Ole Miss brought the opening weekend of college football to a close on Monday night with a 43-24 victory over Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In a game that was never truly in doubt, the Rebels jumped out to a 26-0 lead by halftime and never looked back. Their dominant effort came with coach Lane Kiffin away from the team following a positive COVID-19 test, which made it all the more impressive for a program looking to take a step forward after last season’s 5-5 campaign during Kiffin’s first year.
Navigating the rigors of the SEC will bring challenges that Louisville could not provide, but Ole Miss demonstrated clear defensive improvement. Offensively, it picked up exactly where it left off last year with star quarterback Matt Corral lighting up the Cardinals’ defense. The redshirt junior led two touchdown drives of at least 90 yards in the first half as the Rebels built an insurmountable lead. He finished the evening with 381 yards passing and a touchdown.
The whistle you hear after your head hits your pillow tonight is the Ole Miss – Louisville refs penalizing you for targeting pic.twitter.com/U7s3QkhuII
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 7, 2021
COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
What a great start!
Tailgating. Marching bands. Student sections. Full stadiums. Unrivaled passion and energy. What an opening weekend—and the good news is we have ONE more game tomorrow night in Atlanta.
Ole Miss and Louisville!— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 6, 2021
