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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Postgame Notes vs. Mercer
9/2/2023 | Football
Ole Miss 73, Mercer 7
| SERIES INFORMATION |
• The lone prior matchup came in Macon, Georgia 112 years ago on Nov. 4, 1911 ... Ole Miss won, 34-0.
| CAPTAINS |
| STARTERS |
• Other double-digit consecutive starts included CB Deantre Prince (16) and QB Jaxson Dart (12).
• TE Kyirin Heath made his first career start
• Making their first career Ole Miss starts today were: LT Victor Curne, WR Tre Harris, LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, LG Quincy McGee, LB Monty Montgomery, DB John Saunders Jr., DE Isaac Ukwu, DB Zamari Walton and DT Stephon Wynn Jr.
| DEBUTS |
• Freshmen making their college football debuts were: DT Jamarious Brown, DE Chamberlain Campbell, TE Jayvontay Conner, OL Preston Cushman, CB Chris Graves, DE DeeJay Holmes Jr., LB Suntarine Perkins, RB Kedrick Reescano, OL Brycen Sanders, WR Ayden Williams.
| GENERAL NOTES |
• Ole Miss is now 162-92-7 (.634 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is now 104-35-3 (.743 winning pct.) in September home games (including contests played in Memphis and Jackson).
• The Rebels are now 79-22-2 (.777 winning percentage) in September games played in Oxford after vacated wins.
• Ole Miss is now 115-41-6 (.729 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month of September.
• Under Kiffin, Ole Miss is now 10-2 against non-conference opponents.
• The Rebels are now 95-29-5 (.756 winning percentage) in season openers and have taken 21 of the last 26 on the field.
• This game was just the third home season opener for the Rebels in the last six years. The Rebels last played a current SoCon team in a season opener in 1953 (Chattanooga; W, 39-6), with the last home opener against a SoCon team coming in 2016 (Wofford; W, 38-13).
| OFFENSIVE NOTES |
• Ole Miss' 73 points tie for No. 7 in school history, the most of the Kiffin era and the most since scoring 76 against Southern Illinois in 2018.
• Ole Miss' 667 yards of total offense ranks as the sixth-best in school history … Head coach Lane Kiffin owns four of the top-six offensive outings ever at Ole Miss.
• Today's offensive showing marks the 21st game of the Kiffin era with at least 600 yards of total offense … Prior to his arrival in 2020, Ole Miss had 16 such games in its entire history.
• In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss now moves to 20-5 when striking first.
• The opening drive of 51 seconds off of a 38-yard pass from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris, was the fastest scoring drive to open a season for Ole Miss since 2018.
• WR Tre Harris' four touchdown receptions set the Ole Miss single-game school record … Harris is the 12th Rebel to have three or more receiving touchdowns in a game.
• Harris also became the 22nd player in SEC history with at least four receiving touchdowns in a game.
• QB Jaxson Dart's four passing touchdowns tied a career-high, previously set during his freshman campaign in 2021 at USC against Washington State.
• Dart's 296 passing yards in the first half marked a new career-high.
• The offensive output of 28 points from the Rebels in the first 15 minutes ranks as the most points scored in the opening quarter of a season for Ole Miss since at least 1967.
• In his Rebel debut, QB Spencer Sanders added 134 yards after playing in the second half. The last time Ole Miss had two 100-yard passers was against Mississippi State in 2019, with Matt Corral throwing for 124 yards and John Rhys Plumlee adding 121.
• RB Quinshon Judkins rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts … Judkins is now No. 12 in Ole Miss history with 18 career rushing touchdowns.
• A total of 13 Rebels caught a pass, led by Tre Harris (6 rec., 133 yards, 4 TD) and Jordan Watkins (6 rec., 111 yards) … Ole Miss last had two 100-yard receivers at Vanderbilt in 2022.
| DEFENSIVE NOTES |
• DE Reginald Hughes recovered his first career fumble in his second season at Ole Miss and 13th appearance.
• S Daijahn Anthony snagged his sixth career interception, his first in an Ole Miss uniform.
• DT Zxavian Harris recorded his first career sack for a loss of seven yards and his first solo TFL … He wrapped up his day with a total of 2.5 TFL.
• As a team, two fumble recoveries matched a single game-high for the Rebels from the last three seasons.
• In his collegiate debut, LB Suntarine Perkins' led Ole Miss with nine total tackles, including four solo.
• DT Zxavian Harris matched Perkins with four solo tackles of his own to set a new career-high en route to six total tackles.
• In the secondary, S John Saunders Jr. made some noise in his Rebel debut, forcing one PBU and adding a solo tackle.
• The Ole Miss defense did not allow Mercer to enter the red zone the entire game.
| SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES |
• Transfer K Caden Davis made his second career field goal from 31 yards, his first in a Rebel jersey.
• WR Jordan Watkins returned his first career punt for a touchdown, running to the house for 70 yards … The last time Ole Miss returned a punt for a touchdown was a 73-yard score by Jeff Scott vs. Texas in 2013.
• Ole Miss did not punt until 10:48 remained in the fourth quarter, with Fraser Masin sending his lone of the day for 49 yards.
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