Ole Miss wide receiver Dayton Wade has career day against Vanderbilt; Lane Kiffin says Wade “plays every snap like it’s the biggest snap”
OXFORD, Miss. — Friday’s preview show on the SEC Network features a segment where the staff predicts a “Saturday Stud.” They do it with a weekly category and this week’s was receiving yards. With Ole Miss playing Vanderbilt, two of the analysts picked Ole Miss receivers.
They needed to look at the roster closer.
Although Jordan Watkins and Tre Harris — the two projected studs — had good games, it was Dayton Wade that stole the show in the Rebels’ 33-7 win over Vandy.
The Atlanta native and Western Kentucky transfer grabbed a season high eight passes for 120 yards. He also had a touchdown catch.
Wade caught the attention of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin not only Saturday night, but throughout the season.
“I just love the way he plays. The guy plays almost every snap. Not the biggest guy, so the way he tries to block in there and the effort he plays with, he’s one of our favorite guys. You guys hear us talking about culture, guys who play every snap like it’s the biggest snap and don’t complain about things. We’re lucky to have a few guys like that.”
Lane Kiffin on Dayton Wade
Wade also made a circus catch that made the Top 5 plays on ESPN’s College Football Final show.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart lofted a pass toward Wade down the right sideline creating a jump ball situation. Although only 5-foot-9, Wade was able to outduel the defensive back for a long gain that set up a Rebel touchdown.
Dayton Wade using a defender’s back shoulder for a catch. 💯😳 pic.twitter.com/VPHHW3MC7u
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 29, 2023
Dart had no doubt Wade would come down with the catch.
“He was absolutely rolling. He’s got burners on which allows me to put the ball out a little bit further. It was an incredible catch by him. He’s a huge spark for our team and he can do so many different things. He’s like a slot but he has outside receiver capabilities. He is very talented at what he does and he’s a huge part of our offense.”
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart on Dayton Wade
Ole Miss is the only team in Power 5 with three receivers who each have 500+ yards on the season. On the season, Wade is second on the team with 36 catches for 522 yards and three touchdowns. Watkins leads the way with 39 receptions for 580 yards and a pair of scores.
Although playing in one fewer game, Harris is third on the team with 27 grabs for 536 yards and he leads the Rebels with six touchdown catches.
Two other SEC schools — LSU and A&M — have two receivers with 500+ yards, while three don’t even have one who has reached that mark.
Ole Miss improves to 7-1 on the year and are on the fringe of a Top 10 ranking. But there is plenty of work to do. Texas A&M comes to Oxford next week and the Rebels’ following game is at top-ranked Georgia.
Ole Miss knows it cannot get caught looking ahead, but must stick to the task that is at hand.
”This (playing in big games) is why we all came here,” Dart said. “The standard is to do everything we can to go 1-0 each week. Live in the moment, and not get too ahead of ourselves. We have to stay consistent every week, and keep the same mindset.”
The Rebels will need that mindset Saturday when A&M comes rolling into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will telecast by ESPN.
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
