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2001 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss football game

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Longest game in NCAA Division I-A history
Commemorative football on display at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta
1234OT2OT3OT4OT5OT6OT7OT Total
Arkansas 07377066688 58
Ole Miss 70377066686 56
DateNovember 3, 2001
Season2001
StadiumVaught–Hemingway Stadium
LocationOxford, MS
RefereeThomas Ritter
Attendance47,464
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersMike Golic, Bill Curry, Dave Barnett

The 2001 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss football game was a college football game played on November 3, 2001, between the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and the University of Mississippi Rebels; it broke a then–NCAA record for the longest football game ever played. The game included seven overtime periods, one of five games to ever do so.[1] The lead went back and forth, with Ole Miss leading in the first quarter. The game was tied at halftime, and in the third quarter Arkansas gained a lead that Ole Miss would not get back until the fourth overtime.[2] The game ended in the seventh overtime period when Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning failed to complete a pass on a two-point conversion play.[2]

Before the game

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Arkansas

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The Arkansas Razorbacks entered the game 4–3, led by 4th-year head coach Houston Nutt. They opened their season on a Thursday night, beating UNLV in Little Rock 14–10. The Razorbacks then dropped three straight SEC contests, first to No. 8 Tennessee, 3–13. Following a week off due to the September 11 attacks, the 1–1 Razorbacks then lost to Alabama and Georgia, both on the road. The Hogs won their homecoming game the next week, beating Weber State 42–19. Now 2–3, Arkansas upset No. 9 South Carolina, and, following their bye week, upset No. 17 Auburn. Those two wins put them at 4–3 going into their contest with Ole Miss.[3]

Ole Miss

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The Ole Miss Rebels entered the game 6–1 under 3rd-year head coach David Cutcliffe. They opened their season with a win at home against Murray State, but dropped their first SEC game on the road to Auburn. Following a 21-day break, the Rebels returned to the field and defeated Kentucky for their first conference win of the season. The Rebels then rose to 3–1 following a road win at Arkansas State. Ole Miss then returned home to face Alabama and Middle Tennessee, defeating them both. In their last game before playing Arkansas, Ole Miss beat LSU on the road, 35–24, to post a 6–1 record.[4]

Game summary

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Game information

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Game Time Weather

Kickoff: 6:06 p.m.
End of Game: 10:20 p.m.
Duration: 4 hours, 14 minutes

Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C)
Wind: NE 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
Weather: Clear skies

Game officials

Tom Ritter (referee), W. Hackett, Jr. (umpire), Lea Rutter (linesman), Al Matthews (line judge)
Dale Keneipp (back judge), Richard Morales (field judge), Jay Vines (side judge)

Scoring summary

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Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP ARK MISS
1 8:20 12 80 5:07 MISS Joe Gunn 1-yard touchdown run, Jonathan Nichols kick good 0 7
2 0:25 13 81 4:00 ARK Cedric Cobbs 2-yard touchdown run, Brennan O'Donahoe kick good 7 7
3 5:37 6 15 0:45 ARK 46-yard field goal by Brennan O'Donahoe 10 7
3 3:00 7 26 0:57 MISS 32-yard field goal by Jonathan Nichols 10 10
4 10:44 15 85 15:34 ARK Mark Pierce 2-yard touchdown run, Brennan O'Donohoe kick good 17 10
4 4:54 13 72 3:56 MISS Jason Armstead 4-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning, Jonathan Nichols kick good 17 17
OT 4 25 ARK Cedric Cobbs 16-yard touchdown run, Brennan O'Donohoe kick good 24 17
OT 7 25 MISS Jason Armstead 11-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning, Jonathan Nichols kick good 24 24
3OT 1 25 ARK Matt Jones 25-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed 30 24
3OT 5 25 MISS Joe Gunn 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass incomplete 30 30
4OT 4 25 MISS Bill Flowers 22-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning, 2-point pass incomplete 30 36
4OT 2 25 ARK George Wilson 24-yard touchdown reception from Matt Jones, 2-point run failed 36 36
5OT 4 25 ARK Matt Jones 8-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 42 36
5OT 4 25 MISS Doug Ziegler 12-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning, 2-point pass failed 42 42
6OT 2 25 MISS Doug Ziegler 15-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning, 2-point run good 42 50
6OT 2 25 ARK Mark Pierce 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good 50 50
7OT 7 25 ARK Mark Pierce 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good 58 50
7OT 9 25 MISS Jason Armstead 4-yard touchdown reception from Eli Manning, 2-point pass failed 58 56
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 58 56

Game statistics

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Team statistics

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Stat Arkansas Ole Miss Stat Arkansas Ole Miss
First Downs 32 28 Fumbles–Lost 1–1 1–1
    Rushing 22 10 Penalties–Yards 4–40 4–16
    Passing 10 17 Punts–Yards 5–188 5–181
    Penalty 0 1     Avg per Punt 37.6 36.2
Total Offense 531 457 Time of Possession 33:34 26:26
    Rushing 370 145 3rd Down Conversions 16/26 7/17
    Passing 161 312 4th Down Conversions 3/3 2/2
Rushing Att–TD (Avg.) 80–7 (4.6) 50–2 (2.9) PATs–Attempts (2pt–Attempts) 3–3 (1–5) 3–3 (2–5)
Passing Comp/Att (TD–Int) 12/26 (1–1) 27/42 (6–0) Field Goals–Attempts (Long) 1–2 (45) 1–1 (32)

Game leaders

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Team Category Player Statistics
Arkansas Passing Zak Clark 9/20, 100 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Fred Talley 23 car, 113 yds
Receiving George Wilson 8 rec, 105 yds, 1 TD
Ole Miss Passing Eli Manning 27/42, 312 yds, 6 TD
Rushing Joe Gunn 31 car, 102 yds, 2 TD
Receiving Bill Flowers 7 rec, 97 yds, 1 TD

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kay, Stanley (October 7, 2017). "Western Michigan beat Buffalo in Seven Overtimes". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Arkansas 58, Ole Miss 56 (7 OTs)". olemisssports.com. University of Mississippi Athletics. November 3, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  3. ^ "2001 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule and Results". sports-reference.com. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  4. ^ "2001 Ole Miss Rebels Schedule and Results". sports-reference.com. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  5. ^ "Arkansas vs. Ole Miss - Box Score". espn.com. ESPN. November 3, 2001. Retrieved October 13, 2017.