September 21, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) reacts with wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) after a touchdown during the first half against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Jaxson Dart extended his Heisman Trophy career by throwing for 382 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 5 Ole Miss to a 52-13 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi.
In their last non-conference game before moving to SEC play, the Rebels (4-0) allowed a touchdown for the first time this year but still remained dominant, winning 607-194 against the Eagles.
Dart, who entered the game with an FBS-record average of 390.7 passing yards per game, finished the game with 22 successful passes on 31 attempts and one interception.
Tre Harris caught 11 passes for 225 yards (career high) and two touchdowns. Antwane Wells Jr. and Jordan Watkins also caught touchdowns for Ole Miss.
Henry Parrish Jr. contributed 89 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for the Rebels.
The leader of Georgia Southern (2-2) from the Sun Belt Conference was JC French, who completed 20 of 28 passes for 109 yards and intercepted only one pass.
The Eagles gained 0 yards on 18 carries in the first half. Chris Paul Jr. led the Rebels defense with 10 tackles, including 1.5 sacks.
Ole Miss got off to a fast start. On the first snap, Dart completed a 40-yard pass to Harris. On the next play, Dart threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Wells, making the score 7-0.
On the first play, Georgia Southern botched a handoff on a jet sweep and JJ Pegues recovered the ball for Ole Miss. Four plays later, Caden Davis kicked a 28-yard field goal to give the Rebels a 10-0 lead with less than two minutes to play.
The next time Ole Miss got the ball, Dart capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Watkins that gave the Rebels a 17-0 lead.
Georgia Southern’s touchdown came early in the second quarter on a halfback toss when OJ Arnold completed a 12-yard pass to Derwin Burgess Jr., cutting the deficit to 17-7.
Ole Miss regained control when Harris broke through one-on-one coverage and Dart hit him with a 70-yard touchdown pass that gave the Rebels a 24-7 lead.
After the break, Ole Miss relied on its running game to run down the clock.
Pegues, a 325-pound defensive tackle who also gives the Rebels a unique weapon as a short-yardage back, scored the highlight of the second half when he leapt over defenders on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Rebels a 31-7 lead.
–Field level media
