For Ole Miss football, Halloween has brought plenty of tricks, a few treats and at least one nightmare that Rebels fans would probably prefer to forget.
Yes, we’re talking about Billy Cannon.
But the infamous punt return against LSU in 1959 is hardly the only interesting thing to happen when Ole Miss takes the field on the last day of October.
The Rebels have played 16 games on Halloween throughout their history, compiling an 8-7-1 record. There have been heartbreaking losses, dramatic victories, an overtime thriller and even a tie.
LSU has been responsible for most of the drama, although Auburn has played a role, too.
That makes Saturday’s matchup with the Tigers particularly interesting. Ole Miss will be playing its 17th Halloween game and its third against Auburn. But the Rebels have never beaten Auburn on Halloween.
Before the Rebels and Tigers add another chapter, here’s a look back at more than a century of Halloween football.
Every Ole Miss football game played on Halloween
- 1908: at Tulane — L, 10-0
- 1914: at Ouachita — L, 7-0
- 1919: vs. Union — W, 25-6
- 1925: at Vanderbilt — L, 7-0
- 1936: at Centenary — W, 24-7
- 1942: vs. Memphis State — W, 48-0
- 1953: at LSU — W, 27-16
- 1959: at LSU — L, 7-3
- 1964: at LSU — L, 11-10
- 1981: vs. LSU (Jackson) — T, 27-27
- 1987: vs. LSU (Jackson) — L, 42-13
- 1992: vs. LSU (Jackson) — W, 32-0
- 1998: vs. LSU — W, 37-31 (OT)
- 2009: at Auburn — L, 33-20
- 2015: at Auburn — W, 27-19
- 2020: at Vanderbilt — W, 54-21
Halloween fast facts
- Overall record: Ole Miss is 8-7-1 in 16 games played on Oct. 31. Saturday’s matchup against Auburn will be No. 17.
- The most frequent opponent: LSU has faced Ole Miss seven times on Halloween, more than any other school. The series is tied 3-3-1 in those games.
- A familiar Halloween opponent: Auburn has faced Ole Miss twice on Oct. 31. The Tigers won 33-20 in 2009, while the Rebels returned the favor with a 27-19 victory in 2015. Both games were played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, making Saturday’s matchup the first Halloween meeting between the teams in Oxford.
- A long stretch of LSU: From 1953 through 1998, Ole Miss played seven consecutive Halloween games against LSU. That’s 45 years of Halloween appearances featuring the same opponent.
- A rare Halloween in Oxford: Saturday will be just the fourth time Ole Miss has played a Halloween game in Oxford. The previous three were against Union in 1919, Memphis State in 1942 and LSU in 1998. The Rebels won all three.
- The only tie: Ole Miss and LSU played to a 27-27 tie in Jackson in 1981. LSU’s David Johnston kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired to prevent a Rebel victory.
- The biggest Halloween blowout: Ole Miss hammered Memphis State 48-0 in 1942, its largest margin of victory on Halloween. The Rebels also shut out LSU 32-0 in 1992.
- The first Halloween game: Ole Miss made its Halloween debut in 1908, losing 10-0 at Tulane in New Orleans.
- A Friday night oddity: Of the 16 previous Halloween games, 15 were played on Saturdays. The lone exception came in 1919, when Ole Miss defeated Union 25-6 on a Friday.
- The most points: Ole Miss scored a Halloween-record 54 points against Vanderbilt in 2020.
- The most recent Halloween streak: Ole Miss has won three of its last four Halloween games, with victories in 1998, 2015 and 2020. The only loss during that stretch came against Auburn in 2009.
Halloween 2026
So what does all this history mean for Saturday?
Probably not much once the ball is kicked off. But if history is any indication, Halloween football has a way of producing some unusual memories for Ole Miss.
And with Auburn coming to Oxford for the first time on a Halloween night, there’s an opportunity to add another one.
Preferably a treat instead of a trick.
