Ole Miss Red Team Beats Blue, 71-70, in Fun-Filled Grove Bowl Games
OXFORD, Miss. – Amid all the first annual Grove Bowl Games madness, Ole Miss football did actually play 7-on-7 football which allowed many new faces on the Rebel roster to properly introduce themselves to the fans. The Red team took down the Blue team, 71-70, and although other events played into the score, the score was ultimately settled in the flag football game.
Red Team wins the first Grove Bowl Games ‼️ pic.twitter.com/o3ORbCPqWI
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 13, 2024
The future is now
While Jaxson Dart did participate in the 7-on-7 games, many of the snaps at quarterback went to Walker Howard on the Red team, and Austin Simmons and AJ Maddox on the Blue team.
Howard put on a clinic throwing the ball today and ultimately threw a touchdown that would eventually lead to a Red team win in the first annual Grove Bowl Games. The former transfer from LSU played a majority of the snaps for the Red team today, finding familiar faces like Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins throughout the day.
The deep ball from @Walker_Howard4 to tie it! 😳
📺 SECN+ pic.twitter.com/aSTkRYrDIc
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 13, 2024
Simmons was not as involved in the 7-on-7, as the freshman was coming off of a pitching outing for the Rebel baseball team less than 24 hours before the games, with another game against State later in the evening. With that being said, Maddox took a majority of the snaps for the Blue team and the freshman showed out. The Mississippi native threw to many different receivers; however, it was clear that returning wideout Cayden Lee was his favorite target.
The defensive side of the ball did not have many opportunities for highlights with no one rushing the quarterback; however, transfers Louis Moore and Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul Jr. both had interceptions on the day, Paul Jr. taking his to the house that gave the Red team an early 27-0 lead.
Pooh with the Pick!@PoohPaul4 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/1eQRHIj6TX
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 13, 2024
Another player on the defensive side of things who caught my eye today is freshman safety Travaris Banks. The defensive back was matched up against Cayden Lee and Ayden Williams most of the day, breaking up a handful of passes and bringing energy to the Red team.
Speaking of the future, the 2024 college football season is not too far away. Today we got another glimpse of the Dart to Harris connection, something we saw often in 2023 and should expect to see even more of this upcoming fall. In his small number of snaps, Dart managed to find his number one target in the middle of the field while rolling to his left.
Just a lil sneak peek 🤧@JaxsonDart ➡️ @_treharris13 pic.twitter.com/MXxinwEUDS
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 13, 2024
What’s next?
In terms of football, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spoke with the media following the games and commented on things the team will plan to work towards for the fall.
“Obviously, there is tackling to work on when we get to the fall and have our final roster. So, outside of that, I think the guys accomplished a lot (this spring) and did a really good job.“
~ Lane Kiffin on the next step
Kiffin also stated that there is still one more day of spring practice on Monday, meaning Thursday morning was not the team’s last time in the Manning Center this spring.
The Ole Miss brand drew in a ton of attention today with the new-look spring game, hot-dog-eating champion Joey Chestnut in town, and many Ole Miss legends making appearances as well. The hype for the 2024 Rebel football team will continue through the remainder of the offseason as many expect Ole Miss to be ranked inside the top 10 to begin the year.
The spring transfer portal window also opens this coming Tuesday, April 16th, and will stay open for a week. The anticipation for the fall to begin starts now with the Rebels hosting the Furman Paladins to open the season on August 31st.
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.
