Antonio Morales

The Clarion-Ledger

OXFORD — In all honesty, the play was so miraculous it’s almost a shame it goes down in the record books as only a first down.

The historical scales, however, show Arkansas’ 4th-and-25 conversion against Ole Miss last year weighs much more than that.

Not only did it impact the outcome of that contest, turning a certain Rebels win into a 53-52 overtime loss, but it was the defeat which ultimately kept Ole Miss from winning the SEC West Division and earn its first trip to Atlanta for the conference championship.

It was a play and a game that came up again this week as the 13th-ranked Rebels prepare for their meeting with No. 22 Arkansas in Fayetteville on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN).

“Somebody asked me what was the most exciting play you ever had in your career? I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s been so many of them,’” Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said.

“Then they said what is the most negative play in your career? And immediately that play came to my mind because of the magnitude of what it meant.”

The play and its significance won’t be forgotten anytime soon, so as the rematch approaches The Clarion-Ledger caught up with those involved directly — and indirectly — with it and let them tell their stories of 4th-and-25.

***

The 2015 matchup between Ole Miss and Arkansas was wild well before the fourth-down conversion.

A 17-17 game at halftime eventually morphed into a back-and-forth shootout, which went to overtime tied at 45 only after Rebels defensive back Tony Bridges blocked a field goal attempt at the end of regulation.

Chad Kelly’s 8-yard touchdown run put Ole Miss ahead 52-45 in overtime. Defensive end Marquis Haynes’ sack and forced fumble of Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen eventually led to Arkansas’ 4th-and-25 predicament.

Former Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry (San Diego Chargers): “Everyone was just kind of shocked we were in that situation at all. At first, everybody’s eyes were big.”

Former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen (Jacksonville Jaguars): “Going into it, you want to get the ball past the first-down marker, but it’s tough (against) a prevent defense and all that.”

Former Ole Miss linebacker C.J. Johnson (defensive line assistant coach, East Mississippi Community College): “Force him out of the pocket, make him throw the ball, tackle and the game is over.

“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve practiced that situation. That exact same situation, not exactly 4th-and-25, but we’re backed up and somebody is going to have one shot to win the game. Or a Hail Mary situation. We practiced that literally every single Thursday. Every Thursday we practiced it, every Thursday.”

***

Henry’s assignment called for him to run a short crossing route, while Arkansas’ other three receivers ran verticals. When asked, realistically, what option he was on the play, Henry made no mistake about it: “last.”

The Rebels rushed three, including Johnson, who lined up at defensive end. And those three linemen were able to move Allen off his intended launch point.

Former Ole Miss safety Mike Hilton: “We were just playing it safe on the defensive side. We knew they had 25 yards to go, so we just wanted to make sure we kept everything in front of us.”

Those other three receivers didn’t get open, so Henry, who was the last option, became the only option.

Allen: “The ball took longer than I thought for it to get there. So I thought he might have a chance with breaking a tackle and getting there (to the first-down marker).”

Henry caught the ball 10 yards short of the first-down spot, which was at the 15-yard line, where he was met by Bridges, who wrapped him up and was about to seal the win.

Wommack: “I stood up in the press box. I’m sitting down and usually pretty calm — you know it had been a tough night as it is. When he threw it and I saw we had him wrapped up, I stood up. I didn’t quite have my hands up above my head, but I was headed that way.”

Ole Miss nose tackle D.J. Jones: “I turned around and was jumping, and everybody was still looking (at the field). Nobody was celebrating. I was like, ‘Oh man, what’s going on?’”

Chaos had ensued.

***

Henry: “(A lateral) was not even on the (coaching staff’s) radar. I kind of made that up on my own.

“I thought about it before the play — I knew where I was going to end up obviously before the play … I knew if I got hit quick and couldn’t make the first guy miss, I would have to do that. I thought about it before the play and that split-second decision kind of kicked in.”

Before Bridges brought Henry to the ground, the tight end threw a desperate lateral backwards into the air on track to land somewhere near the original line of scrimmage where Johnson, Haynes and fellow defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche were waiting.

Allen: “I saw the ball fly in my direction, and I tried to back away from it a little bit, hopefully someone faster (than me) picked it up.”

Johnson: “I thought I was going to grab it and the game was going to be over.”

Except for one problem, 6-foot-10 Arkansas offensive lineman Dan Skipper got a paw on the ball and changed its trajectory.

Johnson: “The ball went, literally, not even an inch over my fingertips.”

Henry: “He used all 6-foot-10 of him. It was basically like a jump ball in basketball. It was very critical because the defensive line were all going after it, and he tipped it to the perfect dude.”

The perfect dude was Razorbacks running back Alex Collins, who was blocking on the play but picked up the ball two yards behind the original line of scrimmage, which was the Rebels’ 40-yard line.

Ole Miss play-by-play man David Kellum: “I’m thinking, well they’re still way back there. Then you realize who has the ball. Then as this thing is developing, I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is Alex.’”

Collins picked up the ball, had a convoy of blockers and not many Rebels in front of him as he ran upfield, near the sideline opposite of Henry’s catch.

Wommack: “We’ve always taught our guys to chase the football … our guys were chasing it like a son of a gun. There was nine of them on that side of the hash.”

Allen: “I was kind of behind it all, so I was able to see all of that. Somehow, it all worked out where all our guys were on one side of the field and throwing blocks for him. It kind of looked like we drew it up.”

Ole Miss safety Zedrick Woods: “I guess God just blessed him.”

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema: “That's when I think divine intervention did happen. I'm a believer and Hunter's father is a pastor so I knew it had something to do it as well. He happened to heave it to the tallest guy in the field who was Skipper who tapped it to the fastest guy in the field who was Alex.”

Collins took the ball and raced 31 yards downfield. He wasn’t touched by an Ole Miss defender until he had already passed the first-down marker.

Henry: “I was on the ground, gradually getting up and kind of watching the play from afar. It was unreal, crazy.”

Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram: “I was on the sidelines; it was bad. I just remember it was bad. I jumped out on the field thinking it was over and then kept running. It was just a bad play, bad moment.”

Hilton: “Physically, we were still all right. Mentally, we were just shocked.”

Johnson: “It was just Ole Miss luck for me. It was like, ‘Wow, this is the most Ole Miss thing I’ve ever seen in my life.’”

***

The Razorbacks were able to take advantage of a shell-shocked Rebels defense and score on a 9-yard Allen touchdown pass two plays later.

Henry: “We all felt it. We all knew we were going to go for two also … the whole game we felt great offensively. We felt good as an offensive team that we were going to put it in and close it out.”

Allen rolled out to pass on the two-point conversion but was met by Haynes again the backfield, who sacked him, which should have put an end to the game.

But Haynes grabbed Allen’s facemask, which gave Arkansas yet another life.

Wommack: “On the two-point play, I thought it was over, too. So I did that stupid move twice in the game.”

The Razorbacks made the most out of the extra chance.

Allen: “That was just a designed QB run … I was going to do whatever I could to get to the end zone there.”

Allen scored on the second attempt, which put an end to the game for good, and gave Arkansas a 53-52 overtime victory.

Johnson: “I sat in the locker room for about an hour after the game and didn’t take my stuff off. Like, wow. How could this happen?”

***

The two-point conversion sent Alabama to the SEC title game in December and eventually into the College Football Playoff where it would claim the national championship a few weeks later.

Allen: “I know we had a lot of 'Bama fans after that.”

Ole Miss went on to win the Sugar Bowl, which is nothing to scoff at, but the pain and agony from that play, and that loss, can still be sensed today.

Engram: “I would say that and the Auburn game my sophomore year, Laquon’s (Treadwell) game, the way that game ended sucked too. Arkansas is definitely No. 1 (toughest loss) because of the implications that were in that game. That was by far the toughest one for sure.”

Kellum: “It would have to be in the top-five most frustrating (games), I would think. With all the games I’ve done through the years in the three sports, that was pretty frustrating. It was one of those helpless feelings. It’s not like we did anything wrong, it just actually worked out for Arkansas.”

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze: “If I ever see the end of that game it still makes me sick and it should. You’re a competitor and you wanted to finish that game and you didn’t.

“It’s not fun to watch it again if I have to. I try not to.”

Wommack: “At this level, (it’s) one play I’d like to forget, but never will.”