FAYETTEVILLE -- The upraised arms of Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze and others on the Rebels sideline near the end of last year's Arkansas-Ole Miss game serves as an unforgettable reminder that neither a play, nor a game, is over until it's over.
Arkansas' fourth-and-25 conversion in overtime -- referred to as the Henry Heave by Razorbacks fans -- is the play most associated with Arkansas' memorable 53-52 victory over the Rebels in Oxford, Miss., last season.
The victory, with a madcap ending that included a second-chance, game-ending two-point conversion run by Brandon Allen after he was face-masked while being sacked on the first try, propelled the Hogs to a strong finish during which they won six of their final seven games.
The Rebels, 7-0 in their other SEC games, were denied their first trip to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta because of the loss.
The lateral by tight end Hunter Henry, who was 11 yards short of the first-down marker as he was being tackled, was turned into an ESPN Sports Science project.
Alex Collins scooped the 21-yard backward toss, which took a perfect bounce off a tip by 6-10 lineman Dan Skipper, and turned it into a 29-yard gain.
"I don't voluntarily go watch it, I assure you," Freeze said. "If I were to go see it, it still would make my stomach turn, because it was a crucial play in that game that ultimately cost us going to Atlanta."
No. 12 Ole Miss (3-2 overall, 1-1 SEC) gets its first shot at redemption tonight at 6 against No. 22 Arkansas (4-2, 0-2) at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
"It hurt more than a regular loss or even getting blown out," said Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly, who accounted for six touchdowns and 478 yards in the loss. "For five or 10 seconds, we thought we had the game won.
"That's what makes the game so special, being able to play a game like this. It's a game of inches and you just never know. You've got to play it to the last second."
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema reflected briefly on last year's ending.
"If we can make it less wild and be effective, I'd like that," Bielema said.
Arkansas tight ends coach Barry Lunney said he was speechless for a while after the Henry Heave, during which six of the 11 Razorbacks on the field touched the ball.
"Obviously a fun memory for all involved, for a lifetime, but we need to go make some new ones this week," Lunney said.
The Razorbacks, faced with a schedule that has served up four top-15 opponents in the first seven games, are one of three SEC teams without a victory in the conference, the others being Vanderbilt and Missouri.
Ole Miss, the nation's highest-rated two-loss team, had an open date to prepare for the Razorbacks.
"The way we go on about it, like any great team, we leave it in the back of our heads til that 365 days when we meet them again," Ole Miss defensive tackle Issac Gross said. "It's like OK, now we get to fix it."
Ole Miss, which beat Alabama in 2014 and 2015, lost to Arkansas later in each of those seasons.
The 2014 Razorbacks, who ended their 17-game SEC losing streak with a victory over LSU the previous week, threw a 30-0 shutout against the No. 8 Rebels on a cold, rainy afternoon on Nov. 22.
Arkansas forced six turnovers, including Rohan Gaines' 100-yard interception return, as the Razorbacks became the first unranked team to post consecutive shutouts of ranked teams since 1944.
"That was an ugly day from the jump," Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram said. "Stuff wasn't going our way, turnovers, the weather was cold and rainy, couldn't really make a big play. That's a big part of our offense, is being able to be efficient through the air. It's really tough to do that in those conditions. And that weather plays perfectly into their scheme, ground and pound."
Arkansas totaled 605 yards on 84 plays in last year's overtime victory; Ole Miss amassed 590 yards on 66 plays.
The Razorbacks held the ball for 41:03 compared to the Rebels' 18:57.
Neither team led by more than seven points during the game.
Ole Miss took a 52-45 lead in overtime on Kelly's 8-yard touchdown run, and Bielema immediately informed offensive coordinator Dan Enos to prepare for a two-point conversion play if Arkansas scored a touchdown.
Allen threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Drew Morgan two plays after Collins' big run on the Henry Heave. It was Morgan's third touchdown reception of the day.
On the two-point conversion, Ole Miss end Marquis Haynes had Allen cornered behind the line, but he grabbed Allen's face mask, giving the Hogs another chance from the Rebels' 1. Allen wiggled into the end zone, and was carried off the field by his teams.
The final result, especially the memory of the Henry Heave, evokes different emotions from the two camps.
"That hurts the most, the thought of that [play]," Engram said. "It was crazy. You can't really explain it. You can't really draw that up. It's unexplainable.
"It was a tough feeling knowing we would be in Atlanta without that happening. But it's behind us. Definitely no revenge factor going into this week about it."
Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen said he wasn't even watching as his brother threw short to Henry on fourth and 25.
"I was just kind of hoping we'd get the first down and next thing you know, I see Budda [Collins] running down the sidelines and I still didn't know what was really going on. Watching it on film was pretty sweet."
Arkansas receiver Keon Hatcher watched from the stands as he was recovering from a broken foot suffered earlier in the season.
"It was a crazy experience," Hatcher said. "I got to see the game from a fan point of view. It was very fun, especially watching us make that play. God was with us that night, I guess. It was amazing."
Arkansas receiver Jared Cornelius took in the overtime drive from the sideline.
"I remember Hunter catching the ball and I'm thinking, 'Dang, we fought but we didn't get it.' " Cornelius said. "Then he throws the freaking thing back and I'm like, 'Well, that's weird.' Dan tips it. Alex picks it up and runs it. And I was like, 'OK, there's no way we're losing this game now.'
"You know that was a great play, but hopefully this year we won't have to pull anything like that out of our butts."
Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith said the Razorbacks' precision in the passing game is what he remembers most.
"Any time you go out and throw for as many yards as we did, the details of our passing game were on point," he said. "Everybody involved in the passing game, we've challenged them. We've got to be detailed, because they're not just going to fall down or stand out there and do what we did last year. It's going to be a challenge, and that's what we've been practicing for."
Smith said Henry's long lateral was a testament to his football IQ.
"Just a tremendous football play that will go down in history here at Arkansas," Smith said.
Sports on 10/15/2016