Jaxson Dart, while critical of his own performance against Vanderbilt, knows the Rebels are on pace to achieve goals set before the season
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss has advanced to a 7-1 record, placing itself in the same spot as the Rebels were in last year during this time. Head coach Lane Kiffin’s team defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores last night, 33-7, but despite the offense producing a total of 431 yards, quarterback Jaxson Dart says he was not pleased with how he finished his performance.
“I thought guys executed at a pretty high level throughout the night. Honestly, it starts with me. I thought I didn’t really execute to my standard so I’m pretty disappointed about that. Big shoutout to our defense for playing the way that they’re playing and getting us the ball back and more opportunities. We have to clean stuff up.”
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
In spite of Dart not being happy with his execution, he still managed to throw for 240 yards and a touchdown. And 47 percent of those yards came from one specific player, transfer Dayton Wade.
“I mean he was absolutely rolling. He’s got burners on, so I know now I can put it (the ball) out a little further but you know an incredible catch by him. He’s just a huge spark for our team. He can do so many different things, he’s like a slot but has outside receiver capabilities so he’s very talented at what he does and he’s a huge part of our offense,” Dart explained.
As Dart mentioned, Wade was used in motion, the slot, and as an outside receiver all game long, giving him plenty of mismatches throughout the game. By the end of the night, Dayton caught eight receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown.
As spectacular as Wade was, Jordan Watkins also took on a larger role only a little more than two weeks after getting two plates surgically inserted into his hand. On three receptions, Watkins had 44 yards and was able to receive punts for the entirety of the game. Jordan’s toughness has not gone unnoticed by Dart.
“It means a lot for me that he’s willing to put himself out there when he’s nowhere near 100% with his hand. He kind of just grinds it out and puts the team first, and it says a lot about him and what he’s about.“
Jaxson Dart on Jordan Watkins’ toughness
Between Watkins, Wade, and Tre Harris, Ole Miss is in possession of the only Power 5 wide receiver corps that has three players with more than 500 receiving yards.
Looking ahead, the Rebels continue on their question for an SEC West title. They’ll need a little help since Alabama has not lost any conference games and has the tiebreaker over them. But first things first as Ole Miss still has some tough games ahead.
The most notable ones include Texas A&M — against whom Lane Kiffin has never lost as the Ole Miss head coach —, Georgia, the number one team in the country, and Mississippi State. While State has not impressed this season, it’s a rivalry game on the road for the Rebels and anything can happen.
According to Dart, the Rebs are on pace to achieve the goals that were set even before the season started.
“We brought in a lot of guys from the transfer portal. I came in last year and our focus coming in here was to win. We want to play on the biggest stage, at the highest level, against the best teams and we want to win those games. We have had a vision since the off season and I don’t think we are getting too far ahead of ourselves. The last month of the season is something that we can feel good about, but at the same time it’s something we can’t feel satisfied with. We all have to understand and remember the big reason we came here and that is to win a national championship.“
Jaxson Dart
Tune into the Rebels’ next quest for greatness Saturday, November 4 at 11 a.m. against Texas A&M in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
