Ole Miss Football Game Notes: How to Watch, Listen and Follow the No. 5 Rebels at Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, NC — Ole Miss football has hit the road for the No. 5 Rebels’ first road game of the season as they take on Wake Forest. Lane Kiffin’s team is 2-0 and will face its first test after notching wins over Furman and Middle Tennessee.

How to Watch: Ole Miss at Wake Forest

Date: Saturday, September 14
Time: 5:30 p.m. CT
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Site: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
TV: The CW
Live Stream: The CW App
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
LiveAudio: OleMissSports.com/watch
Wake Forest Gameday Info: Click Here

What to Watch

• This marks the third all-time meeting between the Rebels and Demon Deacons. Wake Forest leads 2-0 all-time.

• Both Ole Miss (7th, 21.7) and Wake Forest (T-10th, 22.2) rank top-10 in seconds per play in the FBS.

• Ole Miss is 67-17 (.798) 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 16-2 against non-conference opponents.

• Ole Miss currently ranks No. 5 in both the AP and Coaches polls, its highest since rising to No. 3 in 2015.

• The Rebels own a +125 scoring margin this season, tied for the second-largest in SEC history through two games (per ESPN) … Ole Miss’ 128 points ranks second in school history through two games played.

• The Rebel defense held opponents scoreless for the first 89 minutes and 45 seconds of 2024, the longest stretch to open a season since at least 1974 … Three points allowed stands as fewest through two games since 1991.

• Ole Miss leads the FBS in rushing defense at 27.0 ypg … The Rebels have held consecutive opponents to fewer than 30 yards rushing for the first time since 1999.

• QB Jaxson Dart broke the SEC record for consecutive completions with 24 straight against Middle Tennessee.

• Dart is one of five active FBS QBs with 8,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards … Since halftime at No. 1 Georgia last fall, Dart is 111-of-154 (72.1%) for 1,581 yards, 13 TD and 0 INT.

• RB Henry Parrish Jr.’s four rushing TD vs. MTSU are the most by a Rebel RB since 2009 (Dexter McCluster).

• WR Tre Harris is PFF’s top-rated FBS receiver this season with a 93.7 grade.

•Ole Miss is 31-10 overall since 2021 and ranks third among all SEC schools in wins in that span.

• Ole Miss leads the FBS in total offense since 2020 at 506.7 yards per game.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin 

Lane Kiffin is in his fifth season at Ole Miss and has led the Rebels to four consecutive bowl berths, including two New Year’s Six appearances, under his guidance since 2020. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 97-49, including a 36-15 mark at Ole Miss.

Kiffin led the 2023 Rebels to the best season in Ole Miss history in terms of wins, notching an 11-2 overall record capped by a 38-25 Peach Bowl victory over Penn State. The Rebels finished No. 9 in both final versions of the AP and Coaches polls, the highest finish overall since 2015 (No. 9 Coaches) and their highest in the final AP poll since 1969 (No. 8). In 2022, Kiffin led the Rebels to the Texas Bowl, thanks to another dynamite offense that ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) in 2022. Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016.

Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in Kiffin’s first season in 2020. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998.

Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Clawson

Dave Clawson is in his 11th season as head coach at Wake Forest and holds a 64-62 record with the Demon Deacons and is 154-142 overall. Clawson has helped lead Wake Forest to a bowl game in seven of the last eight seasons and the 2021 ACC Atlantic title.

Clawson has also engineered an offense that has rewritten the record books at Wake Forest. The Deacons have set nearly 400 school records including marks for points scored, points per game, total offensive yards, first downs and passing yards over the past four seasons. He owns the school record for bowl victories, has climbed to the third-most wins in school history, and has led Wake Forest to a six-year period (2017-22) of success that had been unmatched in school history, winning 46 games over that period.

Clawson joined the Demon Deacons after five seasons as the head coach at Bowling Green where he led the Falcons to the 2013 Mid-American Conference championship. In his 24 years as a head coach, Clawson has delivered a conference championship at each of his first three stops. Prior to the 2013 MAC title, Clawson helped Richmond to a pair of Colonial Athletic Association titles in 2005 and 2007. His first championship as a head coach came in 2002 when he led Fordham to the Patriot League title.

Demon Deacon Scouting Report 

Wake Forest enters the game with a 1-1 record after dropping a 31-30 decision to Virginia in its conference opener. Despite the loss, Wake Forest has put up 500 or more total yards in both games this season. Through two games, the Demon Deacons rank No. 5 nationally in pass yards, averaging 361.5 yards per game.

Transfer QB Hank Bachmeier got the start for Wake Forest against Virginia and threw for 403 yards and one touchdown in his debut. Receiver Donovan Greene ranks second in the ACC with 119 receiving yards per game. Green is coming off a career night against Virginia in which he hauled in 11 receptions for 164 yards. Junior Demond Claiborne has 221 rushing yards and three TDs on the season.

The Wake Forest defense is limiting its opponents to 383.5 yards per game. Junior defensive back Nick Andersen leads the Deacon defense with 23 total tackles. Kevin Pointer has a team-high 3.5 tackles for loss through two games.

Rebels in the Polls

• Ole Miss currently ranks No. 5 in both the Coaches poll and the Associated Press poll for Week Three.

• No. 5 is the highest ranking for the Rebels since rising to No. 3 in the 2015 season.

• No. 6 was the highest preseason ranking for Ole Miss since 1970, when the Rebels started off at No. 5.

• This year marked the first preseason top-10 appearance for the Rebels since 2009, when Ole Miss opened at No. 8.

• Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top 25 in 47 of the last 51 poll releases … That includes a streak of 29 across 2021 and 2022, the longest streak since being ranked for 41 straight weeks from 2014-16.

• The SEC boasts eight teams in the top 25, including five within the top-10.

No Points for You!

The Rebels have paired the top offense in the nation with the best rush defense and No. 3 scoring defense in the FBS, allowing only three points and 450 yards combined through two games this season. No opposing offense has found the endzone against the Landshark D, and the Rebels shut down all opponent scoring through the first 89 minutes and 45 seconds of the 2024 campaign — the longest opening scoring drought by Ole Miss opponents since at least 1974. Those three points yielded to Middle Tennessee in the second quarter stand as the fewest allowed by an Ole Miss defense through two games since 1991.

Tough sledding 

Neither Furman (26 yards) nor Middle Tennessee (28 yards) were able to find much success on the ground against the revamped Rebel defense, which currently owns the top rush defense in the FBS at 27.0 yards allowed per game. Helping keep that total low is Ole Miss’ SEC-leading 25 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 93 yards. This marks the first back-to-back games Ole Miss has held opponents to fewer than 30 yards rushing since 1999, when the Rebels stuffed both South Carolina and Tulane to 16 yards apiece in consecutive weeks.

High-flying Offense

In the Kiffin era, the Rebel offense ranks as the most prolific in the nation, leading the FBS in yards per game since the beginning of the 2020 season at 506.7 yards per game. In terms of total yards, Ole Miss ranks fourth in the FBS at 25,840 yards within the Kiffin era. In that same four-year stretch, Ole Miss ranks sixth among all FBS schools in rushing yards per game at 216.9, as well as 11th in passing yards per game at 289.8. That puts the Rebels as the only SEC team to rank top-15 in both rushing yards per game and passing yards per game since 2020, and one of two in the FBS alongside North Carolina.

Causing Mayhem 

The Ole Miss defense has been ever-present in the backfield, currently leading the SEC and ranking third nationally at 25 tackles for loss. The Landshark D was particularly destructive against Furman in the season-opener, rattling the Paladins for a whopping 16 TFL for a loss of 62 yards — the most TFL since Ole Miss notched 17 vs. Mississippi State in 2000, as well as the most yards lost since denting Kent State for 76 in 2018. Ole Miss is coming off 35-sack season during its historic 2023 campaign, which marked the first time since the sack became an official college statistic in 1983 that the Rebels have recorded at least 35 in three consecutive seasons. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss has recorded multiple sacks in 36 games, at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 34 games, and at least 4.0 sacks in 19 games. In games under Kiffin with at least 5.0 tackles for loss, Ole Miss is 25-9, and in games with at least 4.0 sacks, the Rebels are 11-3.

Dart Unblemished 

Dart’s day against the Blue Raiders last weekend was just the latest entry in a sparkling passing line since the late stages of the 2023 season. Dart has not thrown an interception since the closing minutes of the second quarter at No. 1 Georgia last November. Since, the Rebels have gone 5-0 while Dart has gone 111-of-154 (72.1%) for 1,581 yards and 13 touchdowns passing. Those 154 pass attempts currently rank him No. 5 on the all-time Ole Miss list for longest streak without throwing a pick. Last season, Dart tied the Ole Miss single-season record for fewest interceptions thrown on at least 200 pass attempts with only five picks thrown.

Big Target

Mackey Award watch list member and Ole Miss senior tight end Caden Prieskorn is off to an excellent start of his own, hauling in six catches for 125 yards and one touchdown so far. The second-year Rebel has broken into the top-10 all-time among Ole Miss tight ends in receptions (36) and touchdowns (5), and is about to in receiving yards (574). Prieskorn enjoyed a successful season for the Rebels in 2023 despite missing the first several games due to injury. Prieskorn was a second-team member of the Coaches All-SEC team and capped the season with a spectacular performance in the Peach Bowl that earned him Offensive MVP honors. Prieskorn ended the year with a final line of 30 catches for 449 yards and four touchdowns – a big portion of which came in the Peach Bowl against Penn State. In Atlanta, Prieskorn exploded for an Ole Miss bowl game record 10 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. In 2023, Prieskorn ranked second among all SEC tight ends with 15.0 yards per reception.

Into the Fire

The Rebels put massive work into the portal this past offseason, and nowhere is that more noticeable than on defense, where a bevy of newcomers have immediately made their presence felt. On the year, 17.5 of Ole Miss’ SEC-leading 25 tackles for loss have come from newcomers, led by junior LB Chris Paul Jr. (4.0 for 14 yards) and freshman DE Kam Franklin (3.0 for 14 yards). Paul Jr. is also Ole Miss’ current leading tackler with nearly double his next best competitor at 14 total stops, while Franklin is tied for the team lead in sacks with fellow newcomer DE Chris Hardie with 1.5. In the season opener against Furman, 12.0 of Ole Miss’ 16 TFL came from newcomers — led by 3.0 alone from Franklin.

Defensive Notes 

• LB Chris Paul Jr. not only leads Ole Miss in tackles (14) and TFL (4.0), but he also ranks as the top-rated Rebel in both run-defense (91.5( and tackling (85.8) per PFF.

• CB Trey Amos ranks as the top-rated Rebel coverage defender per PFF at an 83.9 grade … Amos owns six tackles, 2.0 TFL, one INT and one PBU, and has only allowed three catches all year for an average of 0.7 yards per catch.

• Freshman DE Kam Franklin dazzled in his college debut vs. Furman, leading the team with 3.0 TFL and 1.5 sacks along with five total tackles and one QB hurry … Franklin leads all SEC freshmen and ranks second among FBS freshmen in TFL.

• S John Saunders Jr. ranks tied for ninth among active FBS defenders in career passes defended (29) and fifth in INTs (9).

• DT and Chucky Mullins Award winner JJ Pegues owns 3.0 TFL and one QB hurry to start his senior campaign.

• S Louis Moore has recorded four tackles in each of his first two games with the Rebels … Also owns 1.5 TFL.

• Freshman DT Jamarious Brown notched five total tackles and tied for the team lead with two QB hurries vs. Furman.

• DE Princely Umanmielen is Ole Miss’ top-rated pass rusher per PFF (84.9) … He leads all Rebels with four QB hurries, and owns seven total pressures per PFF … Umanmielen ranks tied for 16th among active FBS defenders in career sacks (16.0).

• On the year, 17 different Rebels have had their hand in a tackle for loss, seven have chipped in on a sack, nine have defended a pass in some manner and 10 have contributed at least one QB hurry.

• LB TJ Dottery has the first fumble recovery of 2024 for the Rebels … Dottery has started both games at linebacker and ranks tied for third on the team with seven total tackles.

• LB Khari Coleman ranks 13th among active FBS defenders at 31.0 career TFL.

New Faces 

Roster turnover is the name of the game in modern college athletics, which means Ole Miss is no stranger to new faces. This season, out of 127 total student-athletes on the roster, 59 (46.4%) are brand-new to the Rebel squad. Of those, 31 (24.4%) are new transfers this past spring and summer, and 28 (22%) are freshmen signees. Combined with transfers from previous seasons, a total of 56 Rebels (44.1%) have transferred to Ole Miss on the current 2024 roster. That number also includes running back Henry Parrish Jr., who began his career at Ole Miss from 2020-21 before spending two seasons at Miami prior to his return to Oxford this fall.

Portal Combat

For the third straight year, Ole Miss ended up within the top-six of the 247Sports transfer rankings, leading the nation with the top-ranked transfer class of 2024. Leading that class were five top-100 additions: No. 3 overall transfer and No. 1 defensive lineman, Walter Nolen (Texas A&M); No. 18 transfer and No. 2 ranked edge, Princely Umanmielen (Florida); No. 26 transfer and No. 4 wideout, Antwane Wells Jr. (South Carolina); No. 46 transfer and No. 8 corner, Trey Amos (Alabama); and No. 51 transfer and No. 2 ranked linebacker, Chris Paul Jr. (Arkansas). Other transfers contributing to that No. 1 overall team rating are: running back Rashad Amos (Miami OH), safety Yam Banks (South Alabama), offensive lineman Julius Buelow (Washington), running back Logan Diggs (LSU), cornerback Isaiah Hamilton (Houston), offensive lineman Nate Kalepo (Washington), safety Key Lawrence (Oklahoma), safety Louis Moore (Indiana), offensive lineman Diego Pounds (North Carolina), offensive lineman Gerquan Scott (Southern Miss), cornerback Brandon Turnage (Tennessee) and tight end Dae’Quan Wright (Virginia Tech).

Year Five of the Kiffin Era

Ole Miss is in the fifth year of the Lane Kiffin era in 2024, and in four years the Kiffin-led Rebels have earned four consecutive bowl bids for the first time since 1997-2000, going to the 2021 Outback Bowl, the 2022 Sugar Bowl, the 2022 Texas Bowl and the 2023 Peach Bowl. Kiffin has already mentored 15 NFL Draft picks, while also turning Ole Miss into a powerhouse both on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal with numerous top-25 recruiting classes and several of the top-ranked transfer classes of the portal era. At 36-15, Kiffin stands as one of just seven coaches to break 30 wins in Ole Miss history and as the second-fastest to hit the milestone.