Bo Wallace finally found Donte Moncrief, and while it did not save Ole Miss from disaster on the Plains, it is at least something to build on going into next week.
The No. 24 Rebels (3-2, 1-2 SEC) lost 30-22 to Auburn (4-1, 2-1) at Jordan-Hare Stadium, their second loss in as many weeks.
Ole Miss trailed for the duration of the game, and was down 20-6 at halftime. But the Rebels clawed back to within spitting distance of the Tigers because their quarterback and No. 1 receiver reignited a connection. Moncrief caught six passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, both in the second half.
Moncrief entered Saturday’s game with pedestrian numbers for a receiver mentioned as an early-round NFL draft pick if he chooses to leave after his junior season: 17 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
And he had only three catches for 22 yards in the first half Saturday. But then Wallace threw up a pass with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter, and Moncrief found an extra gear and ran it down for a 49-yard touchdown. That made the score 27-16 and broke a six-quarter streak without a touchdown for the Rebels.
Later, with the ball on the Ole Miss 49, Wallace threw it deep to Moncrief again, this time for a 38-yard gain. And when the next play, a wide receiver screen, went to Moncrief, he barreled his way to the end zone.
Moncrief has said that teams consistently double-cover him, using a safety over the top to deny him the deep ball. But Auburn stuck with man coverage, giving him one-on-one matchups that he has consistently exploited.
“They were just playing one-on-one with Donte, and Donte was just making great plays,” Wallace said.
Moncrief did not speak to the media after the game. It was his fifth career 100-yard receiving game, which puts him fourth in school history.
Wallace finished 25-of-48 passing for 336 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions and six sacks. Early in the first half he found a consistent target in senior Ja-Mes Logan, who caught five passes for 92 yards.
But coach Hugh Freeze focused at the end of the game on the passes that were not caught — six were dropped, he said. And down by eight with three minutes to go, Wallace and his receivers could not get on the same page.
“There were two possessions where our receiver and Bo were totally on opposite pages,” Freeze said. “Thought they saw a signal and didn’t give them a signal. It was backed up (in the end zone) pretty loud, but we got to be on the same page there.”
Freshman receiver Laquon Treadwell caught four passes for 45 yards, and running back Jeff Scott came out of the backfield for four receptions for 28 yards. Wallace completed passes to eight receivers.
There should, theoretically, be an opportunity to get on the same page next week. Texas A&M’s secondary has struggled this season to stop top wide receivers, and even average ones.
