Matt Corral, Dontario Drummond Lead Ole Miss to Dominant Win over Louisville
The Ole Miss Rebels started their 2021 season with a marquee nonconference win.
Ole Miss defeated the Louisville Cardinals 43-24 in Monday's clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to improve to 1-0 on the campaign. Matt Corral, Snoop Conner and Dontario Drummond led the way for the Rebels, who were without Lane Kiffin after the head coach announced he tested positive for COVID-19.
The Cardinals were never in a realistic position to win and did not get off to an ideal start as they look to bounce back from a 4-7 season in 2020.
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Ole Miss Flashes on Both Sides of the Ball
Monday's game was not without its problems, as numerous targeting reviews brought it to a crawl and Louisville looked like a team that is nowhere near ready to compete for a spot in the ACC title game out of the Atlantic Division.
But Ole Miss flashed the potential to drastically improve on last season's 5-5 effort.
The offense wasn't exactly surprising. Corral returned at quarterback after throwing for 3,337 yards last year, as did playmakers such as Jerrion Ealy and Drummond to give him no shortage of weapons. The lightning-fast no-huddle offense was on full display and overwhelmed Louisville's defense throughout the victory.
Ealy got the scoring started with a short touchdown run, Corral found the end zone with his legs in the second quarter, Drummond scored and exploited openings up the seam and downfield while tormenting the Cardinals secondary, and Conner scored twice—the second of which saw him run over a defender.
Louisville was caught flatfooted multiple times and had to choose between creeping toward the line of scrimmage to slow the rushing attack or sitting back in an effort to stop the quick-hitting passes. The result was a game that was essentially decided by intermission.
The defense of Ole Miss may have been more encouraging than the offense.
After all, the offense impressed last year for a team that scored 48 points against Alabama, 48 points against LSU and 35 points against Florida. But the Rebels lost all three of those games by giving up more than 50 points, and overall they allowed more than 30 points in seven of their nine regular-season games.
The defense was under the spotlight as a result and answered the bell by holding the Cardinals scoreless in the first half and not giving up the touchdowns and significant yardage until late in the second half when the game was already largely decided.
Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham led his team in passing, rushing and receiving yards at halftime, and that was more a testament to Ole Miss' defense than his individual brilliance since he had just 17 passing yards and nine receiving yards. Deantre Prince also picked off a Cunningham pass in the second quarter to set up a touchdown and help break the game open.
Games against Alabama and Texas A&M will prove more challenging than one against Louisville, but the defense provided reason for optimism for Ole Miss.
What's Next?
Both teams are in action Saturday when Ole Miss hosts Austin Peay and Louisville hosts Eastern Kentucky.
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