COLUMN: Painful Loss For Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin Overshadows Judkins’ Big Day

Ole Miss saw a big performance from its true freshman running back, but it ultimately fell short against Alabama.

OXFORD, Miss. — In the first half, it appeared that the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels were on their way to a massive win over the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide that would keep them alive in the hunt for the SEC West crown.

It was in that first half that Rebels freshman running back Quinshon Judkins tied and broke the school record for most rushing touchdowns in a season with scores 14 and 15 for him on the year. Both of Judkins’ scores came via direct snaps to him in the shotgun, and he plowed ahead to pay dirt.

Once the final whistle sounded on his 100-plus-yard day, however, his team was on the wrong end of the scoreboard in a 30-24 loss to Alabama.

The second half offensive performance from the Rebels did not appear nearly as neat as the first half, and despite having a shot to win the game with a minute left to play, Ole Miss suffered its second loss of the season and saw its hopes of reaching the SEC Championship Game shatter with it.

“We came here to win,” Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin aptly said in his postgame press conference. Having a big day from what has become his star running back is all well and good, but that’s not the box Kiffin came into Saturday hoping to check off. He wanted to beat Alabama, and that mark was missed.

Sure, Ole Miss still has a legitimate shot at finishing the regular season at 10-2. That’s a remarkable sentence in itself considering the roster turnover from a year ago, but for Lane Kiffin, the goal is to win each week.

This Saturday, he missed that chance, even as his running back continued his tear through the SEC. Now, his focus shifts to a road date with the Arkansas Razorbacks next Saturday followed by hosting the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving Night.

Two more chances and a bowl game remain for the Rebels this season, but Saturday's loss will likely sting for a while.

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You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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