Quinshon Judkins turned 19 on Saturday morning.
That night, in case there was any doubt, the freshman from Pike Road, Ala., proved he’s already very much a man.
Judkins rushed for 205 yards on 34 carries, leading the 15th-ranked Rebels to a 31-28 victory over Texas A&M.
“He’s the best running back in college football,” Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart said.
With the win, Ole Miss improved to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the Southeastern Conference, a great spot to enjoy a much-needed open date before a November finish that includes home games against No. 6 Alabama and Mississippi State sandwiching a Nov. 19 trip to Arkansas.
Texas A&M fell to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the SEC.
Dart was 13-for-20 passing for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Dart also rushed 17 times for 95 yards. Zach Evans added 75 yards rushing on eight carries. Ole Miss rolled up 530 yards of total offense, including 390 on the ground.
“This is a tough place to play,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. “I’m proud of our players to win on the road and get to the bye. We’re really banged-up. …It’s a really cool group.”
Texas A&M had 480 yards of total offense, including 338 through the air. Conner Weigman was 28-for-44 passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns. Devon Achane led the Aggies with 25 carries for 138 yards.
Ole Miss scored on its opening possession, driving 75 yards on seven plays, capped by Dart’s 18-yard pass to a wide-open Dayton Wade.
Texas A&M responded immediately, driving 77 yards on eight plays, culminating with Weigman’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Moose Muhammad III on fourth-and-1.
After the Aggies got a stop, Texas A&M took the lead, driving 81 yards on just six plays. Weigman’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Evan Stewart finished the drive, giving the Aggies a 14-7 lead with 4:16 left in the first quarter.
Weigman completed his first six passes, good for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
The rest of the half was a series of gambles from both teams. Ole Miss went for it on fourth down twice late in the first quarter, converting a fourth-and-5 from the Aggies’ 29 with a seven-yard pass from Dart to Jonathan Mingo. Later on that drive, the Rebels went for on fourth-and-3 from the 15 but Dart lost three yards to give the Aggies possession.
Early in the second quarter, Texas A&M went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Ole Miss 34. Weigman’s pass to Stewart in the flat lost two yards when AJ Finley broke it up.
Midway through the second quarter, Kiffin really rolled the dice. Facing a fourth-and-4 from the Ole Miss 16, the Rebels dialed up a fake punt. Former high school quarterback JJ Pegues took a direct snap and just barely got the needed yardage. Ole Miss made the gamble pay when that drive ended with Jonathan Cruz’s 46-yard field goal with 3:33 left in the half, cutting the Aggies’ lead to 14-10.
Ole Miss drove 94 yards on 13 plays on its first second-half possession. The Rebels took advantage of three third-down penalties on the Aggies and finally scored on third-and-goal from the Aggies’ 1, getting a touchdown pass from Dart to Casey Kelly to claim a 17-14 lead with eight minutes left in the third quarter.
After getting a stop on the Aggies’ ensuing possession, the Rebels took a commanding lead with an eight-play, 85-yard touchdown drive. Dart’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Mingo, who played a huge role as a blocker on the entire drive, gave Ole Miss a 24-14 lead with 1:02 left in the third quarter.
Texas A&M pulled to within 24-21 on Weigman’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas with 9:11 left.
Judkins answered with his longest run of the season, 61 yards, to set up Ole Miss’ answer. Judkins rushed for 61, 12, 1 and 1 yards to extend the Rebels’ lead back to double digits. The last of those runs came with 7:18 to go, pushing Ole Miss to a 31-21 advantage.
Texas A&M drove 80 yards on 10 plays, capped by Weigman’s 7-yard TD pass to Achane, to pull the Aggies within 31-28 with 1:25 left.
Texas A&M got a stop after utilizing a conventional kickoff, forcing Ole Miss to punt with 1:05 left. Fraser Masin’s 60-yard punt, however, pinned the Aggies on their own 8 with 54 seconds left.
The Aggies gained just seven yards on four plays. Weigman’s final throw sailed high, giving Ole Miss the victory.
Notes:
— With tight ends Michael Trigg Jr. out with a broken collarbone and with Kelly limited due to injury, Ole Miss opened the game with a four-wide set, using Wade, Jonathan Mingo, Malik Heath and Jordan Watkins at wide receiver with Judkins and Dart in the backfield.
— Mingo lined up as a tight end at times in the first quarter, showing versatility his size allows.
— Troy Brown (shoulder) didn’t start at linebacker but he did enter the game on Texas A&M’s second possession. Ole Miss went with Ashanti Cistrunk and Khari Coleman at linebacker to open the game.
— Zach Evans, who did not play at LSU last week, entered the game for Ole Miss on the Rebels’ second possession. Evans appeared to come up gimpy on his second carry, but he did re-enter the game.
— Ulysses Bentley IV once again played very sparingly Saturday. Bentley did not get a carry but he was on the field for a handful of snaps as he recovers from a broken hand.
— Tavius Robinson was called for targeting with 1:44 remaining Saturday on a hit on Weigman. The call was overturned. While Robinson was still penalized for roughing the passer, having the targeting penalty removed means he won’t miss the first half of the Alabama game on Nov. 12.
