The 2001 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss football game was a
college football game played on November 3, 2001, between the
University of ArkansasRazorbacks and the
University of MississippiRebels; 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
quarterbackEli Manning failed to complete a pass on a
two-point conversion play.[2]
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]
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
Game information
Game Time
Weather
Kickoff: 6:06 p.m. End of Game: 10:20 p.m. Duration: 4 hours, 14 minutes
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)