Ole Miss–Tennessee football rivalry
![]() | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for sports and athletics. (June 2025) |
First meeting | November 15, 1902 Tennessee, 11–10 |
---|---|
Latest meeting | October 16, 2021 Ole Miss, 31–26 |
Next meeting | TBD |
Trophy | None |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 66 |
All-time series | Tennessee leads, 44–21–1 |
Largest victory | Tennessee, 49–0 (1922) |
Longest win streak | Tennessee, 12 (1902–35), (1984–2005) |
Current win streak | Ole Miss, 2 (2014–present) |
The Ole Miss–Tennessee football rivalry is an American college football rivalry game between the Ole Miss Rebels and Tennessee Volunteers.[1][2][3]
History
[edit]The two schools first played in 1902, with Tennessee winning 11–10. They would go on to play for all but 9 times between 1927 and 1991 (1939–1941, 1943, 1952–1955, 1970–1971).[4] Ole Miss is Tennessee's 4th most played all time behind only Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Alabama. Tennessee is the 7th most played opponent for the Rebels behind Mississippi St, LSU, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tulane. Similar to the Auburn–Tennessee rivalry, the SEC expansion in 1992 ended the yearly meetings as Tennessee and Ole Miss were placed in opposite divisions.[2] Each team had two permanent cross division opponents from 1992 to 2002, with the Vols getting Alabama and Arkansas, while Ole Miss drew Vanderbilt and Georgia.[5] This rivalry has mostly been played in November, with only 17 of the 66 meetings between the two being played in a different month. Many times, the games have been played in Memphis, an area with significant ties to both schools. Tennessee leads the all-time series 44–21–1.[6]
The two sides have played several memorable games. The 1962 meeting, a 10–0 victory for Ole Miss, featured an all-out brawl between the sides at the end of the game.[7] In 1969, UT fans wore buttons to the game emblazoned with the phrase "Archie Who?" to mock Archie Manning.[8][9] Ole Miss subsequently defeated the Vols 38–0 and inspired the creation of a famous song called "The Ballad of Archie Who."[10] The Manning family again ignited the rivalry when Archie's son Peyton chose to attend Tennessee over Ole Miss.[11][12] In 1996, Manning faced a raucous Ole Miss crowd in Memphis in his first game against the Rebels, leading the Vols to a dominant 41–3 win.[13][14] In 2021, the matchup featured the return of former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin to Neyland Stadium.[15] Kiffin, now the head coach of Ole Miss, had coached Tennessee for one year before infamously departing to become the head coach of USC.[16] #13 Ole Miss came out with a close win by a score of 31–26 after the game was delayed by fans throwing debris toward the Ole Miss sideline in the 4th quarter.[17]
Game results
[edit]Ole Miss victories | Tennessee victories | Tie games |
|
Game results sources:[18][19][20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Why Tennessee football has room for a new rivalry, and Ole Miss fits the bill".
- ^ a b "Tennessee-Ole Miss: The all-time series".
- ^ "Married couple celebrates love amid Ole Miss and Tennessee rivalry". 16 October 2021.
- ^ "Winsipedia - Tennessee Volunteers vs. Ole Miss Rebels football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Emerson, Seth (30 April 2023). "Grudges, politics and gentlemen's agreements: The chaotic history of SEC scheduling". The Athletic. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Winsipedia - Tennessee Volunteers vs. Ole Miss Rebels football series history". Winsipedia. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ "Throwback Thursday: Ole Miss vs. Tennessee". Saturday Down South. October 16, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Tennessee pissed off Archie Manning and paid the price". 18 June 2020.
- ^ "Answer to a foolish question". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com.
- ^ "Fights overshadow last undefeated Ole Miss vs UT game". wbir.com. 14 October 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ "Knoxville News Sentinel Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts".
- ^ "How Peyton Manning came to choose Tennessee over Ole Miss". 8 February 2016.
- ^ "Tennessee vs Ole Miss Box Score, October 3, 1996". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "'This one is special' - The Knoxville Focus". Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Play between Tennessee and Ole Miss halted as fans throw debris on Neyland Stadium field". USA Today.
- ^ "Kiffin leaves Tennessee after 1 year for USC". ESPN.com. January 13, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Ole Miss 31-26 Tennessee (Oct 16, 2021) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ "Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy Football History vs University of Tennessee".
- ^ "Football History vs University of Mississippi".
- ^ "Mcubed.net : NCAA Football : Series Records : Tennessee vs. Mississippi".