LEXINGTON, Ky. — Ole Miss’ 2011 football season went from bad to worse Saturday afternoon thanks to another second-half letdown that led to a 30-13 win for the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium.
In a game where the Rebels (2-7 overall, 0-6 in the Southeastern Conference) finally scored in the third quarter, and actually had a lead heading into the fourth, mistakes made in the final quarter proved costly. Ole Miss was outscored 20-0 in the fourth and after totaling 314 yards of offense in the first three quarters, the Rebels were held to just 78 yards the rest of the way.
The Rebels’ defense wasn’t much better as it allowed true freshman quarterback Maxwell Smith, starting his first game in placed of injured Morgan Newton, to complete 4 of 8 passes for 110 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown to La’Rod King to put the Wildcats ahead for good at the 12:22 mark.
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said Smith has the ability to throw a good deep ball despite his inexperience and that King, who beat freshman standout Nick Brassell to score the touchdown, was open because of the defensive call that was on at the time. (November 7, 2011, Page 1B)
