With a highly skilled offense and new and improved defense, Ole Miss remained perfect after defeating Middle Tennessee State University 52-3 on Sept. 7.
The Jaxson Dart-Tre Harris connection continues to impress
Once again, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart relied heavily on his favorite target, wide receiver Tre Harris. The former first-team All-Conference USA pass catcher brought in nine balls for 130 yards — his second hundred-yard game of the season.
Although Harris himself did not reach the end zone, his contributions through the air helped open up the running game and contributed to an early lead.
Dart threw 27 pass attempts, with only two incompletions, setting an SEC record with 24 straight completions. The previous record was set by University of Tennessee’s Tee Martin, who completed 23 passes for completion in 1993.
The running back room continues to find their footing
Running back Henry Parrish Jr. cracked the game open from the first drive, racking up 41 yards on his first three carries. Parrish capped off the next two drives with touchdown runs.
The true sophomore finished the game with 165 rushing yards and a career high of four touchdowns, while the team rushed for a total of 258 yards and six touchdowns.
This is the second week in a row that the Rebels have rushed for over 240 yards. Parrish seems to have emerged as the feature back in Head Coach Lane Kiffin’s offense even though carries were fairly distributed between rushers last week.
The defense remains reliable
The Rebels have yet to allow a touchdown from any opposing team this season. Ole Miss has allowed only three points in two games, the third best in the nation behind Missouri and Purdue.
Against the Blue Raiders, Ole Miss’ defensive performance was bolstered by nine tackles for loss and an interception by safety John Saunders Jr. The Rebels held MTSU to a total of 28 rushing yards for the game.
It is clear that Ole Miss will face significantly stronger offenses than Middle Tennessee’s, but the defense has suffocated opposing teams.
The Rebels hope to improve to 3-0 this weekend at Wake Forest University.
