Ole Miss wide receiver Dayton Wade reflects on win over LSU, but now focused on playing the Razorbacks: ‘We’ve got a point to prove’
OXFORD, Miss. – Tuesday after practice, starting wide receiver Dayton Wade visited with media and had the opportunity to reflect on the LSU win while also looking ahead to bigger things.
The game of his life
“That was the best game I played in, by far,” Wade said in response to playing in the wild environment that was LSU versus Ole Miss this past Saturday night.
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— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 1, 2023
The Atlanta native described what it was like coming out to a packed Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and the feeling it creates inside not just him, but his teammates as well when they come back out from halftime to a still-full stadium.
“It really turns you up. Especially when all those fans are for you, cheering you on. They were causing problems for the opposing team, like third downs got crazy…for us it’s like ‘we got that mojo, we feel that energy’. Energy is never created nor destroyed, it just transfers. They are just transferring that energy into us, positive energy.”
Wade on the edge that the crowd gave Ole Miss Saturday
Perhaps considered one of the unsung heroes of the Rebel offense, Wade has stepped up time and time again for Ole Miss. From his miraculous catch that sparked energy within the offense versus Tulane, to his ability to take the pressure off Rebel star receiver Tre Harris, Wade is always there when he is needed the most.
Wade, a transfer last season from Western Kentucky, hauled in 7 catches for 64 yards on Saturday against the LSU secondary, also adding a touchdown grab that even he was shocked about how easy it came.
“Nah, not that easy…I was expecting to have to make a move, but then I was like ‘there’s nobody around me,’ so it was light (easy).”
Wade when asked if any of his touchdowns have been that easy
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— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 30, 2023
So far this season, Wade has tallied 23 catches for 367 yards and a touchdown. He has already surpassed his career high in receiving yards and adds an astonishing 16 yards per reception to his stats.
A new standard looking forward
While I am sure Wade soaked in the win, the Rebel wideout has already moved on to working on preparing for the Arkansas defense.
“They play a whole lot more man (coverage) than what we seen last week. That’s what I like, man coverage, see if you can stick with me. We do what we do, we ain’t doing nothing special, just being us out there.”
Wade on what stands out about Arkansas’s defense
Head Coach Lane Kiffin said immediately following the LSU win, ‘standards have changed around here.’ On the outside looking in, that sure seems to be the case. Not only did the head coach praise players like Tre Harris for his pro-type preparation, but he also made another point to the team that Wade shared with us.
“We more or so see it as, we’ve got a point to prove. Our head coach made a good point…that Bama loss, it wasn’t over that day. We still got chips on our shoulders. We’re still in it. We’re not playing this season to win a few games; we plan to win it all. We’ve got to be consistent, have that same demeanor. We preached this morning that it’s just one game, we gotta keep it up, we have the bounty on our heads now. By winning that game, we made ourselves a contender.”
Wade’s on what the feeling is like in the building this week
Wade also explained that the Rebels still use last year’s team as an example of not falling apart when you’re on top. After getting off to a hot start of 7-0 last year, Ole Miss lost five of its last six. Wade said no one has forgotten what happened.
“”When we went like (7-0) and lost (four) straight, we still bring that up to this day. We even brought it up before playing LSU… we went from contender to pretender, there and wasn’t. To be a winner, you have to execute the smaller details and be consistent. We learn from out, have a lot of the same players. We know what to do and what not to do.”
Dayton Wade on not forgetting last season
Despite giving up 49 points to LSU, Wade took the opportunity to shout out to the defense and explain the offense had all the confidence in the world they would do their part to end the game and secure the victory.
Game info
On Saturday, October 7th at 6:30 p.m. CT, Wade and the rest of his Rebel teammates will welcome the Arkansas Razorbacks to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 3, 2023
Hotty Toddy!
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
