News and Notables from Ole Miss’ Win Over Furman

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football kicked off 2024 with a 76-0 win over Furman Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway. Any time you have such a lopsided win, there is the opportunity for all sorts of notables and records — and Saturday’s Rebel win was no exception.

Here are notables from the season opener.

Captains

Captains for Saturday’s game were: JJ Pegues (DT), Trey Washington (S), and Jayden Williams (OL)

Starters

• Seven Rebels made their first start at Ole Miss: Nate Kalepo (OL), Princely Umanmielen (DE), Walter Nolen (DT), TJ Dottery (LB), Brandon Turnage (CB), Trey Amos (CB) and Jadon Canady (S).

• Prior to Ole Miss, Umanmielen had 24 starts at Florida … Canady had 20 at Tulane … Kalepo had 18 at Washington … Nolen had 14 at Texas A&M … Amos had 13 at Alabama and Louisiana.

• OL Jeremy James tallied his team-leading 50th consecutive start for Ole Miss on the offensive line.

• Other notable starting streaks include QB Jaxson Dart (25th), S Trey Washington (16th) and S John Saunders Jr. (14th).

Debuts

• A total of 26 different Rebels made their Ole Miss debut Saturday vs. Furman:

RB Rashad Amos, CB Trey Amos, K Mike Baker (first career), CB TJ Banks (first career), S Yam Banks, DT Kamron Beavers (first career), LB Raymond Collins (first career), WR Micah Davis, DT William Echoles (first career), DE Kam Franklin (first career), CB Isaiah Hamilton, DE Chris Hardie, OL Nate Kalepo, S Louis Moore, DT Walter Nolen, LB Chris Paul Jr., OL Diego Pounds, OL Gerquan Scott, QB Austin Simmons, RB Domonique Thomas, CB Brandon Turnage, DE Princely Umanmielen, WR Antwane Wells Jr., WR Noreel White, and TE Dae’Quan Wright.

General Notes

• Attendance for Saturday’s game was 66,105, the third largest on record.
• This game kicked off the 130th season of football at Ole Miss. The Rebels are 96-29-5 (.756) in season openers and have taken 23 of the last 28 on the field.
• Ole Miss is 66-17 (.795) versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994. Under head coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss is 15-2 against non-conference opponents.
• Ole Miss is now 118-41-6 (.732) all-time versus non-conference opponents during September.
• The Rebels are 300-115-8 (.717) all-time at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium before vacated wins (277-112-8 after).
• Ole Miss has now gone 22-2 at home since the beginning of the 2021 season.

Offensive Notes

• Ole Miss’ 76 points is the most in a single game in the Lane Kiffin era and tied for the most since 1935.

• Ole Miss recorded 772 yards of offense, which is second-highest total in program history, behind only 826 against Louisiana-Monrow on Oct. 6, 2018.

• Four of Ole Miss’ scoring drives occurred in two plays or less … Five of the Rebels nine scoring drives were 60 yards or more.

• Ole Miss put up 52 points in the first half, the most in program history since at least 1962 … The Rebels opened the game with eight consecutive scoring drives.

• QBs Jaxson Dart and Austin Simmons combined for 529 yards through the air, a program record … It’s the second time in as many years this record has been reset.

• Dart recorded 418 yards passing on 22-of-27 and was responsible for a career best six touchdowns (five in the air, one on the ground) … It’s the second-straight season opener Dart threw at least four touchdowns … His five passing touchdowns is also a career high.

• Dart becomes the first SEC QB since Joe Burrow in 2019 with over 350 passing yards in a half

• Dart’s five passing touchdowns propelled him into the top five in career touchdown passes in program history at 48 … He now sits two-back from tying No. 4 Chad Kelly.

• Dart tallied the second most points in a single game by Rebel with 36 … It’s the most since Showboat Boykin put up 42 in 1951.

• WR Tre Harris hauled in eight receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns, his sixth 100-yard game as a Rebel … His 61-yard touchdown grab was his longest as a Rebel.

• DT JJ Pegues scored his first career rushing touchdown on Ole Miss’ third drive, after lining up at quarterback for two plays in the red zone … He gained 10 yards on his first rush of the season, a career best.

• WR Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells‘ first reception as a Rebel was a 61-yard touchdown on Ole Miss’ second offensive drive of the game.

• TE Dae’Quan Wright scored his first collegiate touchdown in his first game as a Rebel.

• Redshirt freshman QB Austin Simmons opened his Ole Miss career with a 35-yard touchdown to Cayden Lee on his first career passing attempt.

• Lee set a career-best in single-game receiving yards with 78.

• RB Matt Jones led the Rebel running backs with two touchdowns and 68 yards, both career single-game bests.

Defensive Notes

• The Rebel defense recorded the first shutout in a season opener since a 3-0 win over Memphis in 1999.

• Ole Miss’ defense didn’t allow a single red zone appearance.

• Ole Miss held Furman to only eight first downs in the game and 3-for-17 on third downs … It’s the first time since 2014 that the Rebel defense held a team to under 10 first downs.

• The Rebels held the Paladins to 26 yards rushing … Ole Miss negated 62 yards in 16 tackles for loss.

• CB Trey Amos picked off Furman’s Carson Jones on the Paladins second drive, marking his first as a Rebel and second of his career.

• DT JJ Pegues recorded two tackles for loss in the season opener, tying a career best … He most recently accomplished this feat last season against Vanderbilt.

• LB Chris Paul Jr. recorded a team-high eight total tackles and a career-best 2.5 TFLs in his Rebel debut.

• DE Kam Franklin and DE Chris Hardie led the defense recorded 1.5 sacks each

Special Teams Notes

• K Caden Davis set the program record of made PATs with 10 on the night, breaking Gary Wunderlich’s previous best set in 2015.

• Davis tallied 16 points kicking, good for a tie-for-fifth on the all-time single game points kicking list. It’s the most by a Rebel since Luke Logan (17) against Vanderbilt on Nov. 11, 2018.

• Seven of Davis’ eight kickoffs were touchbacks … Last season, Davis kicked through the end zone on 83 percent of his kickoffs.