Notes: Dart makes his Ole Miss debut in win over Troy

OXFORD -- Jaxson Dart made his Ole Miss debut Saturday, completing 18 of 27 passes for 154 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the 21st-ranked Rebels' 28-10 win over Troy.

In the first half, Troy was determined to take away the deep ball, playing deep and keeping the Rebels' offense in front of the back of the Trojans' defense.

So Dart took what the Trojans gave him.

"We gashed them a lot in the first half," Dart said.

In the second half, however, the Rebels' offense stalled.

"We made some errors that were just off us, not off what they were doing," Dart said. "Just some of the things we need to control we can do better."

It was a hell of a week for Dart, capping a month full of competition with fellow quarterback Luke Altmyer. Both quarterbacks played Saturday, and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin confirmed Saturday Altmyer will start with Dart coming off the bench next Saturday when Ole Miss entertains Central Arkansas.

"There are a lot of things that go on, especially inside your head," Dart said. "You really just try to control the things you control. We both get a lot of reps in practice and you try to take advantage of every opportunity you have.

"You want to do your best. There are definitely times when you make a mistake here and there. You really learn how to get over it and move on to the next play. You never, ever want something where one play turns into two or two bad plays turns into three bad plays. You want to be able to rebound. I think that's really a good learning lesson as a quarterback in general."

Dart said he did allow himself to soak in all the firsts of his Ole Miss career, starting with the Walk of Champions at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 1/2 hours before kickoff.

"I've never experienced anything like that," Dart said. "It was definitely really neat and an experience I'll never forget. I'm really looking forward because I hear it only gets better."

It wasn't perfect, and there's plenty to work on, but Ole Miss linebacker Troy Brown said Saturday the Rebels' effort against Troy is something they can build on.

"We have to stay grounded," Brown said. "We were doing good things. We have to continue to do good things. When we're off, we have to lock back in."

Brown was impressed with the play of his linebacker mate, Khari Coleman, who had eight tackles Saturday, including five behind the line of scrimmage.

"It was crazy to me that his first possession in, he literally carried us and on his own got a three-and-out," Brown said. "It just shows the talent that we have back there at linebacker."

Troy tried to attack Ole Miss between the tackles early, a challenge the Rebels readily accepted.

"Going into the season, everybody said the linebackers were the question mark," Brown said. "We just wanted to go out and play physical and play what we've been taught every single down, just get to the ball and played hard. I feel like we showed that."