said he took the trip to heart and thinks the team can actually apply what they learned from the veterans on Friday. He’s also run for 427 yards and 10 touchdowns.

If you are looking for your 2016 Heisman Trophy frontrunner, look west. Christian McCaffrey set a Rose Bowl record with 361 all-purpose yards as No. 6 Stanford pounded No. 5 Iowa, 45-16, in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day.

They were serenaded by thousands of Ole Miss fans in the Superdome stands yelling “One more year” as the team celebrated on the field amid a trophy presentation. The dual-threat quarterback ran 12 times for 48 yards, including a highlight-reel burst around right end in which he dove for his second TD after picking up a bobbled snap and tight-roping his way up the sideline to make it 31-6 early in the fourth quarter. “He let us know that this year he was definitely going to hold us accountable, that we were going to play with pride, and it showed tonight”.

Running back Jordan Wilkins rushed for a 36-yard touchdown with 4:26 left in the third quarter to extend the lead to 41-6, giving the Rebels 41 of the previous 44 points scored.

“We couldn’t slow them down from big plays on offense”, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. Ole Miss was 2-0 against Oklahoma State in recent bowl games, winning the 2004 and 2010 Cotton Bowls….

OSU faced eight plays in which it needed just one or two yards for a first down.

For Ole Miss, it appears that is not an issue leading up to the 2016 Sugar Bowl.