Jaxson Dart throws 4 TD passes as No. 5 Ole Miss routs Georgia Southern 52-13
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart, right, hands the ball to running back Matt Jones (0) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia Southern, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP/Sarah Warnock
OXFORD, Miss. — Jaxson Dart threw two touchdown passes in the opening nine minutes and finished with four as No. 5 Mississippi routed Georgia Southern 52-13 on Saturday night.
The Rebels (4-0) raced to a 17-0 first-quarter lead, highlighted by Dart's touchdown passes of 31 yards to Juice Wells and 23 yards to Jordan Watkins. Dart finished 22 of 31 passing for 382 yards as Ole Miss built a 24-7 halftime lead and was never threatened.
Tre Harris had 11 receptions for 225 yards, including touchdowns of 70 and 36 yards.
“He’s a workhorse and has the right mindset,” Dart said. “Tre makes it easy for me and we’ve got other weapons to go with him. The offensive line makes it all go.”
Henry Parrish, JJ Pegues and Domonique Thomas ran for TDs. Ole Miss finished with 607 yards of offense but was hampered by 11 penalties for 133 yards.
“Our players had good energy and it was obvious,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “We may not have played smart all the time with 11 penalties but with the exception of one throw, Jaxson was solid. Tre was electric. He was elite today.”
Georgia Southern (2-2) scored on a 12-yard touchdown pass from running back O.J. Anderson to Derwin Burgess and field goals of 42 and 33 yards by Gavin Stewart. JC French was 20 of 28 passing for 109 yards as the Eagles finished with 194 total yards.
Mississippi wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) makes a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia Southern, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP/Sarah Warnock
“We played a tremendous football team and we did some good things, just not enough,” Georgia Southern coach Clay Helton said. “We’ve played a challenging nonconference schedule and we’re confident we’re prepared to play when conference starts next week.”
The takeaway
Georgia Southern: The road setback to a strong Southeastern Conference opponent does not figure to spoil the Eagles' bid for a third consecutive bowl appearance and their challenge for the Sun Belt Conference title.
Mississippi: If the Rebels had personnel or performance questions in August, those concerns were eliminated by four lopsided nonconference wins by a score of 240-22. As a team, Ole Miss has passed the eye test. Individually, the stylish Dart has built the statistical resume for Heisman Trophy consideration. Remaining questions will be answered as the SEC schedule begins next week.
Southern Cal connection
Kiffin and Helton are both former head coaches at Southern California. Kiffin led the Trojans from 2010-13. He hired Helton as quarterbacks coach in 2010 and promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2013.
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) runs the ball as Georgia Southern linebacker Marques Watson-Trent (1) attempts a tackle during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP/Sarah Warnock
Helton assumed the head coach role in 2015 and was fired in 2021. Both coaches spent much of the week praising each other in the pregame press conferences.
Poll implications
Another easy win over a nonconference foe won't lead to much movement for the Rebels. Six of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 are SEC schools.
Up next
Georgia Southern: Sun Belt play opens next Saturday with a visit to Georgia State.
Mississippi: Hosts Kentucky next Saturday in its SEC opener. “We noticed Kentucky was one play away from beating Georgia,” Kiffin said.
