The Ole Miss Rebels kept last week’s momentum going, winning 52-3 against Middle Tennessee State University on Saturday.
The Rebels finished with over 600 yards of total offense — a dominating performance. The leading rusher was Henry Parrish, with 165 yards and four touchdowns, both a career high. Jaxson Dart broke the single game SEC and Ole Miss records for consecutive completions with 24 and finished the day with 377 yards and a touchdown. The leading receiver was Tre Harris with 130 yards.
On the defensive side, the leading tacklers were TJ Dottery, Pooh Paul and Trey Washington, who all had six tackles. Trey Amos and John Saunders Jr. both had an interception.
First half
The Rebels started off on offense, and it was clear that Lane Kiffin was not joking when he said that the team was going to run the ball, as Henry Parrish Jr. rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter.
The first points of the game came on a 33-yard field goal from Caden Davis. Caden Prieskorn and Tre Harris dominated in the first quarter, putting up a combined 80 yards.
Jordan Watkins finally got going in the second quarter with a 38-yard catch, and Cayden Lee caught back-to-back passes for 43 yards.
Dart scampered in for another touchdown, making the score 24-0. Juice Wells had his first catch today for 29 yards in the second quarter. Parrish scored his third rushing touchdown of the half, with 122 yards up to that point. Tre Harris continued his dominance up until halftime, totaling 88 yards. Dart ended the half throwing a perfect 15-15 for 223 yards but no touchdowns.
With TJ Dottery involved in every play in the first quarter, the Rebels’ defense looked strong. Princely recorded his first sack for the Rebels, causing all sorts of damage on the defensive line.
Pooh Paul was flying around the field with two tackles, one of them being for loss. The Rebels’ defense gave up what would have been a 66 yard touchdown that was luckily called back due to a holding. The Rebels bent but didn’t break to end the half, forcing Middle Tennessee to take a field goal to make the score 31-3
Second half
The Rebels began the second half on defense, struggling a bit in the secondary. Saunders stopped the bleeding by getting the team’s first interception of the game in the end zone. Walter Nolen was hurt on the play.
Paul continued to command the field, combining with Yam Banks for a tackle for a loss. The Rebels caused a fumble that was recovered by Dottery, putting them in prime field position. The Blue Raiders drove down the field, but the Rebels’ defense held true, forcing a turnover on downs.
Caden Prieskorn got the offense going in the second half with a 19-yard reception. Parrish had a 42-yard run to set a new career high with 164 rushing yards. He was hurt in the play, hitting his head on the ground.
Matt Jones ran the ball in for a nine-yard touchdown. Ulysses Bentley IV got his first carry of the game, rushing for two yards. Parrish rushed for his fourth touchdown of the game — a career high.
Dart broke the record for most consecutive passes without an incompletion, which was previously held by Matt Corral at 19. Dart broke the single-game SEC record for most completions in a single game with 24 and tied for the total record of 30 over two games held by Tee Martin of Tennessee. Dart then threw his first touchdown of the game to Juice Wells.
Interesting stat of the game
The Rebels have outscored their opponents 128-3 this season.
Who’s next
The Rebels move on to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in their week three matchup on Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m., which will be available to stream on the CW.
