Music City Bowl final score: Ole Miss holds off Georgia Tech 25-17

The Ole Miss Rebels held off a late charge by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to win the 2013 Music City Bowl 25-17 Monday afternoon.

Rebels’ quarterback Bo Wallace completed 22-of-32 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown and ran for 86 yards and two more touchdowns on 13 carries. Wallace broke two of Eli Manning’s team records, setting a new Ole Miss mark for total yards and completions in a season.

Ole Miss got a touchdown run from Wallace on their opening drive, capping a 15-play, 75-yard drive. Georgia Tech quickly answered with a 14-play, 74-yard drive. Robert Godhigh rushed for an eight-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven. Godhigh led the Georgia Tech rushing attack with 50 yards on 10 carries.

The Rebels were able to limit the Yellow Jackets to 151 yards on 49 carries, a far cry from the Yellow Jackets’ normal production – they averaged 311.7 yards per game during the season, ranking fourth in the nation.

Wallace found Donte Moncrief midway through the second quarter for a 28-yard score, but the extra point was no good. After the Rebels missed a field goal, they forced a stop and got the ball back and Wallace scored his third touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run. Andrew Ritter’s 29-yard field goal pushed the lead to 23-7 entering the fourth quarter.

That’s when Georgia Tech began to rally. Harrison Butker kicked a 39-yard field goal and Wallace was picked off on the ensuing possession. A play later, Vad Lee found Darren Walker for a 72-yard touchdown.

The Yellow Jackets got the ball back with 4:36 to play on their own 20-yard line. After a false start penalty, the Jackets were hit for a 15-yard loss in the end zone, resulting in a safety. The Rebels were able to waste three minutes and 45 seconds. The Yellow Jackets got the ball back 37 seconds to play, but Lee was picked off by Senquez Golson.

The Rebels have now won their last six bowl games while the Yellow Jackets have lost eight of their last nine.