Memphis–Ole Miss football rivalry
| First meeting | October 1, 1921 Ole Miss 82, Memphis 0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 17, 2015 Memphis 37, Ole Miss 24 |
| Next meeting | October 1, 2016 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 62 |
| All-time series | Ole Miss leads, 48–11–2 |
| Largest victory | Ole Miss, 92–0 (1935) |
| Longest win streak | Ole Miss, 17 (1921–62) |
| Current win streak | Memphis, 1 (2015–present) |
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The Memphis–Ole Miss football rivalry also known as Mid–South Rivalry, is an American college football rivalry between the Memphis Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels. The rivalry started in 1921. Ole Miss leads the series, 48–11–2.
Contents
Series history
Both teams first met on 1921, and at the time Ole Miss dominated the 16 games, most included blowouts. In 1949 both teams met annually and Ole Miss continued to beat Memphis (except for one tie in 1963), until Memphis finally beat Ole Miss in 1967. A few years later Memphis put up a three-game winning streak against the Rebels and the rivalry got heated. In 1999 the annual rivalry ended. Though both teams still arrange some home and home games. In 2012 they extended the arrangements to four games in row (2014 to 2017).
Notable games
2015: Memphis upsets No. 13 Ole Miss
Ole Miss entered arguably the most anticipated game in Memphis football history as 10.5-point favorites and with a no. 13 ranking in the AP Poll. It didn't take long for Ole Miss's high-powered offense to find the end zone, when wide receiver Laquon Treadwell threw it on a bootleg to Quincy Adeboyejo only twenty seconds into the game from 68 yards out to give the rebels the early 7–0 lead. After the ensuing Memphis drive stalled, Ole Miss received the ball again, and once again, the Rebels found the end zone thanks to their explosive offense. This time, quarterback Chad Kelly found Damore'ea Stringfellow from 23 yards out with 9:44 left in the first quarter to put the rebels up 14–0, in a game that was seemingly turning into a blowout. However, Memphis's quarterback Paxton Lynch demonstrated why he was regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the country when he led the Tigers' offense on a 65-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown on a one-yard pass from Lynch to Alan Cross with 2:12 left in the first quarter. After several drives stalled in the second quarter, Memphis managed to reach the red zone again, but settled for a 23-yard Jake Elliot field goal with 4:20 to go in the half, to pull the tigers to within four. Memphis soon regained possession following a Chad Kelly interception, and effectively moved the ball once again. Memphis found the end zone with 2:52 remaining in the half when Sam Craft ran it in from four yards out. On Ole Miss's next drive, Hugh Freeze boldly decided to go for it on their own 34 yard line, but was unsuccessful. This resulted in Memphis's final touchdown of the half when Paxton Lynch found Anthony Miller from six yards out to put the Tigers up, 24–14, heading into the locker room. Memphis received the ball to start the second half, and it didn't take much for Lynch to put up more points for Memphis when he found Mose Frazier from 31 yards out for another score to put Memphis up 31–14. Ole Miss, desperately needing a score, got the ball back and was finally able to move it the ball efficiently. Chad Kelly found Laquon Treadwell from six yards out to pull the rebels to within ten. Ole Miss soon received the ball once again following a Memphis punt and, with 21 seconds remaining, managed a 24-yard Gary Wunderlich field goal to pull to within seven heading into the final quarter. The fourth quarter didn't see as much action, as both offenses were inconsistent. Memphis kicked a field goal from 42 yards out to go up by two possessions again, and after another Ole Miss drive stalled, got the ball back and tacked on another three point, this time from 27 yards out with 58 seconds left in the game. Ole Miss lost to Memphis for the first time since 2004 and lost to an unranked non SEC opponent for the first time since 1979. Memphis, on the other hand, beat a ranked team for the first time since 1996.
Game results
| Memphis victories | Ole Miss victories | Ties |
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