No. 11 Mississippi rallies for 38-35 win over Texas A&M
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 04: Quinshon Judkins #4 of the Mississippi Rebels carries the ball during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 04, 2023 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin For
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Quinshon Judkins ran for three touchdowns, including the game-winner from a yard out with 1:40 remaining, and No. 11 Mississippi rallied to defeat Texas A&M 38-35 on Saturday.
Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1 SEC, No. 10 CFP) preserved the win on the final play as Zxavian Harris tipped Randy Bond's 47-yard field-goal attempt for the Aggies (5-4, 3-3).
The Rebels remained in second place in the SEC West race with their fifth consecutive win.
Judkins, who had 102 yards rushing on 23 carries, capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive to give the Rebels the decisive margin. Jaxson Dart was 24 of 33 for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Tre Harris caught 11 passes for for 213 yards, including an 11-yard TD.
Max Johnson, 31 of 42 passing for 305 yards, rallied the Aggies from a 31-21 fourth-quarter deficit, scoring on a 1-yard run for a 35-31 lead with 4:34 left. He also threw a 28-yard TD pass to Jake Johnson but had a pass intercepted in the end zone.
MORE: Texas A&M Aggies Coverage
The Rebels got scoring runs of 9 and 6 yards from Judkins to build a 20-14 halftime lead.
Jahdae Walker led Texas A&M with eight receptions for 100 yards and Amari Daniels had 70 yards on 12 rushes with a 1-yard touchdown.
A&M's Le'Veon Moss left with an injury in the second half after running nine times for 52 yards and a touchdown.
SPECIAL TEAMS TURNAROUND
Texas A&M, trailing 14-0 midway, kept the game close thanks to a big play on special teams.
After Ole Miss had a 12-yard touchdown run erased by a holding penalty, Shemar Turner blocked Jacoby Mathews' 41-yard field goal attempt and returned it for a 75-yard touchdown to make it 14-7.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas A&M: The road losing streak extended to nine games and the Aggies are 0-4 against ranked teams. The Aggies still have to play at No. 13 LSU but otherwise have a manageable schedule and could still win eight games.
Mississippi: This marked the fourth time the Rebels overcame a second-half deficit to win.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The No. 11 Rebels have spent most of the season as the third-highest ranked among six SEC teams in the Top 25. They have a chance to move up depending on how teams ahead of them fare.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M: The Aggies host Mississippi State next Saturday to open a two-game homestand.
Mississippi: The Rebels visit No. 1 Georgia on Saturday.