Ole Miss storms past Vanderbilt
Published 10:20 pm Saturday, October 14, 2017
- Ole Miss defensive back Javien Hamilton (21) celebrates with teammates C.J. Moore (26) and Myles Hartsfield (15) after intercepting a pass Saturday against Vanderbilt. (Bruce Newman/The Oxford Eagle)
OXFORD (AP) — Shea Patterson was flinging the football all over the field, Jordan Wilkins was running in wide open spaces and the points were jumping on the scoreboard with remarkable speed.
After a three-game hiatus, Ole Miss’ offense was back.
Patterson threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns, Wilkins ran for 113 yards, and Ole Miss dominated Vanderbilt in a 57-35 victory on Saturday.
Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) snapped its three-game losing streak while Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4) has now lost four straight.
“It’s good to be back — put up those numbers, have fun and get us a win,” Ole Miss receiver A.J. Brown said.
Vanderbilt led 14-7 in the second quarter after Ralph Webb ran for two touchdowns, but Ole Miss responded with 28 straight points in less than seven minutes. The offensive avalanche was helped by two Vanderbilt turnovers that gave the Rebels excellent field position.
Ole Miss kept the momentum early in the third quarter, earning a safety after forcing Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur to fumble into the end zone. Less than a minute later, Patterson hit Brown for a 29-yard touchdown pass and a 44-21 lead that put the game out of reach.
Brown caught eight passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. DaMarkus Lodge also caught two touchdown passes as the Rebels finished with 603 total yards. The defense had seven sacks, including three by Marquis Haynes and two by DeMarquis Gates.
“Enjoyed watching our offense get its tempo going and balance going,” Ole Miss coach Matt Luke said. “Obviously, there are some things we can get cleaned up but I’m really excited for our players and our fans.”
Shurmur threw for 174 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Commodores. Webb ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns.