Corral leads Ole Miss past Arkansas 31-17 in an SEC opener

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Matt Corral threw for 246 yards, including a pair of touchdown passes to Elijah Moore, and Mississippi defeated Arkansas 31-17 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams Saturday night.

Corral finished 16-of-24 passing, with Moore accounting for scoring receptions of 2 and 46 yards, as the Rebels (1-1, 1-0) rolled up 483 yards of offense. Scottie Phillips added scoring runs of 1 and 26 yards and finished with a game-high 143 yards rushing. The defense had 13 tackles for loss, including three sacks, led by Jacquez Jones with nine tackles.

“I thought Corral was good. He looked much more comfortable this week,” Ole Miss coach Matt Luke said. “It was great to see Elijah make plays, too. This is an important win for us. We played our hearts out tonight.”

Arkansas (1-1, 0-1) stayed within striking distance at 17-10 in the third quarter on a 69-yard fumble return for a touchdown from Kamren Curl. Quarterback Nick Starkel, who replaced Ben Hicks in the second half, had a 6-yard touchdown pass to Koilan Jackson in the final two minutes.

“It’s hard to win in the SEC on the road. It’s really hard when you make as many mistakes as we did tonight,” Arkansas coach Chad Morris said. “It’s frustrating to walk back in that locker room. Now, it’s about a response.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Arkansas: It was a disappointing continuation of SEC woes. The Razorbacks have lost 12 consecutive conference games and are 1-17 since November, 2016, the final season under former coach Bret Bielema. The defense, highlighted by Curl’s brilliant individual play, wore out in the final quarter. The offense took a huge step backward and had only one trip to the red zone while the issue was in doubt, capped by a 36-yard field goal by Connor Limpert.

Ole Miss: After closing last season with five consecutive SEC losses, winning the league opener was crucial. A roster filled with newcomers and underclassmen, along with two new coordinators – Rich Rodriguez on offense and Mike MacIntyre on defense – appears to be meshing as coach Matt Luke predicted. The new-look units may not be ready to challenge the SEC heavyweights yet, but the encouraging conference win indicates the Rebels are trending up in a drive for bowl eligibility.

UP NEXT

Arkansas: The Razorbacks play the next three games at home, beginning with Colorado State on Saturday.

Ole Miss: The Rebels host Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday in the second game of a three-game home stand.

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