With just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter on Saturday afternoon, Ole Miss running back Matt Jones went down with an apparent leg injury during the Rebels’ game against Kentucky. Jones hit the ground after the Rebels had lined up for their next offensive play following an incomplete deep pass from Dart.
ABC broadcaster Sean McDonough didn’t hold back his opinion of the play as the game returned from a commercial break for the injury.
“We’re back, Matt Jones, fortunately, survived to walk off the field,” McDonough said coming back from break. “Just a blatant fake injury. We’ll show you when we have a moment.”
Shocking injury for Ole Miss’ RB….if you’re uneasy looking at injuries, do not watch this. Hoping for full recovery.pic.twitter.com/EhvOArWFZg
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 28, 2024
More from RTI: Former Championship Winning Coach Picks Tennessee to Make SEC Title Game Against Rival
Ole Miss did not convert their third down attempt on the play after the commercial break, thus giving the replay booth a chance to show Jones hitting the ground from a different camera angle.
“Now let’s go back to what happened just before the timeout,” McDonough said as the replay rolled. “Dart gestures at Jones to say, ‘Hey, they want you to go down.’ And he goes down.”
McDonough brought in former SEC official Matt Austin to give his take on the play from a rules perspective. Austin has been working with the SEC Network as an in-game analyst since 2019.
“Well, there’s actually nothing in the rule book that says you cannot do that,” Austin said. “There is very strong wording about being unethical to fake an injury at any time during the game. I know the rulesmakers have talked about it several times but as of right now there’s nothing in the book you can do about it.”
“They ought to put something in the book when it’s that egregious,” McDonough replied.
Jones did not see any action in the Rebels’ first two second-half drives but did record a few carries late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. Jones picked up 14 yards on three straight plays during a drive that saw Ole Miss take the 17-13 lead on the Wildcats to close out the third quarter.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was not asked about Jones’ injury or status following the game.
The 6th-ranked Rebels suffered their first loss of the season with a 20-17 defeat to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Oxford. Ole Miss missed a game-tying field goal from 48 yards with 48 seconds left in the contest.
Check out the full broadcast of the Ole Miss-Kentucky game here.
