Jaxson Dart and the Mississippi offense were downright unstoppable in the first game with a tougher opponent awaiting.
They faced a similar scenario last season.
The sixth-ranked Rebels (1-0) soared to a 76-0 opening win over Furman, an FCS team, with Dart practically having target practice with his receivers. Next up: six-touchdown underdog Middle Tennessee (1-0) on Saturday.
Ole Miss racked up 772 yards against Furman with Dart passing for 418 yards and five touchdowns in the first half. Last season, Dart & Co. poured 667 yards and 73 points on Mercer but then trailed at halftime of Game 2 against Tulane before winning 37-20.
A team with playoff aspirations doesn’t want to take any backward steps.
“I reminded these guys, even though it’s a different team, different season — you’ve got to do it every week,” Rebels coach Lane Kiffin said.
Of course, Tulane also went on to finish 11-3 while the Blue Raiders are coming off a 4-8 season.
Missouri managed only a 23-19 win over the Blue Raiders last season, however.
Applying the pressure
An Ole Miss defense that loaded up with transfers produced 16 tackles for loss against Furman. That was the program’s most since recording 17 against Mississippi State in 2000. Newcomers produced 12 of those, including three from freshman Kam Franklin and 2 1/2 from transfer linebacker Chris Paul Jr. The Rebels also had four sacks.
“I feel like we’ve got one of the best D-lines, if not in the country, I know for sure in the SEC,” said defensive tackle Walter Nolen, a transfer from Texas A&M.
Familiar face
First-year Middle Tennessee coach Derek Mason is a familiar face in the Southeastern Conference. Mason was head coach at Vanderbilt from 2014-20, followed by a one-year stint as Auburn’s defensive coordinator before taking the same job at Oklahoma State. He worked for the SEC Network last season.
Mason knows what it’s like to coach at a hostile SEC stadium.
“Any player in college football wants to go to a place where it’s packed, people are excited about the game of football,” he said. “I’ve always tried to pretend that they’re rooting for me.”
Dramatic finish
The Blue Raiders rallied to beat Tennessee Tech 32-25 last week after Frank Peasant’s 30-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds left, followed by a two-point conversion. They drove 75 yards in less than a minute.
“What deficiencies you put on tape, that’s where teams attack you,” Mason said. “Obviously, Ole Miss didn’t have very many deficiencies. We showed some. For us, they’re going to work on them. We’re going to work on us.”
Dart’s backup
If the game goes as oddsmakers predict, Ole Miss backup quarterback Austin Simmons could see action in his second game.
Simmons, who arrived as a 17-year-old last year after reclassifying, hit Cayden Lee for a 35-yard touchdown on his first career pass.
“It definitely took away the pregame jitters,” said Simmons, who finished 7-of-16 passing for 111 yards. “I was a little nervous going into the game. I didn’t know what to expect.”
Turning 50
Ole Miss offensive lineman Jeremy James set the Ole Miss career record with his 50th start. This will be the 50th start for Middle Tennessee safety Brendon Harris, one of the team’s two seventh-year players along with defensive end Alex Williams. Harris is a transfer from Wake Forest.
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