After the win over Mercer, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart talked about Saturday’s start and the QB job: ‘I think I just felt like I earned it’
OXFORD, Miss. – On the morning of the season opener against Mercer, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin did what many expected and named Jaxson Dart his starting quarterback. The second-year starter responded by throwing for 334 yards and 4 touchdowns in less than three quarters of action.
QB1
At Monday’s weekly press conference, media members were given the game notes for the upcoming matchup vs. Tulane. Interestingly, there is no longer an “OR” between Jaxson Dart and Spencer Sanders’ names.
In today’s game notes handed out at the presser, we were given a depth chart. On it, Jaxson Dart is now listed at QB….without an “OR” beside his name. #QB1 pic.twitter.com/s3j6Z6rI8Q
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) September 4, 2023
That would indicate this quarterback competition is over as we head into game two.
While Coach Kiffin had not seemed to feel any sense of urgency to name a starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Mercer, Dart, however, explained after the win that he had no doubt in his mind the entire offseason that the job would be his.
“To be honest, like I felt like that was gonna be the case once the season ended last year. So, I think I just felt like I earned it. It’s kind of just what I expected.”
Jaxson Dart
Dart opened the game 11-for-11 with 3 TD passes in the first quarter, alone. It seemed like the second-year starter had a chip on his shoulder from the first snap.
QB1's Q1 ➡️ @JaxsonDart
11-for-11
254 total yards
3 TDs pic.twitter.com/DspxhSJqyy— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
After the game, Coach Kiffin talked about his thought process with the quarterback room.
“Like I told you guys, I think both guys played really good throughout camp, in scrimmages and in the mock game. We felt really good about both guys being able to win for us, and I thought both guys played extremely well today. I think Jaxson started 11-for-11. Spencer scored two touchdowns. At the end of the day, we had to make a decision who went first and Jaxson did, and he did a great job. Now we go back and work this week and make all our players better. I know there’s people out there that say, ‘People need to be named starters for them to play well.’ He wasn’t named the starter and he went 11-for-11 so I think it works very much. I don’t think keeping competition open is a bad thing.”
Lane Kiffin
Let Kiffin cook 👨🍳#ProMindset | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/8j3YN21ukX
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
Sanders performs well
While Dart obviously gave credence to the claims of his offseason improvements, his teammate Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders looked great during his play time as well. Sanders completed 8-of-14 passes for 134 yards, adding two touchdowns.
Dart commented Saturday on what Sanders joining that room has meant to him.
“Obviously (Sanders) just had a ton of experience, played a lot of games and also won a lot of games. He has had a lot of individual accolades, which kind of just credit to his ability. Now I feel like we’ve made a good relationship and I’ve even learned stuff from him even though he hasn’t been in this offense, but just from his experience. It’s good to have somebody pushing you.”
Jaxson Dart on Spencer Sanders
Weapon arsenal
If you haven’t heard about Tre Harris III yet, now’s a good time to look him up. Among the multiple returning faces in the receiver room, the Louisiana Tech transfer showed everyone why he was WR1 Saturday. If there was anyone who saw Harris’ game-one performance coming, it was Dart.
“We spent a lot of extra time together. He came out to California with me to work with my quarterback coaches and obviously just extra work around the facilities here. It’s kind of funny. Last night (before the game), he’s my hotel roommate, and we had some conversations and he’s never played for an SEC school, so, he was kind of asking like what to expect and we kind of like manifested it. We felt like we were gonna have a great game together. We felt like we had a great connection leading up to the game and just kind of how the game plan played out. We knew that he was gonna get a lot of touches and he made the most of it.”
Jaxson Dart on Tre Harris
The Tre Harris debut 😮💨@_treharris13 | #ScoreFromFar pic.twitter.com/UK9TZaXfXc
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
Tight end room shows out
At kickoff, junior tight end Michael Trigg did not appear to be dressed out for Saturday’s game; however, he did dress and play in the second half, connecting with Sanders at QB and making the most of his snaps.
Expected tight end starter Caden Prieskorn sat out game one due to injury, so that left sophomore Kyirin Heath to show everyone why he climbed the depth chart in camp. Heath reeled in 3 catches for 48 yards against Mercer, taking a large majority of the tight end snaps in the first half.
Dart praised the sophomore postgame.
“I’m super proud of him, just like his growth from year one to year two. He just took huge steps and his physical abilities of grinding throughout the weight room and then getting extra work with routes and stuff like that. He’s gonna be a really good player and he’s just gonna continue to develop, so I’m super excited for his future.”
Jaxson Dart on Kyirin Heath
Jordan Watkins makes his presence known
Maybe it was because he was in a ‘no-contact’ jersey for most of fall camp, but wide receiver Jordan Watkins seemed to be the most slept on piece of the Rebel offense going into Saturday’s season opener.
I doubt anyone is sleeping on him now.
Watkins reeled in 6 catches for 111 yards while also returning a punt for a touchdown against Mercer. He’s proving to be a more vital role in this year’s offense and Dart wants him on the field at all times.
70 Yard Return for a TD 🤯@jordantwatkins | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/9Lzpx1LUdP
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 3, 2023
“I would just say for J-Watk (Jordan Watkins), like he’s just like such a reliable player that you kind of just always have to have on the field. He’s another leader out there, with me. Him being able to line guys up quick and when guys aren’t even confident what their job is, he knows it. He is just having like another coach out there and makes great plays and I think it shows to him just how much more comfortable he is in this offense and it’s just fun to see guys succeed.”
Jaxson Dart on Jordan Watkins
Triple digits in the first for @jordantwatkins
5 receptions
101 yards
38 YAC pic.twitter.com/NIOYv6NYdl— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
Dart’s list of weapons does not end there. Impact freshmen wide receivers Ayden Williams and Cayden Lee both turned heads in their debuts, Lee even hauled in a touchdown from Sanders.
Impact Freshmen 🤫#ComeToTheSip pic.twitter.com/IaNj4yaB5I
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
Newcomer TD Connection 🤝@SpenceSanders ➡️ @Cayden_X_Lee pic.twitter.com/fiXfEO2hVB
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
Receivers Jalen Knox, Bralon Brown, Dayton Wade and JJ Henry are all returning players from last year’s squad, waiting for their opportunities to shine.
Oh, and in case you forgot about Zakhari Franklin, who will hopefully return from injury soon, here’s his highlight tape.
Confidence and expectations
If you have been keeping up with fall camp, you may have heard someone at some point rave about the improvements in Jaxson Dart’s game. Even in his press conferences, you can really see his confidence continuing to grow. The Rebel QB made his goals very clear following Saturday’s victory.
“I kind of alluded to this during this week, my kind of focus in this year is to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. That’s all due to respect to everybody in the room, but that’s just my mindset and what I want accomplish this year. I just want to take those steps in my growth and put myself in this team in the best situations to succeed and hopefully be holding up a championship by the end of it.”
Jaxson Dart on his goals
What’s next for the Rebel signal caller? A top-25 matchup against Tulane on Saturday in New Orleans is yet another chance for Dart to prove why he belongs among the best in the country. And he’ll have preseason All-American Quinshon Judkins beside him in the backfield, and man, oh man, the Tre Harris hype train has officially started rolling.
Q's back.
😤 @qaj4_ pic.twitter.com/uP3TkR9YVQ
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
Next Up:
Ole Miss and Tulane kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in New Orleans. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
