OXFORD, Miss. –The most anticipated season in Ole Miss football history is finally underway, and Lane Kiffin's No. 6 Rebels showed no signs of nerves, rust or pressure as they followed a Heisman Trophy-caliber day from Jaxson Dart and dominated Furman from start to finish in a 76-0 Week 1 win.
Dart was phenomenal, putting up a full game's worth of stats in just one half. He was 22-for-27 with 445 total yards, six total touchdowns and no interceptions at halftime, and Ole Miss led 52-0 at the break, allowing the Heisman candidate to check out early. Dart became the first SEC QB since Joe Burrow in 2019 with more than 350 passing yards in a half, tallying 418 through the air.
Ole Miss outgained Furman by an even 600 yards: 772-172. The Rebels totaled 529 yards through the air and 243 on the ground while holding the Paladins to just 146 and 26, respectively. The Rebel offense amassed 37 first downs, while the defense yielded just eight.
Offensive Leaders
Tre Harris led the way on the receiving end with 179 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. Cayden Lee, Caden Prieskorn, Antwane Wells Jr. and Dae'Quan Wright all hauled in touchdown passes as well. On the ground, Ole Miss averaged 6.6 yards per carry with Matt Jones leading the way at 68 yards and two TDs on just three touches.
Defensive Leaders
Defensively, Chris Paul Jr. paced the Rebels in his debut with eight total tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and a shared sack. Freshman Kam Franklin had a team-high three tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 1.5 sacks. Trey Amos had an interception in his first game as a Rebel, while Walter Nolen also had a strong debut with a pass breakup and a tackle for loss.
First Quarter
The passing attack was on full display in the first drive as Dart went a perfect 3-for-3, connecting with Caden Prieskorn, Tre Harris and Cayden Lee before taking it himself, scrambling for an 8-yard score on the first drive of the season.
Antwane Wells Jr. joined the party on the second drive, announcing his arrival to Ole Miss fans, breaking away down the middle of the field for a 61-yard touchdown reception. Dart was a perfect 5-for-5 with 145 yards through two series.
Two more new Rebels made their names known on the defensive end on the ensuing series. Walter Nolen logged his first tackle for loss in an Ole Miss uniform, then one play later, Trey Amos tipped and hauled in his first interception as a Rebel.
It looked like Furman might hold strong in the red zone on the third series, forcing a 4th-and-2 on the 12-yard line. Ole Miss turned to its starting nose tackle, JJ Pegues, who took consecutive direct snaps for a first down and a touchdown to make it 21-0.
Ole Miss came up short of the end zone for the first time on its fourth series, and Caden Davis drilled a 42-yard field goal to make it a 24-0 contest as the first quarter concluded.
Second Quarter
The Rebel defense stayed stout with a turnover on downs on the ensuing drive, and the Rebel offense stayed hot. Henry Parrish Jr. accounted for 37 yards on the drive, then Dart found yet another new Rebel, tight end Dae'Quan Wright, for his first TD reception in red and blue.
Not to be usurped, the other half of one of college football's most dangerous tight end duos, Caden Prieskorn, broke free on the following drive, stiff-arming a defender to the turf on a 46-yard touchdown.
Then it was Tre Harris time. The Biletnikoff Award candidate caught touchdowns on each of the next two drives from 61 and 22 yards out to make it a commanding 52-0 lead just before halftime. At the break, Harris had 179 receiving yards and two TDs on eight catches. Dart was 22-for-27 with 445 total yards, six total touchdowns and no interceptions.
Third Quarter
The Ole Miss defense shot out of a cannon to start the second half. Chris Paul Jr., another new Rebel, hit Myion Hicks in the backfield for a 4-yard loss, then sacked Carson Jones for an 11-yard loss on the next play.
After the defensive fireworks, the offense kept rolling, even with a new signal-caller. In his first career appearance and on his first career pass, Austin Simmons launched a 35-yard bomb into the arms of Cayden Lee for a touchdown. Simmons finished 7-of-16 with 121 total yards and a touchdown, while Lee was second on the team with 78 receiving yards and four catches.
Even as starters checked out of the contest, the defense continued to lock down. After a 3-and-out to end the first half, the Rebels forced five more out of the break and didn't allow a single first down in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, Matt Jones found the end zone twice on the ground from 17 and 46 yards out to stretch the lead to 73 through three quarters.
Fourth Quarter
The string of three-and-outs climbed to seven to start the final quarter of play. Ole Miss responded with yet another scoring drive as Davis connected from 41 yards out to make it 76-0.
Furman finally broke the spell and moved the chains midway through the fourth, but the promising drive was soon quelled by a third-down sack by Chris Hardie, who finished with 1.5 sacks and a QB hurry in his Rebel debut.
Ole Miss' final drive ended in a turnover on downs, and the Rebel defense successfully completed the shutout.
Next Up
Ole Miss returns to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium next weekend to host Middle Tennessee on Saturday, September 7 at 3:15 p.m. CT. A limited quantity of tickets still remain. Head to OleMissTix.com today to secure your seat for Week 2.
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