DALLAS (FWAA) The Ole Miss Rebels stole the first win over a top-ranked team in their football history with two late takeaways, and ended a 10-game losing streak to Alabama with a 23-17 win in front of an overflow Vaught-Hemingway Stadium crowd. The Rebels are 5-0 for the first time since 1962, and earned the Big Game National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 4.
The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Phil Savage.
Ole Miss had just tied the game at 17 with 5:29 left when the Rebels' special teams unit made the game-changing play. On the ensuing kickoff return, Ole Miss' Channing Ward stripped the ball free and Kailo Moore recovered at the Alabama 31. Bo Wallace hit running back Jaylen Walton for 10 yards and the go-ahead touchdown five plays later. Cornerback Senquez Golson then clinched the win with an interception in the end zone with 37 seconds left.
"I'm just so proud of our young men," Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said. "You can't lose a game in 30 or 45 minutes. You have to play for 60 minutes and that is something we've preached since we've been here. These are great life lessons. Sometimes you're on the other side of it and it stings and hurts. We've had our share of those. It's a huge win for our program and our fans. It's been a tremendous day."
Alabama's first touchdown gave it a 7-3 lead, and marked the first time all season that Ole Miss had trailed.
Other Big Game National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 4 included:
Arizona (5-0): Terris Jones-Grigsby accounted for a career-high 210 all-purpose yards, including the game-winning touchdown with 2:54 remaining, as Arizona beat then-No. 2 Oregon in Eugene, 31-24. The Wildcats' current six-game win streak is their longest since 1998, and they have beaten ranked Oregon teams in consecutive seasons. Arizona has now defeated an AP-top 10-ranked team in 10 of the last 11 seasons.
TCU (4-0): The No. 25 Horned Frogs stole their share of attention in the day full of upsets, knocking off No. 4 Oklahoma, 37-33. The Big 12 opener was the biggest conference win for TCU since joining the league three seasons ago · TCU was 6-12 in Big 12 games coming into the season. Quarterback Trevone Boykin racked up a career-high 395 total yards, including 318 passing yards, the second-highest total of his career.
Utah (4-1): Andy Phillips hit a 29-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to give the Utes their first road win over No. 8 UCLA, 30-28. Junior quarterback Kendal Thompson came off the bench and was 10-of-13 passing for 95 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 83 yards. Utah sacked UCLA's Brett Hundley 10 times, the second-highest total in school history.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the first season The Big Game Football Factory has presented the award. Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2014 college football regular season, the FWAA will name a National Team of the Week.
Big Game USA is the largest American-owned football factory. Nearly half of all Football Bowl Subdivision programs play with a ball made by Big Game USA. This season, Big Game has introduced gametag, the latest development in football technology. It allows fans an opportunity to own a piece of football memorabilia, but more than that, gametag· offers complete authentication. Currently, four Division I schools (Mississippi State, Navy, Nebraska and Texas A&M) use balls equipped with gametag·. For more information about Big Game USA, visit biggameusa.com or contact Josh Eells at 972-292-0700 or jeells@biggameusa.com.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization
founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For
more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com or 214-870-6516.