Rebels overcome slow start, blow out NAU

Alex Henderson’s 3-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter Saturday night pulled Northern Arizona into a 14-14 tie with Ole Miss.

Henderson’s scoring run, his second of the night, apparently served as the Rebels’ wake-up call.

Ole Miss answered with a seven-play, 61-yard touchdown drive, the first of 24 unanswered points as the Rebels pulled away for a 38-14 win.

Ole Miss improved to 6-3, though the Rebels remain one win shy of bowl eligibility. Northern Arizona (5-4) is the second Football Championship Subdivision team Ole Miss has beaten this season. Ole Miss whipped Southeastern Louisiana, 52-6, on Sept. 19 in Oxford. By rule, a Football Bowl Subdivision team can only count one win over an FCS team toward its postseason eligibility.

Ole Miss returns to Southeastern Conference play the next three weeks, starting with next Saturday’s 11 a.m. showdown against Tennessee. Ole Miss closes the home portion of its season on Nov. 21 against LSU before traveling to Mississippi State on Nov. 28 for the annual Egg Bowl game.

Quarterback Jevan Snead threw for two touchdown passes and ran for two additional scores in the win. Snead’s 3-yard touchdown run with 5:46 left in the second quarter gave Ole Miss a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Snead’s 1-yard dive into the end zone with 2:46 left before halftime extended the Rebels’ advantage to 28-14. Then Snead directed a 10-play, 42-yard drive that ended with Joshua Shene’s 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half, sending Ole Miss to the locker room with a 31-14 lead.

Snead and Shay Hodge connected on a 65-yard touchdown pass midway through the third period to expand the gap to 38-14.

Ole Miss scored first. Five plays after Marcus Tillman intercepted Michael Herrick’s first pass of the game and returned it four yards to the Lumberjacks’ 15-yard line, Snead and Hodge connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass.

Northern Arizona answered with an 11-play scoring drive that began late in the first quarter and ended on Henderson’s 5-yard touchdown run with 12:19 to play in the second quarter. Ole Miss regained the lead less than two minutes later when Brandon Bolden broke free for a 45-yard touchdown run.

Snead completed 16 of 29 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Hodge was his leading receiver, catching seven passes for a career-high 169 yards. Bolden led the Rebels’ rushing attack with 85 yards on 10 carries.

Former Ole Miss quarterback Michael Herrick, now in his second season as Northern Arizona’s starter, had some impressive moments for the Lumberjacks against his former team. Herrick was 20-for-31 passing for 233 yards.