Matt Corral Throws 2 TDs as Ole Miss Upsets No. 11 Indiana in Outback Bowl

Lane Kiffin's first season with the Mississippi Rebels ended on a high note thanks to their thrilling 26-20 victory over the 11th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in the Outback Bowl on Saturday. 

Matt Corral engineered the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. His three-yard touchdown pass to Dontario Drummond provided the difference after Indiana tied the game by scoring 14 unanswered points. 

Ole Miss was given a postseason berth despite finishing the regular season fifth in the SEC West standings and with a 4-5 record. The team rebounded from a 1-4 start to win three straight games before a loss to LSU in the season finale on Dec. 19. 

Saturday's win marks the Rebels' first victory over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since November 2017 (Mississippi State). 

Despite the loss, Indiana finished the season with its best winning percentage (.750) since 1967. Head coach Tom Allen, in his fourth full season with the program, has the Hoosiers headed in the right direction. 

Notable Game Stats

• Matt Corral, QB (Ole Miss): 30-of-44, 342 yards, 2 TD; 7 carries, 37 yards
• Henry Parrish Jr., RB (Ole Miss): 17 carries, 63 yards; 2 receptions, 19 yards
• Snoop Conner, RB (Ole Miss): 6 carries, 43 yards, TD; 2 receptions, 9 yards
• Dontario Drummond, WR (Ole Miss): 6 receptions, 110 yards, TD
• Jack Tuttle, QB (IU): 26-of-45, 201 yards, INT; 9 carries, 26 yards
• Stevie Scott III, RB (IU): 19 carries, 99 yards, 2 TD; 2 receptions, 34 yards
• Whop Philyor, WR (IU): 18 receptions, 81 yards

Rebels Ride Corral's Big Game to Victory

In his first season as Mississippi's full-time starting quarterback, Corral had his share of ups and downs. The sophomore threw for 2,995 yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions coming into the Outback Bowl. 

The two most encouraging signs for Corral developing into a star were his high touchdown total and a 71.3 completion percentage on 10.6 yards per attempt. 

Corral's last image from the regular season was a rough one, as he threw five interceptions against LSU in a 53-48 loss. He did a terrific job of redeeming himself Saturday with no turnovers. The California native also engineered two long touchdown drives that put the Rebels ahead by 14 early in the third quarter. 

The first touchdown drive went 76 yards in 18 plays over six minutes. It included two third-down conversions and two fourth-down conversions. Corral capped it off with a five-yard touchdown pass to Casey Kelly. 

On their first possession of the third quarter, the Rebels went 87 yards in 12 plays to take a 20-6 lead. Corral accounted for 36 of those yards, including a seven-yard run on 3rd-and-7 to keep the drive alive. 

Snoop Conner had the big play immediately after Corral's run when he went for 33 yards to set up a 1st-and-goal from Indiana's 4-yard line. He found the end zone on the next play. 

Some missed opportunities by the offense allowed Indiana to stay close. Luke Logan had one field-goal attempt blocked before halftime and missed a 38-yarder early in the fourth quarter. 

Indiana tied the game midway through the fourth quarter on Stevie Scott III's two-yard touchdown run. 

With the Rebels looking for a spark, Corral came to life by going 4-of-4 for 58 yards. Dontario Drummond caught the go-ahead touchdown with 4:12 remaining. Special teams failed the team once again, as Logan missed the extra point. 

Once the offense did its part, the defense had to get one final stop to secure the win. Indiana was able to drive into Rebels territory, but the drive stalled after Jack Tuttle's final attempt on 4th-and-18 was broken up when he was pressured by Quentin Bivens. 

This season was the first step on Kiffin's journey with the program. There are still plenty of areas for the Rebels to improve, especially if they want to compete with the SEC's heavy hitters, but this was a positive way to cap off his debut year. 

Hoosiers' Comeback Bid Falls Short

For three quarters, the Outback Bowl looked like it was going to be a disappointing end to the season for Indiana. 

The offense was expected to take a step back without quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who tore his ACL on Nov. 28 against Maryland. The defense did most of the heavy lifting in their 14-6 win over Wisconsin in the regular-season finale. 

Sophomore Jack Tuttle was making just his second career start against Mississippi. The offense had just 131 yards and three points in the first half. 

The Hoosiers finally found their stride in the fourth quarter. They had two separate 80-yard scoring drives to tie the game at 20. Tuttle had 89 of the team's 160 yards, leaving Stevie Scott III to do a lot of the work.

Scott scored both touchdowns and had 53 of his 99 rushing yards on those two late drives. 

Even though Indiana's comeback bid came up short, there's no way to describe this season as anything but a success for the program. 

The Hoosiers' only loss during the regular season was by seven points to an undefeated Ohio State team that's playing Alabama in the College Football Playoff Championship Game. 

Time will tell if Allen can get Indiana to compete with the Buckeyes on a yearly basis, but right now there's nothing stopping this program from hanging with second-tier Big Ten teams like Wisconsin, Penn State, Northwestern and Iowa in 2021.