OXFORD – The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels celebrated another convincing victory Saturday afternoon, defeating the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 52-3 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The Rebels had another strong day on offense, and although the pass defense was “sloppy” according to head coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss was able to win the contest. There were some key takeaways from the Rebels’ win, and we take a look at some of them below.

1. A record day for Jaxson Dart.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart took a while to find the end zone through the air, but his passes on Saturday afternoon were extremely efficient. He set a new school and SEC record with 24 consecutive completions in a single game, throwing his first incomplete pass in the fourth quarter.

Lane Kiffin wanted to emphasize the running game this week and that mission was accomplished. Still, thanks to Dart, this offense will keep running and that was evident again this week.

2. Henry Parrish Jr. took the stage (again) for the Rebels.

Parrish’s return to Ole Miss is off to a solid start. After two games, he appears to be the team’s starting running back, and on Saturday he showed why.

While running for 165 yards, Parrish reached the end zone four times, averaging 11.8 yards per carry. After the game, Parrish said he expected plays like this when he returned to Ole Miss after a stint in Miami.

“Of course, 100 percent. That’s why I came back,” Parrish said. “We have a loving fan base. I just love this place all around. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”

Noticeably absent for most of the game was running back Ulysses Bentley IV, who finished the day with five carries for 13 yards. It will be worth keeping an eye on the running back rotation going forward and seeing if Bentley gets more playing time in the coming weeks.

3. The defense was “good,” but there is still work to be done on the second line.

Lane Kiffin called the pass defense “sloppy” on Saturday, and although Middle Tennessee didn’t find the end zone in the game, Ole Miss needs to strengthen its secondary before SEC play. MTSU finished the game with 251 passing yards, and safety Trey Washington noted after the game that there is still room for improvement.

“I think the D-line played really well,” Washington said. “We stopped the run and forced them to try to beat us in the air. I think we could do a lot better in our pass defense. We have a chance to get better this week and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Rebels will look to improve their play in the secondary before next week’s game at Wake Forest.