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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, September 7
Oxford, Miss.
3:15 PM
Ole Miss
2-0 , 0-0
52
vs
3
Middle Tennessee
1-1 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Middle Tenn.
0
3
0
0
3
Ole Miss
17
14
14
7
52
Football Runs Past Middle Tennessee, 52-3
9/7/2024 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. – Jaxson Dart made Ole Miss history through the air, Henry Parrish Jr. had a four-touchdown day on the ground and the No. 5 Rebels rolled once again, dominating Middle Tennessee 52-3 to start the 2024 season at 2-0.
Dart completed 24 straight passes to set an Ole Miss record and finish just two completions shy of the single-game NCAA mark. Prior to Dart's assault on the record book, the story was the ground game, where Parrish burned the Blue Raiders for 165 yards and four scores on just 14 carries.
Ole Miss outgained Middle Tennessee 655 to 279 in its 24th 600-yard game under head coach Lane Kiffin. The balanced Rebel attack notched 397 yards through the air and 258 on the ground. The Rebel defense has not allowed a touchdown in two games to start the year and held the Blue Raiders to just 28 yards rushing at a rate of 1.1 yards per carry.
Offensive Leaders
Dart finished 25-for-27 for 377 yards and two total touchdowns, one rushing and one passing. Tre Harris continued his Biletnikoff Award campaign with a team-high nine receptions for 130 yards. Antwane Wells Jr. caught his first touchdown pass as a Rebel and totaled 78 yards as one of nine Rebels with a reception on the day. Parrish averaged 11.8 yards per carry on 165 yards to lead the ground game, while Matt Jones added in his third rushing TD of the season.
Defensive Leaders
Chris Paul Jr., TJ Dottery and Trey Washington tied for the team lead with six tackles apiece. Yam Banks matched Paul with a team-high 1.5 tackles for loss. Banks and Washington each added a pass breakup, while Jadon Canady led that category with two deflections. John Saunders Jr. pulled down the game's lone interception, while Princely Umanmielen logged his first sack in an Ole Miss uniform, in addition to a team-high two QB hurries.
First Quarter
Ole Miss went with a heavy dose of the rushing game on the opening drive, handing four times to Parrish for 51 yards, but the Rebels were halted in the red zone and settled for a 33-yard field goal from Caden Davis.
The defense came with intensity right from the start, dropping MTSU for a loss on its first two plays en route to a three-and-out. Parrish finished the job on the following drive, ripping off runs of 19 and 11 yards on his way to the end zone.
After another three-and-out by MTSU, the balanced Rebel attack continued to roll and Parrish once again found the end zone to make it a 17-0 contest. Through one quarter of play, Dart was a perfect 7-for-7 for 77 yards, while Parrish was already near the century mark with 92 yards and two scores.
Second Quarter
Middle Tennessee moved the chains for the first time on the final play of the first quarter and once again on the first play of the second quarter, then Umanmielen came through with his first sack as a Rebel to halt the drive.
Dart hit Jordan Watkins on a 28-yard connection to open the ensuing series for the veteran receiver's first catch of the season. The Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback then hit Cayden Lee on back-to-back plays to push the ball into the red zone. Shortly thereafter, Dart punched in a 3-yard score to give him rushing TDs in consecutive games to open the year.
It was more of the same from the Ole Miss offense on the following drive as Dart picked apart the Blue Raider secondary on a 99-yard campaign, hitting Tre Harris and Antwane Wells Jr. for big gains before leaning on the ground game to finish the job. Parrish added his third rushing score from three yards out to make it 31-0.
It looked like Middle Tennessee might find the end zone just before halftime, but Nicholas Vattiato's 66-yard touchdown strike to Omari Kelly was negated by a holding call. The Red Raiders pushed on, driving all the way to the Ole Miss 9-yard line, where they were stopped and forced to settle for a 32-yard Zeke Rankin field goal to break the shutout and make it 31-3 at the half.
Dart was a perfect 15-for-15 passing in the first half for 223 yards. Parrish tallied 122 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries at the break.
Third Quarter
Middle Tennessee was poised to score once again out of the half, driving into the Rebel red zone, but John Saunders Jr. picked off a Vattiato pass in the end zone.
Dart hit Caden Prieskorn on a key first-down connection early in the Rebels' first drive of the second half, then Parrish broke free for a 42-yard run to set up a 9-yard rushing score by Matt Jones.
A fumble recovery on the second play of the next drive gave it right back to the Rebels. Facing a 3rd-and-21 from the 25, Dart hit Lee for his 18th consecutive completion to move the chains and set up Parrish' fourth touchdown run from one yard out.
Fourth Quarter
Again Middle Tennessee put together a strong drive marching all the way to the Ole Miss 6-yard line, but again the Landshark defense turned the visitors away. Suntarine Perkins and Zxavian Harris combined on a sack to put the Blue Raiders behind the chains, then a Canady pass breakup on 4th-and-goal sealed the stop.
The Ole Miss offense kept its foot on the gas pedal and came away with a historic drive. Dart hit Harris on back-to-back plays to open the series and break Matt Corral's record for consecutive completions in a game at 20. Corral completed 19 straight in 2020 against Vanderbilt to set a mark previously held by Eli Manning.
Dart kept on carving, ultimately going 24-for-24 before his first incompletion, finishing just two shy of the NCAA record of 26. He completed 30 straight passes dating back to the second quarter last week against Furman. He finished the drive with a TD strike to Wells to make it 52-3.
The Rebel defense held strong on its final two drives to keep its foe out of the end zone for the second straight game.
Next Up
The challenges only grow stronger from here for No. 5 Ole Miss. The Rebels now face their first road test and their first Power 4 opponent as they head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, next weekend to take on Wake Forest out of the ACC.
Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on The CW.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
Dart completed 24 straight passes to set an Ole Miss record and finish just two completions shy of the single-game NCAA mark. Prior to Dart's assault on the record book, the story was the ground game, where Parrish burned the Blue Raiders for 165 yards and four scores on just 14 carries.
Ole Miss outgained Middle Tennessee 655 to 279 in its 24th 600-yard game under head coach Lane Kiffin. The balanced Rebel attack notched 397 yards through the air and 258 on the ground. The Rebel defense has not allowed a touchdown in two games to start the year and held the Blue Raiders to just 28 yards rushing at a rate of 1.1 yards per carry.
Offensive Leaders
Dart finished 25-for-27 for 377 yards and two total touchdowns, one rushing and one passing. Tre Harris continued his Biletnikoff Award campaign with a team-high nine receptions for 130 yards. Antwane Wells Jr. caught his first touchdown pass as a Rebel and totaled 78 yards as one of nine Rebels with a reception on the day. Parrish averaged 11.8 yards per carry on 165 yards to lead the ground game, while Matt Jones added in his third rushing TD of the season.
Defensive Leaders
Chris Paul Jr., TJ Dottery and Trey Washington tied for the team lead with six tackles apiece. Yam Banks matched Paul with a team-high 1.5 tackles for loss. Banks and Washington each added a pass breakup, while Jadon Canady led that category with two deflections. John Saunders Jr. pulled down the game's lone interception, while Princely Umanmielen logged his first sack in an Ole Miss uniform, in addition to a team-high two QB hurries.
First Quarter
Ole Miss went with a heavy dose of the rushing game on the opening drive, handing four times to Parrish for 51 yards, but the Rebels were halted in the red zone and settled for a 33-yard field goal from Caden Davis.
The defense came with intensity right from the start, dropping MTSU for a loss on its first two plays en route to a three-and-out. Parrish finished the job on the following drive, ripping off runs of 19 and 11 yards on his way to the end zone.
After another three-and-out by MTSU, the balanced Rebel attack continued to roll and Parrish once again found the end zone to make it a 17-0 contest. Through one quarter of play, Dart was a perfect 7-for-7 for 77 yards, while Parrish was already near the century mark with 92 yards and two scores.
Second Quarter
Middle Tennessee moved the chains for the first time on the final play of the first quarter and once again on the first play of the second quarter, then Umanmielen came through with his first sack as a Rebel to halt the drive.
Dart hit Jordan Watkins on a 28-yard connection to open the ensuing series for the veteran receiver's first catch of the season. The Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback then hit Cayden Lee on back-to-back plays to push the ball into the red zone. Shortly thereafter, Dart punched in a 3-yard score to give him rushing TDs in consecutive games to open the year.
It was more of the same from the Ole Miss offense on the following drive as Dart picked apart the Blue Raider secondary on a 99-yard campaign, hitting Tre Harris and Antwane Wells Jr. for big gains before leaning on the ground game to finish the job. Parrish added his third rushing score from three yards out to make it 31-0.
It looked like Middle Tennessee might find the end zone just before halftime, but Nicholas Vattiato's 66-yard touchdown strike to Omari Kelly was negated by a holding call. The Red Raiders pushed on, driving all the way to the Ole Miss 9-yard line, where they were stopped and forced to settle for a 32-yard Zeke Rankin field goal to break the shutout and make it 31-3 at the half.
Dart was a perfect 15-for-15 passing in the first half for 223 yards. Parrish tallied 122 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries at the break.
Third Quarter
Middle Tennessee was poised to score once again out of the half, driving into the Rebel red zone, but John Saunders Jr. picked off a Vattiato pass in the end zone.
Dart hit Caden Prieskorn on a key first-down connection early in the Rebels' first drive of the second half, then Parrish broke free for a 42-yard run to set up a 9-yard rushing score by Matt Jones.
A fumble recovery on the second play of the next drive gave it right back to the Rebels. Facing a 3rd-and-21 from the 25, Dart hit Lee for his 18th consecutive completion to move the chains and set up Parrish' fourth touchdown run from one yard out.
Fourth Quarter
Again Middle Tennessee put together a strong drive marching all the way to the Ole Miss 6-yard line, but again the Landshark defense turned the visitors away. Suntarine Perkins and Zxavian Harris combined on a sack to put the Blue Raiders behind the chains, then a Canady pass breakup on 4th-and-goal sealed the stop.
The Ole Miss offense kept its foot on the gas pedal and came away with a historic drive. Dart hit Harris on back-to-back plays to open the series and break Matt Corral's record for consecutive completions in a game at 20. Corral completed 19 straight in 2020 against Vanderbilt to set a mark previously held by Eli Manning.
Dart kept on carving, ultimately going 24-for-24 before his first incompletion, finishing just two shy of the NCAA record of 26. He completed 30 straight passes dating back to the second quarter last week against Furman. He finished the drive with a TD strike to Wells to make it 52-3.
The Rebel defense held strong on its final two drives to keep its foe out of the end zone for the second straight game.
Next Up
The challenges only grow stronger from here for No. 5 Ole Miss. The Rebels now face their first road test and their first Power 4 opponent as they head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, next weekend to take on Wake Forest out of the ACC.
Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on The CW.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
Team Stats
MTS
OLE
Total Yards
278
655
Pass Yards
250
397
Rushing Yards
28
258
Penalty Yards
58
80
1st Downs
18
34
3rd Downs
4
7
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
33:03
26:57
1st Quarter
MTS 0, OLE 3
OLE - Davis,Caden 33 yd field goal 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 03:30
MTS 0, OLE 10
OLE - Parrish Jr.,Henry 11 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 4 plays, 55 yards, TOP 00:53
MTS 0, OLE 17
OLE - Parrish Jr.,Henry 11 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 9 plays, 60 yards, TOP 04:02
2nd Quarter
MTS 0, OLE 24
OLE - Dart,Jaxson 3 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 02:14
MTS 0, OLE 31
OLE - Parrish Jr.,Henry 3 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 11 plays, 99 yards, TOP 04:14
MTS 3, OLE 31
MTS - Rankin,Zeke 32 yd field goal 13 plays, 61 yards, TOP 02:52
3rd Quarter
MTS 3, OLE 38
OLE - Jones,Matt 9 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:09
MTS 3, OLE 45
OLE - Parrish Jr.,Henry 1 yd run (Davis,Caden kick), 4 plays, 14 yards, TOP 01:55
4th Quarter
MTS 3, OLE 52
OLE - Wells Jr.,Antwane 18 yd pass from Dart,Jaxson (Davis,Caden kick) 9 plays, 94 yards, TOP 02:54
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
25
TD
1
YDS
377
INT
0
CMP
2
TD
0
YDS
20
INT
0
Players Mentioned
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LB
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WR
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DT
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RB
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RB
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LB
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LB
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TE
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S
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DE
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WR
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