Halloween and Ole Miss football have produced a little bit of everything over the years: legends, heartbreaks, last-second drama and at least one game that probably still gives a few Rebels fans flashbacks.
For whatever reason, when the calendar flips to Oct. 31, things tend to get weird.
Maybe it’s fitting. Halloween is supposed to be about ghosts, scares and stories that get passed down for generations. Ole Miss has a few of those in its own history, especially when LSU is involved.
From one of the most famous plays college football has ever seen to an overtime thriller and a record-setting offensive explosion, the Rebels have managed to experience just about every kind of Halloween trick and treat imaginable.
So, before Ole Miss takes the field for another spooky-season showdown Saturday night against Auburn, let’s revisit the five most memorable Halloween games in program history.
Just be warned: not all of these stories have happy endings. Some of them are still lurking in the shadows.
1. 1959: LSU 7, Ole Miss 3
You can’t tell the history of Halloween football at Ole Miss without starting with Billy Cannon.
The No. 3 Rebels entered Baton Rouge undefeated and led No. 1 LSU 3-0 late in the fourth quarter. Then Cannon fielded a punt at his own 11-yard line and returned it 89 yards for a touchdown, breaking multiple tackles along the way.
Ole Miss still had a chance to win, driving to the LSU 1-yard line before being stopped on fourth down.
Cannon’s return became one of college football’s most famous plays and helped secure his Heisman Trophy.
The good news for Ole Miss? The Rebels got their revenge two months later, beating LSU 21-0 in the Sugar Bowl.
Still, that punt return has been haunting Ole Miss for 67 years.
2. 1964: LSU 11, Ole Miss 10
Apparently, LSU wasn’t finished creating Halloween nightmares for Ole Miss.
Five years after Cannon’s famous return, the Rebels returned to Baton Rouge and suffered another heartbreaking loss.
Ole Miss led 10-3 late in the fourth quarter before LSU scored a touchdown to pull within one point. Rather than kick the extra point and settle for a tie, the Tigers went for two.
Quarterback Billy Ezell connected with Doug Moreau in the corner of the end zone to give LSU an 11-10 victory.
The particularly cruel detail? The conversion happened in nearly the same spot where Cannon had scored his touchdown five years earlier.
At that point, Ole Miss fans probably had every reason to dislike Halloween trips to Baton Rouge.
3. 1998: Ole Miss 37, LSU 31 (OT)
It took nearly four decades, but Ole Miss finally got to deliver a Halloween scare of its own.
The Rebels appeared to have LSU beaten comfortably after building a 31-10 lead in the second half.
Instead, the Tigers scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including a touchdown with two seconds remaining, to force overtime. That’s when Romaro Miller connected with Cory Peterson on a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Peterson briefly bobbled the ball before securing it while falling into the end zone. The extra point was blocked, giving LSU a chance to win with a touchdown and kick, but the Rebels’ defense held.
The 37-31 victory remains the only overtime game Ole Miss has played on Halloween, and it was LSU’s first overtime game in program history.
4. 2015: Ole Miss 27, Auburn 19
The most recent Halloween meeting between Ole Miss and Auburn turned out pretty well for the Rebels.
Hugh Freeze’s 19th-ranked team traveled to Jordan-Hare Stadium and escaped with a 27-19 victory behind a big afternoon from Chad Kelly. The quarterback threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard connection with Derrick Jones and a 21-yard score to Laquon Treadwell.
Auburn had trimmed the Ole Miss lead to 20-19 in the fourth quarter before Kelly found Treadwell to give the Rebels some breathing room.
The victory also accomplished something Ole Miss had never done before: Beat Alabama and Auburn on the road in the same season. That’s a pretty good Halloween treat.
5. 2020: Ole Miss 54, Vanderbilt 21
There weren’t many scares for Ole Miss in its most recent Halloween game.
Instead, the Rebels put together an offensive performance that was downright frightening for Vanderbilt.
Matt Corral completed 31 of 34 passes for 412 yards and six touchdowns in Lane Kiffin’s first season as head coach. Corral began the game with 19 consecutive completions, breaking an Ole Miss record previously held by Eli Manning.
Elijah Moore was just as impressive, catching 14 passes for a then-school-record 238 yards and three touchdowns.
The Rebels scored 21 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 54-21 victory. It remains the most points Ole Miss has ever scored on Halloween.
