The Ole Miss–Vanderbilt football rivalry, also known as the Khaki Bowl, is an American college football rivalry between the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi and Vanderbilt Commodores football team of Vanderbilt University.
Notable games
1894: First game
The 1894 Vanderbilt Commodores won the first game in the rivalry, 40–0. The game was cut short due to darkness.
1900: Vanderbilt wins in the rain
The SIAA champion Vanderbilt team beat Ole Miss in the rain to open the season, 6–0, with a touchdown scored by George McLean. Ole Miss fumbled on Vanderbilt's 10-yard line, recovered by Walter H. Simmons.
1903: Bob Blake stars
In 1903, Vanderbilt beat Ole Miss 33–0. Vanderbilt was led by Rhodes Scholars John Tigert and Bob Blake, and Blake ran for touchdowns of 75, 60, and 30 yards.
1904: McGugin's first season
Vanderbilt Hall of Fame coach Dan McGugin is the first and only coach to win the first three games he coached by 60+ points. The third game for 1904 SIAA champion Vanderbilt was against Ole Miss, 69–0. "Ole Miss was buried under a stack of twelve touchdowns." According to Fuzzy Woodruff, "The whole South read that 69–0 score and gasped."
1906: Easy win, McGugin's first onside kick
Vanderbilt's SIAA champion 1906 team was one of the early south's greatest, beating Ole Miss 29–0, which was held to −6 yards. The game included McGugin's first onside kick.
1910: Vanderbilt keeps it close to the vest
SIAA champion Vanderbilt was set to play rival Georgia Tech in two weeks, and Tech coach John Heisman was a field judge for the Vanderbilt-Ole Miss game. So Vanderbilt was reluctant to show much, and won 9–2 thanks to a 90-yard punt return touchdown by Ray Morrison. The first points in the rivalry for Ole Miss were a safety when Bill Neely mishandled a punt and booted it out of the endzone.
1911: Vandy decisively beats good Ole Miss team for SIAA title
The 1911 Ole Miss team was one of the school's best early teams, but lost 21–0 to Vanderbilt, which thus clinched an SIAA championship. "This was easily the greatest southern game of the season".
In the second quarter, a long trick pass was caught by Ammie Sikes, who ran to Ole Miss's 5-yard line. Ray Morrison then got the score. Later, starting deep in his own territory, Morrison had a 70-yard run on a fake punt, going out of bounds at the 30-yard line. On the next play, Lew Hardage started around left end, then reversed right, and was again crowded out, reversing field back around left end. He seemed to break a tackle by every Ole Miss player. Zach Curlin also made an 18-yard drop kick.
1915: Green apples fuel Commodores biggest win
The "point-a-minute" SIAA champion 1915 Vanderbilt Commodores defeated Ole Miss 91–0, the largest margin of victory in the history of the rivalry. Vanderbilt's train on the way to the game was halted near Dickson by a wreck ahead of it, and the players complained about the lack of food on the train. The team's manager James Stahlman foraged through neighboring orchards near the tracks and picked three or four hatfuls of green apples. Rabbit Curry ate several of them, and proceeded to score six touchdowns and kick eight extra points against Ole Miss.
1925: One of the rivalry's toughest games
In 1925, Vanderbilt won 7–0 in a muddy game. Gil Reese scored the touchdown, and Kitty Creson's punting proved the difference.
1939: Ole Miss's first victory
Ole Miss defeated Vanderbilt 14–7 in 1939, securing its first victory in the history of the rivalry. Vanderbilt won the first 19 meetings against Ole Miss and 16 by shutout, holding the Rebels to a total of 16 points.
1947: Both teams ranked
In 1947, #10 Vanderbilt faced #18 Ole Miss, and won 10–6.
1961: Ole Miss wins in a blowout
Ole Miss dominated the rivalry from 1953 to 1990. Their biggest margin of victory was 47–0 in 1961.
1974: Vanderbilt's first defeat of Ole Miss at home since 1950
The 1974 Vanderbilt Commodores defeated Ole Miss 24–14, the first win over Ole Miss at Dudley Field since 1950.
1990: Ole Miss edges Vanderbilt
Ole Miss missed two field goals and beat Vanderbilt in a close game by only one point, 14–13.
1991: Vanderbilt wins with a field goal
In 1991, Vanderbilt won 30–27 when Jeff Owen hit a 42-yard field goal with 22 seconds left, set up by an interception off Ole Miss quarterback Tom Luke.
1999: Vanderbilt wins in overtime
The 1999 Vanderbilt Commodores beat Ole Miss 37–34 when Greg Zolman hit Elliott Carson for an 8-yard touchdown pass in overtime.
2004: Ole Miss field goal in overtime
After trailing Jay Cutler and Vanderbilt 23–10, Ole Miss led a comeback, winning 26–23 with a field goal in overtime.
2012: Jordan Rodgers leads comeback
The 2012 Vanderbilt Commodores trailed 23–6 early in the third quarter, but quarterback Jordan Rodgers led a comeback, culminating in a 26-yard touchdown pass with 52 seconds remaining for a 27–26 victory.
2013: Ole Miss comeback in season opener
Ole Miss led a comeback on opening night to defeat Vanderbilt 39–35. Running back Jeff Scott broke a long run for a touchdown with a minute left in the game.
2018: Vanderbilt wins in overtime
Kyle Shurmer threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kalija Lipscomb to beat Ole Miss in overtime 36–29.