# 1977 Ole Miss Rebels football team

The 1977 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Ken Cooper, in his fourth and final season, and played their home games at Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, the Mississippi Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi and Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6 overall, 2–5 in the SEC). In 1978 their record was updated to six wins and five losses (6–5 overall, 3–4 in the SEC) after Mississippi State was forced by the NCAA to forfeit their win over the Rebels for playing an ineligible player.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | Memphis State* | Mississippi Veterans Memorial StadiumJackson, MS (rivalry) | | W 7–3 | 45,500 |
| September 10 | at No. 6 Alabama | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (rivalry) | | L 13–34 | 74,324 |
| September 17 | No. 3 Notre Dame* | Mississippi Veterans Memorial StadiumJackson, MS | | W 20–13 | 48,200 |
| September 24 | Southern Miss* | Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | | L 19–27 | 20,000 |
| October 1 | at Auburn | Jordan-Hare StadiumAuburn, AL (rivalry) | ABC | L 15–21 | 48,000 |
| October 8 | at Georgia | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | | L 13–14 | 56,200 |
| October 15 | South Carolina* | Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | | W 17–10 | 30,100 |
| October 22 | Vanderbilt | Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS (rivalry) | | W 26–14 | 32,300 |
| October 29 | LSU | Mississippi Veterans Memorial StadiumJackson, MS (rivalry) | ABC | L 21–28 | 46,000 |
| November 12 | vs. Tennessee | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN (rivalry) | | W 43–14 | 50,259 |
| November 19 | vs. Mississippi State | Mississippi Veterans Memorial StadiumJackson, MS (Egg Bowl) | | W 14–18 (forfeit) | 46,500 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Game summaries
### Notre Dame

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Ole Miss | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Mississippi
* Date: September 17, 1977
* Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 48,200
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
MISS – Carl Langley 29-yard field goal. Ole Miss 3–0. Drive: 64 yards.
Second quarter
ND – Jerome Heavens 2-yard run (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 7–3. Drive: 8 plays.
MISS – James Storey 10-yard pass from Bobby Garner (Carl Langley kick). Ole Miss 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards.
Fourth quarter
ND – Dave Reeve 44-yard field goal. Tie 10–10. Drive: 5 plays
ND – Dave Reeve 28-yard field goal, 4:53. Notre Dame 13–10. Drive:
MISS – James Storey 10-yard pass from Tim Ellis (Carl Langley kick), 3:13. Ole Miss 17–13. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards.
MISS – Carl Langley 27-yard field goal, 1:44. Ole Miss 20–13. Drive:
Top passers
ND – Rusty Lisch – 11/25, 127 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
ND – Jerome Heavens – 16 rushes, 70 yards, TD
Top receivers
ND – Ken MacAfee – 6 receptions, 69 yards :
Ole Miss gave eventual national champion Notre Dame its only loss of the season.