Ole Miss Holds Large Halftime Lead Over South Carolina in First Road SEC Game

The Ole Miss Rebels came out with a new energy in the first half on Saturday afternoon.

Oct 5, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. (3) attempts to get past South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Judge Collier (20) and defensive back Nick Emmanwori (7) in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

After a crushing loss on a missed kick last week, the Ole Miss Rebels look a lot stronger in their first road SEC game of the season

After being held to a three-and-out to start the game, the Ole Miss defense came out firing, also forcing a three-and-out. South Carolina also did not convert on a fake punt on 4th & 1 to give the Rebels good field position on the next possession.

On the next drive, Ole Miss capitalized when running back Henry Parrish Jr. found the end zone on a three-yard rush with 10 minutes remaining, giving the Rebels a 7-0 lead.

South Carolina was driving on the next possession until quarterback Robby Ashford fumbled, and it was recovered by defensive lineman Walter Nolen.

The Rebels converted on the opportunity as JJ Pegues took a handoff and found the end zone for his third touchdown of the year, giving Ole Miss a 14-0 lead with 5:57 left in the first.

After four drives of punts and turnovers on downs, South Carolina finally broke through with a 40-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 14-3 with 10:08 left in the half.

Ole Miss followed with a drive that got them down to the one-yard line, but a false start sent them back and ended up causing a field goal attempt, pushing the lead back to 14 with 7:16 left.

The Ole Miss defense held strong for the remainder of the half, while the offense capitalized with under a minute remaining with another Pegues touchdown run, doubling his season total.

The Rebels look all-around better this week and carry a 24-3 lead at halftime in Columbia as they look for their first SEC win of the year. You can follow along with live updates on the game here.