WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Through three games in 2024, No. 5 Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 168-9. The Rebels (3-0) average 54 points per game and are surrendering just three a contest, which are second and tied for first, respectively, in the FBS. Senior quarterback Jaxson Dart leads the nation in passing yards and total offense and ranks second in efficiency, and senior receiver Tre Harris is fourth nationally in receiving yards.
Ole Miss’ latest win was a 40-6 thrashing at Wake Forest where the Rebels held the Demon Deacons to 311 yards while racking up 650 themselves. The Rebels’ defense has not surrendered a touchdown through three games, the first such occurrence for the program since 1961. And yet, when the dust settled and Dart sat in front of reporters Saturday night following his three total touchdown performance, he was hardly content. He is well aware how good the Rebels can be.
“I talked to Coach Kiffin before the game ended, and I was like, ‘I felt like this is what we needed as a team’ … I think it’s a good wakeup call, and it’s definitely something that is going to light a fire underneath us, I know definitely for me, going forward,” Dart said. “And then just going forward, just take accountability and then, at the end of the day, we just have to work harder, prepare harder.”
Ole Miss committed its first two turnovers of the season against the Demon Deacons. The first came on a bad snap to Dart deep in Wake Forest territory, and the second came via a Dart interception. The Rebels scored on seven of their 12 drives Saturday night; coming into the game, the Rebels had scored on 20 of 27 drives overall. They also committed a season-high 11 penalties.
While Saturday’s game never felt like it was getting particularly close — a ferocious defense that held Wake Forest scoreless on nine of their 11 drives and forced two red zone turnovers will help that cause — Dart felt like the Rebels left points on the board and opportunities on the field.
The Rebels have won their three games by an average of 53 points. But Dart still wants more. He and the Rebels expect the best from themselves.
“I think it says a lot that we’re not satisfied. The feeling in the locker room was, honestly, a little bit of disappointment,” Dart said. “We feel like we should have put up a lot more points and should have beat them by a lot more. So, I think at the same time, you have to enjoy it. You have to enjoy the wins. We put a lot of work in. But there’s a certain standard that you want to go out there and play with every Saturday. And honestly, I didn’t feel like we met it.”
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