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Jaxson Dart and Jordan Watkins enjoy record day en route to Ole Miss’ 63-31 road win over Arkansas

Posted by | Nov 2, 2024 |

Jaxson Dart and Jordan Watkins enjoy record day en route to Ole Miss’ 63-31 road win over Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE — Behind record-setting performances from Jaxson Dart and Jordan Watkins, the Rebel offense could not be stopped in a 63-31 Ole Miss victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks on an overcast day in Fayetteville.

This was Ole Miss’ first win in Fayetteville since 2008, and the first in the Lane Kiffin era on the road there, as well.

“This is a little different feeling than four years ago,” the Rebels’ head coach said after the game. He also urged fans to enjoy the win and not yet look ahead to next Saturday’s game vs. Georgia. “Let’s enjoy this today,” he said.

Kiffin was proud of his team’s performance, one that has them still in the hunt for one of the 12 spots in the College Football Playoffs.

“It says what we said last night…show the world you’re one of the best teams in the country and play well.“

Head coach Lane Kiffin

Dart, who enjoyed a record-breaking game, commented on the win — and his offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis, Jr.

“It is pretty cool and unique but all glory goes to God. We have great coaches and players and Coach Weis called a great game today.“

Jaxson Dart

First half

Out of the ordinary of what usually happens, the Rebels kicked off to start the game. After a first down on the first play, the Landshark defense stood tall, just as they have all year, to bring up a quick fourth down to force a punt.

The opening drive for the Rebels looked promising as Jaxson Dart hit Juice Wells on the first play from scrimmage to pick up a quick first down. Dart continued to drive the offense into Arkansas territory with his arm and legs, as the Rebels found themselves on the goal line.

However, Arkansas’ defense showed its grit, bringing up a 4th-and-goal on the one-yard line and ultimately stopping the Rebels from punching it in as they forced a turnover on downs.

Fortunately for the Landshark defense, QB Taylen Green and the Razorback offense were now backed up to their own one-yard line following the big defensive stand. Two plays later, Ole Miss linebacker TJ Dottery came screaming off the edge, sacking Green and forcing a fumble in the endzone.

Princely Umanmielen was given the recovery for the touchdown as a crowd of Rebels jumped on the ball to give Ole Miss a 7-0 lead.

Green and the Razorbacks offense then looked to find an answer, driving into Ole Miss territory in a hurry. However, Green would then come out of the game with an injury, allowing the Rebel defense to slow the momentum of the Arkansas offense to force a 55-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with three minutes left in the opening quarter.

Looking for a response, Dart began to find his tight end Dae’Quan Wright as the Rebel offense drove down the field again. Dart then found Wright over the top, wide-open in the endzone for a 4-yard touchdown to cap off the drive and extend the Ole Miss lead 30 seconds into the second quarter.

“I thought Charlie Weis, who’s taken a lot of criticism, called a really good game today.“

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin

Green would come back into the game for the Razorbacks on the following drive; however, the quarterback looked uncomfortable after the injury. A sack on the first play by big Zxavian Harris had the Arkansas offense going backward from the start, ultimately resulting in a quick three-and-out.

The next drive for the Rebel offense lasted eight seconds. On the first play following the punt, Dart aired one out, finding Jordan Watkins down the sideline for an explosive 62-yard score to put the Razorbacks in an early 21-3 hole.

Another quick three-and-out forced by the Landshark defense resulted in back-to-back Arkansas punts, and the Rebel offense picked up right where it left off. On the second play of the drive this time, Dart found Watkins again over the shoulder. The Rebel playmaker beat his man deep for 66 yards, finding paydirt again to extend the Ole Miss lead to 28-3 with over 10 minutes left in the half.

The touchdown enshrined Dart into the Ole Miss history books, making him the all-time offense leader in school history passing former Rebel quarterback Bo Wallace. 

However, Green had an answer, showing his toughness and pushing the Razorbacks down the field play-by-play with his dynamic style of play. After reaching the goal line, Arkansas let running back Braylen Russell do the rest as he punched one in for a score to cut the Ole Miss lead to 28-10.

Following the first punt of the game for the Rebel offense, Arkansas began to drive downfield once again behind the play of Green. The Ole Miss defense would stand tall once again though as Suntarine Perkins and Walter Nolen got to Green for a third down sack. The Razorback kicker then missed a 45-yard field goal attempt as Arkansas came up empty in a big spot.

With a little over a minute to work with, the Rebel offense had no intentions of slowing down. Dart continued to orchestrate the offense down the field, finding Cayden Lee and Watkins to whole way into the red zone. From three yards out, Dart found Watkins again on a goal-line fade for the receiver’s third score of the game.

Taking a 35-10 lead into the locker room, Watkins led the way for the Rebels with five grabs for 172 yards and three scores. Dart finished the half 18 of 23 passing with 321 and four scores to his line.

For the Landshark defense, Dottery led the pack with six tackles, two and a half tackles-for-loss, a pair of sacks and the forced fumble that resulted in a Rebel score. Ole Miss had five sacks as a team at the break, only giving up 159 yards in the first half.

Second half

Ole Miss received the opening kick of the second half, picking up right where it left off in the first half. Domonique Thomas carried the load to begin the half for the Rebels with Henry Parrish Jr. going down late in the second quarter.

With the help of Thomas keeping the Razorback defense honest, Dart continued to use his legs and his arm. The signal-caller hit Lee once again for a big gain, then scrambled for 31 yards on third down to get the Rebels to the 5-yard-line.

After a penalty and another solid run from Thomas, Dart found Watkins once again in the endzone for the fourth time in the afternoon to extend the Rebel lead to 42-10 three minutes into the second half.

However, the Razorbacks showed life as Malachi Singleton entered the game for Green at quarterback, dynamic in his own right. The redshirt freshman drove the Razorbacks down the field in a hurry; a five-play 75-yard drive capped off with a touchdown run from the backup.

Dart and the Rebel offense refused to slow down though, hitting more big plays immediately following the Razorback score. Dart found Lee in the middle of the field, breaking a tackle, and off he went down to the Arkansas 6-yard-line. After Dart and Thomas pushed the ball down to the one-yard-line, JJ Pegues came in to finish the job for his sixth score of the year to make it 49-17 mid-way through the third quarter.

The Landshark defense then forced a quick three-and-out thanks to a Umanmielen sack on third down. Still on fire, Dart hit Watkins once again over the middle of the field on the second play of the drive for a 66-yard score. The catch-and-run gave Watkins his fifth touchdown of the game, breaking the record for most receiving touchdowns in a game in Ole Miss history — set by teammate Tre Harris in week one of 2023.

However, Singleton picked up right where he left off on the last scoring drive. The Razorback quarterback marched into Ole Miss territory once again with the help of multiple Arkansas running backs, hitting his tight end Luke Hasz to reach the goal line. Arkansas then capped off the drive on the ground to cut the Rebel lead to 56-24.

Dart began the next drive still at the helm, driving the Rebels near midfield before being subbed out of the game for dual-sport star Austin Simmons. Dart checked out of the game with 515 yards on 25-for-31 passing, tying Matt Corral and Eli Manning for the most touchdowns in a single game with six on the day.

Afterward, Dart was happy with his team’s offensive performance.

“That’s a really good defense we played. Just look at the Tennessee game.“

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart

Simmons stepped into the Ole Miss offense and picked up right where Dart left off. Hitting all three of his passes on the drive, Simmons found Wright in the endzone for 12 yards to give the Rebels 63 points with a little under seven minutes left in the game. The score was Wright’s second of the game and he finished the day with nine catches for 99 yards.

The Razorback offense would answer one last time due to the dynamic play of Singleton that continued throughout the second half. The Arkansas backup marched down the field, capping off the drive with a 22-yard pass to Hasz for another score to cut the Rebel lead to 63-31.

Simmons and the Ole Miss offense trotted back onto the field, ultimately running the clock out to end the game.

Watkins led the Rebel offense with 8 grabs for 254 yards and 5 touchdowns, setting two-single game school records to help Ole Miss rack up 694 yards of total offense on the day.

Although the script flipped for the Landshark defense in the second half as they gave up over 300 yards of offense, Dottery finished the day with a team-leading six tackles. He and Umanmielen tied for the team lead in sacks on the day with two each as the Rebels finished with eight sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss.

Up Next

After an impressive offensive performance against the Razorbacks, Ole Miss will prepare for its biggest test yet in a must-win game at home in the Vaught against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 2:30 pm CT, Nov. 9 on ABC.
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.

About The Author

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.

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