# 2001 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss football game

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. 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. 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.

## Before the game
### Arkansas

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.

### Ole Miss

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.

## Game summary
### Game information

| 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

Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | 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. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 58 | 56 |
* Source

### Game statistics

* Source

#### Team statistics

| 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

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