QB Film Room: Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart joins nation’s elite in Total QBR after Rebels’ win over Mercer
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. — There are onslaughts and then there are onslaughts in college football. I played in such a game as a freshman and watched Darrell Royal and his Wishbone company run us out of the stadium, literally, without even ATTEMPTING a single pass. But THIS particular onslaught came last Saturday in Vaught-Hemingway as Ole Miss destroyed Mercer, 73-17.
To say the least, it was a record day. Accolades are coming in for the Ole Miss quarterback room from all over the country. Returning starter Jaxson Dart has joined the elite of Who’s Who in ESPN’s Total QBR (No. 7 overall at 95.9) and sits atop PFF’s highest graded quarterbacks from Week 1.
Total QBR Ratings after Week 1 (Credit: ESPN)
Highest graded Quarterbacks from Week 1⭐️ pic.twitter.com/f0KADafbHt
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 5, 2023
In fact, PFF has named all three Ole Miss QBs in its list of Top 4 SEC quarterbacks.
3 of the Top 4 SEC QBs 🎯@PFF_College | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Bb4FBFbQDJ
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 6, 2023
If you’ve ever watched a combined no-hitter, this is essentially what we were treated to by the Ole Miss QBs against Mercer. We saw a dominant starter, a dominant middle reliever, and a stout closer in the form of Dart, Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard. While it may not have been a “perfect” game, it was close, and they did enough with their teammates around them to break the single-game passing record at Ole Miss.
Our new Single-Game Team Passing Record has been set 🎯#ScoreFromFar | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/dybMLlHQaf
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 3, 2023
A triple-option team I once quarterbacked still holds the single-game rushing record at Kyle Field and another holds the all-time record. This passing yardage record is the result of a team effort from every standpoint and one that these Rebels will all take tremendous pride in for years to come.
That said, let’s roll the film.
There are two constants in Rebel Football. The first is Ole Miss always receives the opening kickoff. The second is their first play, which is normally a pass, a right-handed corner route that is completed 100% of the time. Take the bets with the less informed as you watch; it’s money in the bank.
On to the first play, a perfectly placed corner route (what else?) from Dart to Jordan Watkins for 28 yards. Let the fireworks begin.
Here you have Dart tossing a slant route to Louisiana Tech transfer wide receiver Tre Harris that he impulsively reverses out on after the catch to score a 38-yard touchdown on his first reception as a Rebel.
On the next possession, Dart goes back-shoulder to Dayton Wade who makes a beautifully athletic catch for 23 yards, one so difficult to believe, it demanded a review from above.
There’s nothing fancy on this one. The Rebels load up the short side of the field and leave Tre Harris wide left. It’s 50-50-ball time against single coverage for Dart and Harris outmaneuvers the defender for catch number 2 and touchdown number 2.
Here we have a balanced set with Tre Harris lined wide left. This kid from Lafayette, Louisiana can smell that end zone. He runs the curl route, gets a great throw from Dart, and wrangles his way in for the score. It’s his third catch and third touchdown of the day, tying the program all-time record in his very first game as a Rebel.
Next the Rebs work a Post-Corner combination on the right side and Dart once again finds Watkins, this time for 34 yards.
On this play, the Rebels stack two wideouts on both sides of the ball and Dart finds tight end Kyirin Heath for 21 yards after eluding the rush and getting out of the pocket.
And now it’s Dart to Harris for a 16-yard TD and a new all-time single-game touchdown receiving record for Tre Harris (4). The motion out of the backfield and the quarterback’s eyes lure the backside safety out of position and the stop-and-go route works to perfection from the left side.
It didn’t take Spencer Sanders long to introduce himself, here unleashing a 43-yard strike to true freshman Ayden Williams.
Next Sanders finds tight end Michael Trigg on the out route on the near sideline for 20 yards, well-timed and well-executed.
Sanders does a bit of fancy footwork here to draw in the defenders and then flips it out to Ulysses Bentley IV for a 6-yard touchdown.
Here Sanders finds true freshman slot receiver Cayden Lee on a seam route for 33 yards and the score.
Current QB3 and LSU transfer Walker Howard finds wide receiver Bralon Brown between three defenders to the wide side of the field for a pickup of 29 yards.
Walker Howard finds Michael Trigg on a curl route for 16 yards, perfectly placed between three defenders.
Kiffin-Era Offensive Onslaught
What a great season-opener for head coach Lane Kiffin’s Rebels. Saturday’s win over Mercer marked the 21st game of the Kiffin era where the Rebels amassed 600+ yards.
Prior to that? Before Coach Kiffin’s arrival in Oxford in 2020, Ole Miss football had just 16 total 600+ yard games in school history.
With QB play like we saw Saturday, look for more of these coming!
Next Up:
Ole Miss heads to New Orleans to take on the No. 24 Tulane Green Wave. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT), and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
