OXFORD — As good as you think Ole Miss senior quarterback Jaxson Dart has been through two games in 2024, the numbers say he might be even better.
Dart is off to as good a start as any quarterback in college football, having helped the No. 5 Rebels (2-0) outscore opponents 128-3. He’s completing 87% of his passes — which leads the country among quarterbacks who have played at least two games — while his passing yards per game (397.5), total yards per game (407) and passing efficiency (247.4) all lead the FBS. He was nearly flawless in the Rebels’ 52-3 win over Middle Tennessee last week, setting the SEC record with 24-straight completions en route to 377 passing yards and two total touchdowns.
Dart is the top-rated quarterback in the nation through Week 2, according to Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of 93.2. Per PFF, he has yet to make a turnover-worthy play and has an average target depth of 10 yards. His adjusted completion percentage, which takes drops into consideration, is 92.3%, which is No. 1 among quarterbacks with at least 53 drop backs. Fifty-three drop backs is the standard used here, as it’s half of what the national leader in drop backs, Texas Tech’s Behren Morton, has (106).
Dart has a big-time throw percentage of 5.5%, which is tied for 27th nationally among quarterbacks with at least 53 drop backs; big-time throws are passes “with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.” Dart has been pressured on 12 of his 62 drop backs this season and has completed 4 of 5 passes for 74 yards. Dart has also excelled against the blitz, hitting 16 of 20 throws for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Last season, Dart was 91 of 153 (59.5%) against the blitz with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Dart’s 324 passing yards is fourth-most nationally against the blitz. When kept clean, Dart is 43 of 49 passing.
Dart has completed 14 of his 15 intermediate passing attempts, which are passes between 10 and 19 yards. He has thrown the ball down the field better than ever, having completed 7 of 10 throws of 20 or more yards with three touchdowns. In 13 games last season, Dart was 24 of 58 (41.4%) on deep throws with four touchdowns and three interceptions. In his first season at Ole Miss in 2022, Dart was 24 of 66 (36.4%) on deep passes with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Dart has been particularly effective on play-action — he leads the nation with 30 completions for 543 yards in play-action situations (on 34 attempts) with four touchdown passes. His average yards per attempt on play-action passes is 16 yards, which is second nationally among quarterbacks with at least 53 total drop backs. Dart hit 68.5% of his play-action passes (113 completions) last season with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. His yards per attempt in 2023 on such passes was 11.2.
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