Rebels With A Cause: Ole Miss Drubs OSU In Sugar Bowl

The Cowboys never had a chance.

Ole Miss, the unpredictable, yet talented team that lost by 28 points to Florida but won at Alabama, showed up to send a message. The Rebels put the pedal to the metal and ran right over Oklahoma State 48-20 on Friday night in the Sugar Bowl.

Things fell apart quickly after OSU opened things up with a field goal to go up 3-0. Ole Miss exploded on a 34-3 run to close the first half, mostly thanks to quarterback Chad Kelly and superstar receiver Laquan Treadwell. Kelly tossed for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, while Treadwell hauled in a pair of touchdowns to increase the margin. Treadwell also threw a 45-yard pass to Jordan Wilkins on a trick play and finished the game with three touchdown receptions.

The final nail in the Cowboys’ coffin came on the final play of the half. With five seconds remaining, Kelly and the Rebs ran a trick play that resulted in offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil catching a lateral and cruising into the end zone from two yards out.

OSU couldn’t protect quarterback Mason Rudolph at all, nor could they run it. The Pokes finished the half with -1 rushing yard on 13 carries. The Cowboys’ defense, decimated by injuries, was outmanned.

One bright spot for the Cowboys was senior quarterback J.W. Walsh. Walsh, who entered the game with 24 total touchdowns and just one interception as a situational threat, played most of the second half in his final college game. Walsh threw for 124 yards and led OSU with 74 rushing yards and the team's only two touchdowns. By comparison, the rest of OSU's roster rushed for -11 yards.

The Cowboys finish a surprising and encouraging season at 10-3. The Pokes started 10-0, including a statement win over Trevone Boykin and TCU, before the wheels came off in their final three games. This was Mike Gundy's second trip to what was previously known as a BCS bowl, now a New Year's Six bowl. The Cowboys beat Andrew Luck and Stanford in 2011.

The Rebels finished this thing up with 554 total yards, 207 of those on the ground. Ole Miss also finishes at 10-3.