Postgame Notables: Records fall as Ole Miss destroys the Hogs, 63-31

FAYETTEVILLE — (Release) Ole Miss defeated Arkansas, 63-31, Saturday on the road in Fayetteville to move the Rebels to 7-2 overall, 3-2 in the SEC and set up a showdown next Saturday vs. Georgia in Oxford.

The Rebels set a number of records in this game, thanks in part to the performance of quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Jordan Watkins. Here are notes and notables from the win.

Series Information

• At a final score of 63-31 and a victory margin of +32, this marked the largest win against Arkansas ever by an Ole Miss team. The previous best by a Rebel team was 28 both in 1953 (28-0) and 1959 (28-0).

• This was the 71st meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Arkansas in a series that dates back to 1908.
• This was Ole Miss’ first win in Fayetteville since 2008
• This was the first time the home team did not win since 2018 when Ole Miss won in Little Rock.

Notable Starts

QB Jaxson Dart made his team-leading 33rd-straight start against Arkansas. Other notable starting streaks include S Trey Washington (24th) and S John Saunders Jr. (22nd).

Offensive Notables

• 63 points scored are tied for the most ever by an Ole Miss offense against an SEC opponent alongside a 63-28 win over Vanderbilt in 1979.

• Ole Miss’ 694 yards of total offense rank seventh in Ole Miss history and are the fourth-most ever against an SEC opponent – the most since notching 706 vs. LSU in 2023.

• Ole Miss’ 562 passing yards shattered the previous single-game record of 529 set earlier this season against Furman … Head coach Lane Kiffin now owns four of the five 500-yard passing efforts in Ole Miss history, two of which have come against SEC opponents.

• Those 562 passing yards rank fourth in SEC history overall, the most since Mississippi State set the record with 623 against LSU in 2020.

• With seven total passing touchdowns, the Rebels tied the single-game record set against Vanderbilt in 2020.

• With the win, senior QB Jaxson Dart (25-9) now stands as the winningest starting quarterback of Ole Miss’ modern era since Archie Manning’s first start in 1968, passing Eli Manning (24-13) and Bo Wallace (24-15) for the record.

• Dart racked up an Ole Miss single-game record 562 yards of total offense (515 passing, 47 rushing), breaking Archie Manning’s 1969 record of 540 against Alabama.

• Dart’s performance today also broke Bo Wallace’s all-time Ole Miss total offense record of 10,478. Dart ends today with 10,805 yards in his Ole Miss career and 12,201 in his overall career, one of four active FBS quarterbacks beyond 12K.

• Dart’s was 25-of-31 for 515 yards and six touchdowns passing, which broke the Ole Miss single-game yards record set by Matt Corral vs. South Carolina in 2020 (513) … Dart’s six touchdowns also ties the single-game record with Eli Manning (Arkansas, 2001) and Matt Corral (Vanderbilt, 2020).

• This marked the 13th game in SEC history with a 500-yard passing performance by a single QB, and per ESPN, Dart is only the second in SEC history with 500 yards and six TDs passing alongside Missouri’s Drew Lock.

• Dart now owns 64 passing TD in his Ole Miss career, passing Bo Wallace (62) for second and only trailing Eli Manning (81) all-time.

• This was Dart’s 13th game with 300 yards passing in his Ole Miss career, breaking the all-time Rebel record of 12 set by both Chad Kelly and Jordan Ta’amu … This also marked his third career 400-yard game with the Rebels, the second-most all-time behind Ta’amu’s four.

• Dart had 321 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone, his second first half with at least 300 yards this season alongside a 418-yard, five-touchdown first half against Furman.

 • WR Jordan Watkins broke the Ole Miss single-game records in both receiving yards (254) and touchdowns (5) on eight receptions, with his five touchdowns also tying the SEC single-game record and his 254 yards marking the 12th 250-yard performance in SEC history.

• Prior to today, Watkins’ career-highs were 119 yards and one touchdown.

• Three of Watkins’ five scores came on passes of at least 62 yards, scoring twice from 62 and once from 66 … Watkins currently leads the FBS now with four receptions of at least 60 yards – all for touchdowns – and in his Ole Miss career he now owns seven receptions of at least 60 yards.

• WR Cayden Lee ended the day with 127 yards on five catches, his second career 100-yard outing.

• TE Dae’Quan Wright had a standout performance, hauling in career-highs in receptions (9) and yards (99) and two touchdowns, giving him three total in his career (all as a Rebel this season).DT JJ Pegues scored his sixth rushing touchdown both of his career and this season … Pegues owns the most points scored by a Chucky Mullins winner by a wide margin at 36 points this season.

Defensive Notables

• Ole Miss ended with 13 tackles for loss, its sixth game with double-digit TFL this season … That ranks as the most double-digit games in a season by a Rebel defense in available game-by-game records (since at least 1997).

• The Rebels also recorded eight sacks, the second week in a row with at least eight after notching nine against Oklahoma.

• LB TJ Dottery paced the team with six total tackles and career-highs in sacks (2.0) and TFL (2.5), including a sack fumble in the endzone recovered for an Ole Miss touchdown.

• DE Princely Umanmielen recovered Dottery’s first quarter sack fumble in the endzone for a touchdown, the first of his career and the first by an Ole Miss defender since Jared Ivey‘s fumble return at Tulane in 2023. This was the first fumble recovered in the endzone by the Rebels since CJ Johnson did so against Auburn in 2012.

• Umanmielen also ended with 2.0 sacks for the second consecutive game, giving him a team-leading 10.0 this season.

• LB Suntarine Perkins added a half-sack to his season total of 9.0.

• S John Saunders Jr. recorded a forced fumble for the second time in as many weeks.

• Freshman DE Kam Franklin returned to action with 2.0 TFL and three total tackles following an injury … Franklin now owns 5.0 on the season.

Special Teams Notables

• P Fraser Masin averaged 43.0 yards on two punts, with a long of 52 and one falling inside the 20.

• K Caden Davis was 9-of-9 on PAT.