Unfortunately, that quarter was the third and came after a terrible first half. After digging themselves out of a 15-0 hole, the Aggies (7-3, 4-3 SEC) had a chance to pull the game out, but two critical turnovers handed the game back to Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 SEC) in a 29-19 defeat. They threw the ball 41 times while only rushing 26 times against the nation's 108th-ranked running game.

The numbers were not pretty: 10 penalties for 85 yards; 408 yards of offense allowed in the first half; a safety and a pick-six. The Aggies came out flat and never fully gained their footing in any phase of the game.

"I didn’t like the poise we played with early in the game on both sides of the ball," coach Jimbo Fisher said.

The Aggies didn't show much poise at all early on, as Ole Miss roared right down the field on a 9-play, 58-drive that consumed just two minutes to take a 3-0 lead. After the Aggies did almost nothing with the football on their first possession, Ole Miss took the ball 94 yards in 14 plays, largely on the legs of running back Jerrion Ealy (24 carries, 152 yards). Quarterback Matt Corral (24-37, 247 yards, 1 TD) hit wideout Dontario Drummond for a 2-yard touchdown pass on 4th and goal and it looked like the rout was on.

"We gave up too many yards early. In big games like this, you can’t do that," defensive back Antonio Johnson said.

The Rebels were in scoring range as the first quarter expired with Ole Miss already up 10-0, but the Aggie defense forced a turnover on the first play of the second quarter. Defensive end DeMarvin Leal hit Corral from the blindside, forcing a fumble at the A&M 26 that defensive end Tyree Johnson recovered at the Aggie 31. But, again, the offense sputtered and was forced to punt after picking up just one first down.

Ole Miss charged down the field yet again, getting the ball down to the A&M 1 when safety Demani Richardson sniffed out a quarterback run by Corral and forced a fumble. The scramble that ensued cost the Rebels 18 yards, and Ole Miss had to settle for a 32-yard field goal to go up 13-0.

After another weak offensive effort, the Aggie defense stood up again. Ole Miss moved then ball 78 yards from their 21 to the Aggie 1-yard-line yet again, but failed to score on five shots from the goal line. On the final play, cornerback Tyreek Chappell tackled tight end Casey Kelly for a loss of a yard, giving the ball back to the Aggies at their 2 with 4:05 to go in the first half.

Disaster struck on the next play, as running back Isaiah Spiller (12 carries, 41 yards) was caught in the end zone for a safety to make the score 15-0.

"It couldn’t get any worse," offensive lineman Kenyon Green said. "They’d played their best and it was 15-0. If we’d played halfway decent, it would have been a different game."

The Aggies played better than halfway decent after halftime, outgaining Ole Miss 138-35 in the third quarter. With multiple completions to wideouts Demond Demas and Caleb Chapman -- including a targeting call and ejection of Ole Miss safety Jake Springer for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Demas -- quarterback Zach Calzada (24-41, 237 yards, 2 INT) moved the Aggies into field goal range, and Seth Small converted from 30 yards out to make it 15-3.

After forcing an Ole Miss three and out on their next possession, the Aggie offense finally got into the end zone for the first time in seven quarters behind the legs of Devon Achane (12 carries, 110 yards, 2 TD). Achane carried the ball 3 times for 48 yards on the drive, the final carry being a 24-yard scoring dash on 3rd and 6.

Ole Miss looked like they were in position to take command of the game again on their next possession, but the Aggies forced Ealy to fumble twice on the same play on a 2nd and 9 from the A&M 33, which led to an 8-yard loss. After a 2-yard loss on 3rd and 17, the Rebels were forced to punt again.

The Aggies could do nothing with the ball, giving Ole Miss another opportunity. After an incredibly weak personal foul call on Chappell moved the Rebels inside the Aggie 30, A&M forced an incompletion on 3rd and 3 from their own 22. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin then decided to attempt a fake field goal with holder Mac Brown, who came up well short of the first down.

A 27-yard completion to Jalen Wydermyer and an 18-yard strike to Ainias Smith moved the Aggies quickly down to the Ole Miss 35, where Calzada lofted a 1st down pass down the sideline to Demas, who was in single coverage with corner Miles Battle. The ball went through the hands of Demas, and A&M was forced to settle for a 43-yard field goal by Small to cut the lead to 15-13.

All the momentum had shifted to the Aggies, especially after Antonio Johnson stuffed Drummond on a wide receiver screen for a 4-yard loss on 3rd and 6 at the A&M 39, forcing a punt.

Two plays later, A&M began to self-destruct again. Calzada fired a pass to Demas at the 18 that he bobbled and was picked off by Ole Miss linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk. Two players later, Snoop Connor ran the ball in from 13 yards out to put Ole Miss up 22-13.

"It was just self-inflicted wounds," Fisher said.

The biggest wound came on the next possession, as Calzada attempted to force a 3rd and 10 pass in to Smith and was intercepted by safety AJ Finley, who returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. The Aggies would answer back with a 9-yard touchdown run from Achane, but failed to score on a 2-point conversion or recover the ensuing onside kick, dooming the chances of a comeback.

"After all that, we got ourselves back in a position to win the game," Fisher said. "We had chances to win the game and do the things we needed to do and didn’t do it."