Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Tre Harris (9) makes a catch for a touchdown over Florida Gators defensive back Bryce Thornton (18) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida owns second half to upend No. 9 Ole Miss 24-17

Montrell Johnson Jr. rushed for the tiebreaking touchdown and Bryce Thornton made two huge interceptions in the final 1:32 to help Florida post a 24-17 victory over No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon in Southeastern Conference play at Gainesville, Fla.

Johnson rushed for 107 yards on 18 carries as the Gators (6-5, 4-4 SEC) defeated a ranked team for the second straight week. Florida beat then-No. 21 LSU last week.

The setback was painful for Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3) as the third loss figures to stomp out their College Football Playoff aspirations.

Jaxson Dart completed 24 of 42 passes for 323 yards, two touchdowns and the two costly interceptions for the Rebels. Caden Lee and Tre Harris caught scoring passes for Ole Miss.

DJ Lagway was 10-of-17 passing for 180 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Florida. Elijhah Badger and Jadan Baugh had scoring receptions, Thornton racked up 14 tackles and Caleb Banks had 2.5 sacks for the Gators.

The Gators moved 67 yards on four plays for the go-ahead score with Johnson capping the drive with a 9-yard scamper with 7:40 left in the contest.

One Rebels chance to tie blew up when Dart threw deep into triple coverage on first-and-10 from the Florida 39-yard line. Thornton easily made the pick in the end zone with 1:32 left.

Ole Miss forced a three-and-out and got another chance. Dart appeared to be picked off by Dijon Johnson with 24 seconds left but a video review showed the ball hit the ground.

Two plays later, Dart made another ill-advised throw and Thornton intercepted it at the Florida 22 with 17 seconds remaining to finish off the upset.

The Gators scored on the first play of the second quarter when Lagway tossed an 8-yard scoring to Badger. Ole Miss tied it when Harris beat double coverage to haul in a 43-yard touchdown pass from Dart with 12:01 left in the half.

The Rebels took the lead less than three minutes later when Dart connected on a 22-yard scoring pass to Lee. Florida tied the score at 14 when Baugh caught a screen pass from Lagway and navigated 25 yards down the right sideline with 6:52 remaining.

Harris went over 1,000 yards with his TD catch but was injured with just over five minutes in the half when he fell to the ground grabbing his hip and groin areas. He didn’t return.

The Gators’ Trey Smack kicked a 53-yard field goal with 10:57 left in the third period. Ole Miss tied the score at 17-all on Caden Davis’ 42-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining in the quarter.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second half  against the Georgia Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 9 Ole Miss floats into The Swamp with playoffs mindset

Four two-loss Southeastern Conference teams are packed into a five-team logjam in the latest College Football Playoff projections released Tuesday.

No. 9 Ole Miss is one of those teams and Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is among the coaches that have figured this part out: It’s better to not be part of the SEC title game than lose in it and miss the 12-team playoff field.

But first, Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2 SEC) attempts to bolster its positioning when it visits Florida (5-5, 3-4) on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.

A Rebels’ victory keeps the team in the SEC championship game mix. Also entering the weekend with two losses are SEC foes No. 7 Alabama, No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee. No. 3 Texas has lost just once.

The winner of the SEC title game gets a first-round bye. But that’s not the part that concerns Kiffin.

“You know, the reward to get a bye versus the risk to get knocked out completely, I mean, that’s a really big risk just to get a bye,” Kiffin said. “So I think it’s ended up being a very unique situation of all postseason sports. The way that system is set up there and how you could go to (the SEC championship game) and get knocked out (of the CFP race). If you don’t go, you’re in.”

Ole Miss has won three straight games, including a solid 28-10 home victory over Georgia on Nov. 9. The Rebels had a bye last weekend.

Rebels star quarterback Jaxson Dart has thrown for 3,409 yards, 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season. He’s also expected to have top target Tre Harris back in the fold.

Harris missed the past three games due to a back injury. He has accumulated 59 receptions for 987 yards and six scores.

“Really excited to get the best receiver in the country back,” Kiffin said of Harris.

Jordan Watkins, who has caught a team-best seven touchdown passes, says every contest is in a playoff game for the Rebels.

“If we lose, we’re not in playoff contention, so knowing that, we have to win in every game from here on out,” Watkins said. “You can see that as far as how well we’re playing.”

The Rebels close the regular season at home against Mississippi State on Nov. 29.

Florida is coming off a 27-16 home upset of then-No. 21 LSU.

Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway returned from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury and passed for 226 yards and one touchdown. He then proclaimed the Gators are about to return to their former championship-level past under coaches such as Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.

“Just having the guys rally behind that and truly like we’re going to change this,” Lagway said. “And that’s the whole vibe in the locker room, that we’re going to change this place and we’re going to make it what it used to be.”

Grand ambitions or not, Florida faces a stern test with the Rebels.

“Ole Miss has got playmakers on offense, obviously a veteran quarterback, and then defensively, they’ve got some disruptive players up front,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “… They’re in position to (make the playoffs). They’ve had a good year. So I think this is a good football team, a ranked opponent, and we’re excited about the challenge.”

Florida will look to pressure Dart and it feels better about the prospects after recording seven sacks against LSU. Linebacker Shemar James had two.

Then-No. 3 Ole Miss didn’t fare well in its last visit to Gainesville, getting routed 38-10 in 2015.

The last overall meeting was in 2020 when Florida prevailed 51-35 at Oxford, Miss.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Ulysses Bentley IV (24) runs the ball for a touchdown as Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Dan Jackson (17) and defensive back KJ Bolden (4) attempt to make the tackle during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 16 Ole Miss’ defense shines in upset of No. 3 Georgia

Behind Jaxson Dart, Caden Davis and an impressive defense, No. 16 Ole Miss upset No. 3 Georgia 28-10 in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, denting the Bulldogs’ national title hopes in the process.

Dart completed 13 of 22 passes for 199 yards, a touchdown and an interception and ran for a team-high 50 yards. while Davis made all five of his field goal attempts as the Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC) won their third straight game.

Carson Beck was 20-of-31 passing for 185 yards but threw an interception and fumbled twice for the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2), who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Nate Frazier ran for 47 yards and a touchdown for Georgia, which was outgained 395-244.

Trailing 16-7, Beck found Cash Jones for 29 yards on Georgia’s opening drive of the second half, advancing to Ole Miss’ 10-yard line. From there, Georgia had to settle for Peyton Woodring’s 23-yard field goal at the 9:47 mark of the third quarter.

Ole Miss answered on the following drive as Dart connected with Cayden Lee for gains of 23 and 26, before finding Antwane Wells on a 10-yard scoring pass with 6:10 left in the third. Dart’s two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, and the Rebels led 22-10.

Georgia turned the ball over on its next two drives. Frazier fumbled at Ole Miss’ 29-yard line with 3:26 left in the third, before Beck was picked off by John Saunders Jr. at the Rebels’ 15-yard line at the 7:22 mark of the fourth.

Davis tacked on another field goal with 3:22 left, extending Ole Miss’ lead to 25-10. Two plays into Georgia’s next drive, Beck was strip-sacked by Princely Umanmielen, and Suntarine Perkins recovered the ball on Georgia’s 19-yard line. Davis capped the scoring on a 32-yard field goal with 1:11 left.

On Ole Miss’ third play of the game, Dart was picked off by Dan Jackson, giving Georgia the ball at Ole Miss’ 21. Seven plays later, Frazier’s 2-yard touchdown run with 10:32 left in the first quarter put the visitors ahead 7-0.

The Rebels answered with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped with Ulysses Bentley IV’s 9-yard run at the 6:53 mark. After a Georgia punt, Davis’ 23-yard field goal gave Ole Miss its first lead at 10-7 with three minutes left in the opening quarter.

The Rebels followed two more Georgia punts with a pair of Davis field goals from 43 and 53 yards, respectively, as Ole Miss held a 16-7 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) scrambles as Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman Caiden Woullard (90) makes the tackle during the second half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Jaxson Dart, No. 18 Ole Miss surge past Oklahoma

Jaxson Dart threw for 311 yards and a touchdown, heating up in the second half as No. 18 Ole Miss beat Oklahoma 26-14 on Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

The Rebels (6-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) struggled offensively for large stretches of the first half before coming alive after halftime. The defense shut out the Sooners in the second half.

Ole Miss took the lead for good on their first drive of the second half, with Dart capping the drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn. Dart finished 22 of 30 (73 percent) for the game.

The Rebels’ defense also turned it on in the second half, holding Oklahoma to just 94 yards after allowing 235 before the break.

Ole Miss outgained the Sooners 380-329, with 218 of the Rebels’ yards coming in the second half.

After going 7 of 9 on third down in the first half, the Sooners (4-4, 1-4) were just 1 of 9 in the second half.

Ole Miss came into the game leading FBS in fewest rushing yards allowed per game at 66.7, while the Sooners were near the bottom in rushing themselves, averaging just 112.1 yards on the ground.

But with quarterback Jackson Arnold returning to the starting lineup after being benched earlier in the season and Joe Jon Finley taking over play-calling duties after the firing of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell last weekend, Oklahoma’s running game — and its offense as a whole — finally showed some life.

After the Rebels took an early lead, the Sooners took advantage of a pair of critical Ole Miss penalties on a 60-yard touchdown drive, capped by Arnold’s 11-yard scoring pass to Bauer Sharp late in the first quarter to close to 7-6.

Late in the first half, Oklahoma reeled off a 13-play, 92-yard touchdown drive to take a 14-10 lead into the break.

Jacob Jordan — who hadn’t recorded a reception until last week’s loss to South Carolina — caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Arnold to put the Sooners ahead.

Oklahoma rushed for 125 yards in the first half — more than the Rebels had allowed in all but one game entering the day.

Arnold finished 22 of 31 for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked nine times.

–Field Level Media

Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier 13 scores a touchdown as the LSU Tigers take on the South Alabama Jaguars at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.

No. 13 LSU touting balance ahead of SEC showdown vs. No. 9 Ole Miss

The SEC season is just getting started, but already all but three teams have at least one conference loss.

That means the margin for error has shrunk for several contenders seeking a trip to the SEC championship game as a path to the college football playoff.

Two potential CFP contenders meet when No. 9 Ole Miss (5-1, 1-1) visits No. 13 LSU (4-1, 1-0) on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.

“We know where we’re at in terms of having SEC opponents in the next seven weeks,” said Tigers coach Brian Kelly, whose team is coming off an open date. LSU is joined by No. 1 Texas (1-0) and No. 15 Texas A&M (3-0) as teams undefeated in SEC play.

The Tigers, who lost a non-conference game to USC to start the season, saw their CFP hopes all but vanish last season when a 55-49 loss to the Rebels dropped them to 3-2. Another loss to Ole Miss could have a similar impact on this team’s hopes.

LSU allowed 706 yards to the Rebels and couldn’t keep up in the shootout, even with eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels.

“Last year clearly we were tilted to one side of the ball and unfortunately we had to play the game that way,” Kelly said. “I didn’t like it, but that’s what we had. … That’s not the right way but it was the only way to play.”

The Tigers started this season with similar defensive struggles but have shown improvement in their last two games: a 34-17 victory against UCLA and a 42-10 victory against South Alabama.

“I think there’s much more balance in our football team,” Kelly said. “We’re much further along. This isn’t the same defense.”

Ole Miss has been known mostly for its offense during head coach Lane Kiffin’s five seasons, but the defense has played very well this season. It kept the Rebels in the game while the offense struggled in a 20-17 loss to Kentucky Sept. 28 and was dominant in a 27-3 victory at South Carolina last week.

The offense might have to play without star wide receiver Tre Harris, who left last week’s game with a lower leg injury late in the first half and didn’t return.

“He certainly wouldn’t be playing (Monday),” Kiffin said of Harris’ availability this week.

Harris leads the country with 885 receiving yards and is second with 52 receptions.

“We’ve got to perform better than we did in the second half without him when we had three points,” Kiffin said. “(His absence) makes us move people to different spots, so we’re preparing to do that and preparing to play without him.”

Antwane “Juice” Wells Jr. is second to Harris with 371 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Jordan Watkins is next with two receiving touchdowns.

The improved defense can make everyone’s job easier if Harris isn’t available.

“It’s a different feeling just knowing that you don’t have to go out there and score every drive, just having that ability to not be stressed out,” Watkins said. “We’ve got a really good defense that flies around. They play together and they play sound.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 18, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Louisiana Monroe Warhawks quarterback Jiya Wright (18) runs the ball as Mississippi Rebels defensive back Ladarius Tennison (13) makes the tackle during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Jaxson Dart, No. 13 Ole Miss too strong for UL Monroe

Jaxson Dart passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns to lift No. 13 Ole Miss to a 35-3 win over UL Monroe in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.

Dart threw all of his touchdown passes during a third-quarter blitz that enabled the Rebels (9-2) to finish 7-0 at home. They visit Mississippi State on Thanksgiving night to complete the regular season.

Jiva Wright passed for just 56 yards and the Warhawks (2-9) totaled just 258 yards.

The Rebels led just 7-3 at halftime before taking control by scoring touchdowns on their first three third-quarter possessions.

Their first possession ended with Dart’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Tre Harris.

The Warhawks reached the Ole Miss 40 before turning the ball over when Wright threw an incompletion on fourth-and-2. That led to Dart’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn for a 21-3 lead.

Dart threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade, who finished with seven catches for 108 yards, to push the lead to 28-3 at the end of the third quarter.

Spencer Sanders relieved Dart and threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Cayden Lee to complete the scoring midway through the fourth quarter.

Ole Miss received the opening kickoff and drove into scoring range, but Caden Davis was wide right on a 50-yard field-goal attempt.

The Rebels turned the ball over on downs at their 28 when Quinshon Judkins was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-2, but the Warhawks lost eight yards on three plays and punted.

Ulysses Bentley IV’s 14-yard touchdown run gave Ole Miss a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Rebels missed another scoring opportunity early in the second quarter when Dart threw an incomplete pass on fourth and 2 at the ULM 12.

Braxton Guilbeau kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired to trim the lead to 7-3 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half of a football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Ole Miss has healthy respect for Auburn

The oddsmakers say No. 13 Ole Miss is a 6 1/2-point favorite Saturday night at Auburn for their Southeastern Conference matchup.

Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is wary.

“I think we’ve, as a program, won once there in 20 years,” he said. “New challenge to go try win on the road there. This year, like a lot of years, they’re a different team at home.”

The numbers back Kiffin up. The Tigers (3-3, 0-3) are 2-1 in Jordan-Hare Stadium this year, with the loss a 27-20 squeaker to No. 1 Georgia, which required a late touchdown to escape with a win.

Conversely, Auburn is 1-2 on the road, with the only win a 14-10 nailbiter at Cal. Last week, the Tigers were routed 48-18 at then-No. 22 LSU, falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter and allowing 563 total yards for the game.

Auburn came within 3 rushing yards by LSU’s Logan Diggs of permitting a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver. LSU gained an average of more than 8 1/2 yards every snap in administering its second-most lopsided beatdown of Auburn since the series began 122 years ago.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said a slow start really affected the game’s texture.

“We looked like zombies a bit on the sideline after that, and it kind of snowballed,” he said. “I didn’t think we showed up with the right energy and drive and competitive spirit. And that lies in my lap. And that’s disappointing.”

The Tigers’ problems went beyond defense in Baton Rouge. They managed just 18 points and 293 total yards against an LSU defense that has been torched for big numbers by Florida State, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Missouri. Auburn has only managed to top 100 passing yards against a Power 5 opponent once.

But Freeze said not to expect major changes on offense and also said that both Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford would get action at quarterback on Saturday.

“We consider everything and everybody,” Freeze said.

The Rebels (5-1, 2-1) have no such problems under center, where Jaxson Dart is completing 64.1 percent of his passes through six games for 1,638 yards with 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s also on pace to rush for more than 600 yards.

Dart’s contributions to a 27-20 win two weeks ago over Arkansas were modest — 153 yards, one touchdown and 33 rushing yards — but he committed no turnovers. That was crucial because the defense came up with two big interceptions that helped secure a win.

But Dart might have to play minus his leading receiver this week. Jordan Watkins, who has 36 catches for 536 yards in six games, was injured in practice during the bye week last week. The specific injury has not been disclosed, and Kiffin didn’t have much to say about it on Monday.

“We anticipate him playing,” the coach said. “That’s all I got.”

Auburn holds a 35-12 lead in the all-time series, including a 17-3 mark at home. Ole Miss took a 48-34 win last year in Oxford.

–Field Level Media