QB Film Room: Jaxson Dart continues stellar play, passing efficiency currently among all-time best
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the QB1 Film Room where David Walker, former four-year starting NCAA quarterback and two-year captain, takes a look at the Rebels’ most recent offensive performance. David still holds the record for the NCAA’s youngest starting quarterback — as he played his entire freshman year as a 17-year-old — and was the first quarterback awarded Freshman of the Year in college football.
OXFORD, Miss. — Jaxson Dart has enjoyed an incredible opening three weeks at the quarterback position, and I don’t say this lightly. Analytics are huge these days but when one includes every quarterback who’s ever played dating back to the very first football season of MY life (1956), I take notice.
Jaxson currently sits at second effectively “all-time” in the SEC for the passing efficiency metric, sandwiched between National Champion QB Mac Jones of Alabama and Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion QB Joe Burrow of LSU. That’s not bad company.
Dart is currently ranked sixth among this year’s ultra-talented crop of quarterbacks, eighth all-time, and is easily within striking distance of them all. He also leads the SEC in this category. This is some STELLAR quarterback play that we’ve been watching and could even turn out historic.
NCAA Passing Efficiency Rankings
If you’re familiar with the QB1 Film Room, you know ESPN’s Total QBR is another metric that I’m particularly fond of. Dart is among the national leaders in QBR, ranking second in the SEC and only percentage points out of the Top 10 nationally.
ESPN Total QBR through Week 3
Against a much-improved Georgia Tech defense this past Saturday, Dart had a sparkling 91.5 QBR, ranking fourth in a strong SEC weekend for its quarterbacks.
SEC Total QBR Rankings through Week 3
So let’s roll the tape and watch this dual-threat expertise in action.
On the opening play we’ve become accustomed to seeing Dart complete a corner route — but not this time. The Rebels line up in a bunched-up trips formation to the right. Ayden Williams slips out to the right flat as GT’s DBs concentrate on the deep corner route. Pressure comes in the form of both linebackers on the blitz but with 6-man protection, Dart has sufficient time to find his true freshman, good for 19 yards.
On third-and-four, the Rebels go with the quarterback sweep led by two pulling linemen. Wide receiver Jordan Watkins here on the left sideswipes his seal block but the defender gets picked up by the pulling guard.
In the old days (as recently as last year), a defender could be cut below the waist in this instance but it’s no longer a legal block. Because of this single rule change the Army Black Knights, a long-time flex-bone option team, got out of the triple option business altogether. Here, Dart has the first-down yardage made before juking a Georgia Tech defensive back and eventually picking up 19 yards and a first down.
Next, the Rebels go empty set (no running back) and spread the Georgia Tech defense out so much that they have no linebackers. Dart keys the man over center and then hits the opposite A-gap as soon as the nose tackle picks a side. His speed and good downfield blocking produce a 68-yard gain.
Here Georgia Tech brings six rushers with a 7th spying the quarterback. The Rebels have a 3-man route going downfield but things get clogged up inside. As the spy comes in for the hit, Dart senses Quinshon Judkins just to his right and shovels it to him at the last second. The play gains 25 yards.
Here the Rebs shift Jordan Watkins into a 2-back set (shades of Elijah Moore) and fake the handoff to Judkins as Watkins sprints out on the wheel route. Dart has to make this throw with an approaching unblocked linebacker literally flying in his face and the Rebel QB places it perfectly for a 23-yard pickup.
It’s beginning to look like party time!
Out of the “Wingback” set, the Rebs put the ball back in the quarterback’s hands for another QB sweep. Watkins blocks the defensive end, the tight end seals the pursuit, the pulling tackle (who wants to see THAT big man coming at you?) takes out the DB, and Dart goes into the end zone untouched.
Here’s an excellent job by all five linemen in individual pass protection and the quarterback standing tall in the pocket. Just as Dart’s about to be swallowed up, the ball comes out and it’s a perfect strike to Dayton Wade on the crossing route. It covers 40 yards and is a big play in a one-score football game in the 4th quarter.
Here the Rebels have a fairly clean pocket although there is a late rush from a linebacker. The protection gives Watkins time to beat the safety on a deep post pattern and Dart nails it for a 68-yard touchdown.
On our final play we see more outstanding pass protection as the left tackle picks up a blitz coming off the edge. Dayton Wade runs an excellent hitch-and-go and you’ll never see a more perfectly-placed ball on a deep route. D-Wade continues to impress with his speed and his superb ball concentration. The Rebs go from 1st-and-20 to 1st-and-inches at the goal line on this 43-yarder to close it out in style.
Headed to Tuscaloosa
The Rebels are looking forward to this season’s first big challenge and their initial 2023 SEC football game Saturday in Tuscaloosa. One of the keys to victory will be Dart’s ability to perform unflinchingly under the brightest lights of his career. With the level of execution that he’s exhibited thus far, this team’s expectations are extremely high, which is exactly where they should be.
Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin will be looking for its second road win in four attempts as an underdog, having beaten Kentucky in OT 42-41 as a 6-point dog in 2020.
The Rebels’ two road losses as underdogs under Kiffin came at Alabama (+11, 42-21) and Auburn (+3, 31-20) in 2021. Both were ranked vs. ranked games with Alabama No. 1 at the time.
The Rebs delivered Kiffin his first ranked-game win as visitors with the victory at then-No. 24 Tulane two weeks ago.
If Ole Miss’ best efforts Saturday result in a second consecutive ranked-game road win, it will reverberate wildly across the entire sports landscape, setting up a bigger-than-life game the very next week against LSU at the Vaught.
Ladies and gents, it’s time.
David Walker
David is the consummate true-freshman quarterback, first pioneering the position only a year after college freshmen were given varsity eligibility by the NCAA in 1972. In 1973, the left-handed all-state gunslinger from Sulphur, Louisiana started for the Texas A&M Aggies and earned the All-Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year award as selected by the league’s coaches. David is the first college quarterback ever awarded Freshman of the Year in the NCAA. He was only 17, and still holds the NCAA record as the youngest starting quarterback in college football history. He wore No. 8 at A&M in honor of one of his football heroes, Archie Manning.
In becoming the winningest quarterback ever at A&M, David was converted from a dual-threat QB to a triple option trailblazer. The two-time team captain led three record-breaking offenses that changed the direction of football at A&M forever, establishing once and for all the winning tradition that the Aggies had so-long desired.
As a high school head coach in Houston in the late ‘80s, David stationed his quarterback in the shotgun formation, having him reading defenses and throwing hot routes at a time when such offensive schemes were frowned upon by traditional fans and coaches. One of his quarterbacks tossed 57 passes in a single game, which stood as the all-time Greater Houston Area record for many years.
As you can tell from his bona fides, David is extremely qualified as our expert on all things Quarterback at Ole Miss. Enjoy his exclusive analysis only here at The Rebel Walk!
