News and Notables from the Rebels’ 48-23 win over Georgia Tech
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss defeated Georgia Tech, 48-23, Saturday night in Vaught-Hemingway. Here are some notables from the win, courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics.
Notable starts
• RG Jeremy James made his 39th consecutive start, also the 39th start of his career. Other double-digit streaks included CB Deantre Prince (18), QB Jaxson Dart (14), OL Micah Pettus (12), OL Caleb Warren (12), and WR Jordan Watkins (11).
• Rebels with 20 or more career starts as of today include: James (39), Warren (34), Prince (26) and DE Cedric Johnson (22).
• True freshman WR Ayden Williams made his first collegiate start at Ole Miss.
Offensive Notes
• The Rebels ran for more rushing yards against Georgia Tech than Mercer and Tulane combined, finishing the night with 299 yards.
• The Ole Miss offense worked with efficiency, having zero turnovers for the first time since 2022 versus Texas A&M.
• Ole Miss is now 23-5 under Lane Kiffin when scoring first.
• QB Jaxson Dart ended the night 10-of-18 for 251 yards and one touchdown through the air, as well as a career-high 136 yards and two touchdowns rushing.
• This was Dart’s third 100-yard passing and 100-yard rushing game of his career, second at Ole Miss.
• Dart now has three rushing touchdowns at Ole Miss and five in his career.
• Dart broke away for a career-long 68 yard rush in the second quarter to put Ole Miss in the red zone.
• With a total of 136 yards on the ground, Dart became the first Rebel quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a game since Matt Corral at Tennessee in 2021.
• Dart moved to No. 12 all-time at Ole Miss in passing yards (3,826 passing yards) with his 251 yards in the air tonight.
• RB Quinshon Judkins tied a career-high with a 25-yard reception from Dart.
• Judkins’ 1-yard rush up the middle into the endzone in the fourth quarter was career rushing TD No. 20, now tied for eighth in Ole Miss history.
• RB Ulysses Bentley IV grabbed his first rushing touchdown of the season for a 21 yard run into the endzone … This marks Bentley’s fifth rushing touchdown at Ole Miss and 20th in his career.
• Bentley IV topped his Ole Miss high in yards on the ground, wrapping up his night with a total of 61.
• WR Jordan Watkins hauled in a career-long 68-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter from Dart, the longest reception of the night.
• Watkins put together a career-high in receiving yards with 119 for the night, his third 100-yard game at Ole Miss.
• RB Matt Jones ran for a gain of 36 yards into the endzone, achieving a career-long run and a career-high in rushing yards.
• This marks Jones’ ninth rushing attempt and third rushing touchdown in his career, giving him a touchdown on one-third of his career carries.
Defensive Notes
• In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has now recorded at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 26 games. In games with at least 5.0 tackles for loss in the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is now 18-8.
• The Landshark defense brought down 7.0 TFLs for the night, the Rebels’ third straight game with at least 6.0 to start the season.
• S Trey Washington set a new career-high 10 total tackles, as well as his second career forced fumble and his first two TFLs of the season to lead the Rebels tonight.
• LB’s Khari Coleman and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste combined for the lone Ole Miss sack of the night, the first for Jean-Baptiste in a Rebel uniform that also gives Coleman 1.5 on the season.
• Jean-Baptiste tallied a season-high eight tackles.
• DE Isaac Ukwu tacked on his second sack of the season, wrapping up his night with four total tackles.
• Georgia Tech transfer DT Akelo Stone racked up a career-high five tackles.
• S Isheem Young brought down a season-high six tackles, four solo, and a tackle for loss.
• LB Ashanti Cistrunk recorded five tackles, his second-consecutive game with at least five tackles.
Special Teams notes
• K Caden Davis improved to 6-of-7 on the season in field goal kicking … Davis connected on two field goals, including a 47-yarder in the first quarter and a 45-yarder in the fourth.
• DT Zxavian Harris’ field goal block from 43 yards marked the Rebels’ first field goal block since 2015 against Arkansas … S Daijahn Anthony assisted with the recovery at the Georgia Tech 34.
• The blocked kick was the second of Harris’ career after recording a blocked PAT in 2022 against Kentucky.
• P Fraser Masin’s lone punt of the night came in the third quarter and went for 41 yards.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
