Squirrel nearly upstages Ole Miss as third-quarter dominance keeps them alive

It may have taken a squirrel being cheered as he entered the endzone to change the narrative in this Ole Miss game. The first half was one to forget, aside from the furry critter running 40 yards into the end zone, cheered on by the fans.

Each game is season-defining for the Rebels, and the team came out in the second half, realizing that it wouldn't be today that their season fell apart.

Ole Miss see off Oklahoma thanks to third-quarter display

Ole Miss went into the locker room at halftime 14-10 down to a team with a limited offense due to injuries. However, instead of Oklahoma stepping up against the odds and playing a lights-out offense, the Rebels gifted their opponents yards and points.

The most penalized team in the nation, the defense game up a horse collar penalty and a face mask penalty on back-to-back plays, the first on a third down play that would have seen the Ole Miss defense get the Sooners offense off the field. The offense followed a similar pattern to previous games. A touchdown from their opening drive, then they went into hiding.

Whatever was said at halftime, if anything, worked, as two touchdowns in the third quarter pulled the team away from Oklahoma, alongside the defense stifling their opponents' offense. The Sooners failed to score any points in the final two quarters, with the Ole Miss pass rush stepping up, even with standout defensive lineman Walter Nolen leaving the game with an injury.

The team finished with nine sacks, with sophomore linebacker Suntarine Perkins leading with three. JJ Pegues and Princely Umanmielen had two each. The defensive front feasted after the Sooners' rushing offense had its way with the defense in the first half.

Ole Miss played its best football when it mattered. It was nothing cute like we saw in the first half. It was the basics: don't get penalized, stop the run, and on offense, find your playmakers quickly. It is hard to beat when Ole Miss plays simple football, and the playcalling is good.

You get the win however you can, but next week on the road to Arkansas, Ole Miss needs to be fundamentally sound if it wants to beat a tough Sam Pittman team.