College Football

Ole Miss Rebels dominate Louisville Cardinals: Top moments from Atlanta

Updated Sep. 7, 2021 12:07 a.m. ET

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After an action-packed weekend, Week 1 of the 2021 college football season wrapped up on Monday night in Atlanta.

Ole Miss started off their season on a high note as the Rebels defeated Louisville 43-24 in a Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game that saw four players ejected for targeting in a 24-minute stretch.

Heisman Trophy contender QB Matt Corral, who burst onto the scene last year as a sophomore with 33 combined touchdowns and almost 4,000 yards of total offense, made his 2021 season debut without head coach Lane Kiffin, who did not travel after testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.

Corral went 22-for-32 for 381 yards and one touchdown – marking his 13th straight game with a passing TD.

On the other side, the Cardinals' dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham struggled to find a rhythm early. Louisville hasn't won an away game since 2019 after finishing 12th in the ACC last season with a record of 4-7, going 0-5 on the road.

Here are the top moments from Monday's matchup.

Ole Miss 43, Louisville 24

The Rebels got the party started early with a quick touchdown run from star running back Jerrion Ealy.

For more up-to-date news on all things Rebels, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

In the final minutes of the first, Rebels' senior linebacker Mark Robinson was ejected for targeting.

Heading into the second frame, Louisville trailed Ole Miss by nine.

The Rebels kept their momentum going strong in the second frame, but Corral had a close call when he collided with Louisville linebacker Monty Montgomery, who was ejected for targeting on this play.

Three plays later, Corral ran it in six yards for a touchdown to put Ole Miss up 16-0 early in the quarter.

As the Rebels kicked off, Louisville had a second player ejected, this time LB Tabarius Peterson.

Midway through the frame, Deantre Prince picked off Cunningham's pass and returned it 15 yards to Louisville's territory …

… Which set up a Snoop Conner touchdown run, and just like that, the Rebels found themselves up 23-0.

And just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another ejection, Ole Miss' Lakia Henry got the boot after this play.

With 44 seconds to play before the break, Louisville fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Ole Miss, who got straight to work pushing downfield.

The Rebels settled for a field goal to close out the half, which saw Corral go 13-for-20 for 252 yards through the air, while Cunningham was held to just 17 yards passing on 13 attempts, although the Cardinals' QB leads all players on the ground with 54 rushing yards.

The teams traded field goals to start the third quarter, as Louisville avoided the shutout. In the final two minutes of the frame, Cunningham found Braden Smith for the Cardinals' first TD of the game.

For more up-to-date news on all things Cardinals, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

As the fourth quarter began, Louisville trailed Ole Miss 29-10 …

… But it wasn't long before the Rebels extended their lead, thanks to this must-see score from Conner.

Louisville responded with a score of its own, as Cunningham ran it in midway through the frame.

Then, Corral connected with Dontario Drummond for this six-yard touchdown, as Ole Miss jumped ahead 43-17. 

As the final minutes ticked down, Cunningham got in one last score for Louisville, and things ended there. 

For more up-to-date news on all things college football, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

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Ole Miss Rebels

Matt Corral

Malik Cunningham

Louisville Cardinals

Jerrion Ealy

Monty Montgomery

Tabarius Peterson

Mark Robinson

Snoop Conner

Lakia Henry

Deantre Prince

Braden Smith

Dontario Drummond