Ole Miss WR Tre Harris’ sets school touchdown record: ‘My mindset going in was to dominate’
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss officially started the 2023 season and did so with a satisfying win over the Mercer Bears, 73-7, Saturday in Vaught-Hemingway. In the blink of an eye, the Rebels led 21-7, thanks to wide receiver Tre Harris who caught three touchdown passes after just three minutes and 15 seconds of game clock had elapsed.
The speed at which the Rebs were scoring was so fast, it even threw Harris a little off guard.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I did not realize that,” Harris said of his speedy scores. “I looked at the scoreboard and I realized it was 21-7 pretty quickly, and I was like ‘Dang, that happened real quick.’ My mindset going in was to dominate. That was the whole team’s mindset. We didn’t care who we were playing, that was what we came out and did,” he added.
The Tre Harris debut 😮💨@_treharris13 | #ScoreFromFar pic.twitter.com/UK9TZaXfXc
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 2, 2023
The senior Louisiana Tech transfer arrived at Ole Miss in January of 2023 which allowed him to go through spring practice, learn the playbook and ultimately settle into the offense.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is obviously pleased with the transition of his newest star wide receiver.
“You guys (media) had asked about him and you guys had seen him out there, so I didn’t really want to jinx him, but I really thought he played like this all camp. He looked like a really dominant receiver so for him to go out and perform like this today in his first Power-Five game, catch four touchdowns in two-and-a-half quarters of play, that was pretty good to see.”
Lane Kiffin on Tre Harris
Kiffin talked about what Harris did to be so successful — and he also compared Harris to another star Ole Miss wide receiver.
“I think he prepared really well. I really love everything about this kid with how he prepares and how he focuses on the game,” Kiffin explained.
“It’s awesome to have him and he really responded today. Pretty unique guy, kinda some [Jonathon] Mingo personality to him. Just goes to work and doesn’t say much. Not one of these guys that wants to celebrate because they got a first down and do some kind of dance.”
Lane Kiffin
The Tre Harris file
Coming out of high school, Harris was a three-star according to On3 and a two-star according to 247 Sports. Beginning his career at Louisiana Tech, he appeared in seven games as a freshman (2020) and finished with one reception for 20 yards.
Transitioning into his sophomore and junior years, Harris continued to improve. He ended his sophomore year (2021) with 40 receptions and 562 yards and was also earned Honorable Mention on the All-Conference USA first team.
Harris made a big-time leap his junior year (2022). He finished his third season with 65 receptions and 935 yards, earning First Team All-Conference USA honors.
Transfer to the ‘Sip
On December 6, 2022, Tre entered the transfer portal where he was met with an abundance of attraction, specifically, from the Ole Miss Rebels and the Oklahoma Sooners.
17 days later on December 23, Harris announced his commitment to the Rebels. Fast forward to week one, and Harris now owns the record for most touchdowns (four) in a game by an Ole Miss wide receiver in the history of the program.
Set the Program Record on Day 1 👑@_treharris13 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/SbAUe0MS7w
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 3, 2023
Harris’ Big Day
Harris ended the day with six receptions and 133 yards and his four touchdowns. “We had a bunch of explosive plays we knew could hit and we came out there, executed, and then hit, so it was a good day for everybody you could say,” Harris said after the game.
Harris credited another phenomenal performance, this one from his quarterback, Jaxson Dart. The Ole Miss signal caller threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns, all of which went to Harris.
After the game, Dart talked about his connection with Harris and relayed what they talked about Friday night before the game.
“We spend a lot of extra time together. He (Harris) came out to California with me to work with my quarterback coaches and obviously extra work around the facilities here. It was kind of funny last night because we are hotel roommates and we had some conversations because he has never played for an SEC school. He was asking what to expect. It was fun because we kind of manifested it, we felt like we were going to have a great game together. We felt like we had a great connection leading up to the game. With kind of how the game plan played out, we knew he was going to get a lot of touches and he made the most of it.”
QB Jaxson Dart on Tre Harris
During their preparations for Saturday’s game, Harris and the offense figured out one of Mercer’s weaknesses, which was tackling after the catch. With this in mind, Harris said he knew he could make some special things happen when he got the ball, and that he did.
As for his overall gameday experience, Harris was clearly moved by it all.
“From the Walk of Champions and just seeing that many people out there to support you and your teammates, it’s incredible,” he said. “When I first walked out there, you get a little wave [of emotion]. You get goosebumps on your arms when the hair starts standing up on your arms…and it is really incredible to be out there in that environment,” Harris commented.
The environment will certainly be electric this coming Saturday when Ole Miss travels to New Orleans for a top-25 matchup against the Tulane Green Wave.
Hotty Toddy, and go Rebs!
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
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