The Ole Miss Rebels will lament the Sunday they wanted to play the Oklahoma Sooners.
Ole Miss was the only team in college football this week that could not get to its destination in time to play on Saturday, but it was the Sooners who were forced to suffer by either forfeiting their home game or welcoming the Rebels a day later than planned. A nationwide ground stop by the FAA caused travel delays for the entire country on Friday, but every other team was still able to play on Saturday.
Rescheduling the game from Saturday to Sunday meant playing on a cold and rainy day in Norman, but it was the Rebels who drowned in the downpour and finally paid for their sins on this Sunday.
The miserable conditions actually favored the Sooners in a 24-17 win to improve to 6-4 and become bowl-eligible for the 28th year in a row. It was also the first time this season that OU put together back-to-back wins.
Safe flight 👋 pic.twitter.com/GreFKNiMoZ
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 15, 2026
"Everybody was a little irritated with the situation on this behalf," OU quarterback John Mateer said during his postgame interview with SEC Network. "I know that's been pretty open. But it was so fun. What's better than playing in the cold and the rain? That's what you do as a little kid. Your mom tells you to get back inside. It's fun."
Sooners offense thrived in poor weather conditions to benefit from Rebels' travel delays
The conditions could not have been worse inside Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and that is exactly why OU head coach Brent Venables deemed them perfect during his halftime interview with SEC Network.
Nothing changed for the Sooners, with interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten leading the offense for the second time. Just like the Sooners did last week in sunny Florida, they controlled the clock to smother Ole Miss' defense, while their own defense did the same to the Rebels' offense.
OU possessed the ball for 36:31, compared to Ole Miss with a 23:29 time of possession. The Sooners had three scoring drives of more than 10 plays and six minutes. The only other time OU scored was Isaiah Sategna's 75-yard punt return in the first quarter that gave OU an early 14-0 lead that the Rebels could never overcome with a corroded passing game.
The Sooners accomplished that by running the ball 49 times for 188 yards. Mateer led the backfield with 16 carries for a season-high 70 yards, plus his first rushing score of the season. He did not do much through the air with only 111 passing yards, but he did not need to. He was also efficient, completing 10 of his 19 passes with no turnovers for the fourth game in a row.
THE SWAGGER IS BACK pic.twitter.com/AJvRVm0x9W
— Stormin In Norman (@StorminInNorman) November 15, 2026
"The weather early was tough," Mateer said. "Hard to throw the ball. We knew it was gonna be (the) running game, and they did it."
Ole Miss had the same issues but was not built for the moment like the Sooners. The Rebels were able to play when they wanted, but still could not do anything they wanted to.
Without star running back Kewan Lacy, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss could not overcome the loss with his arm, throwing for a career-low 127 yards. He was able to make plays with his legs, rushing for 84 yards, but that still was not enough for an Ole Miss offense designed around Chambliss' arm.
The entire day revolved around the Rebels and their needs, but in the end, a Sunday with college football was all about the Sooners. Now, Ole Miss heads back to Oxford right on schedule.
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