WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina — On Saturday night, Jaxson Dart threw his first interception since Ole Miss’ loss at Georgia last November.
The veteran Ole Miss quarterback didn’t let that one bad decision linger, however. Instead, the Rebels’ third-year starter orchestrated a 96-yard drive to put Wake Forest away in the third quarter. The final play of that drive, a powerful 13-yard run, was quintessential Dart, a gritty effort in which he delivered the blow rather than taking it.
"I didn't really want to run him," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. "They were dropping so deep with the three-man rush and there wasn't really anywhere to throw it. We called the quarterback draw there and that's just who he is. It's hard to get him out of that and I was OK with that."
Dart completed 26 of 34 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns in No. 5 Ole Miss’ 40-6 win over Wake Forest Saturday, pushing the Rebels to 3-0 as the meat of the schedule approaches. He added six carries for 36 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
Neal McCready’s postgame notebook is presented by DeadSoxy. Enjoy DeadSoxy’s score sale. Since Ole Miss scored 88 points in Saturday’s win over Wake Forest, take 40 percent off your purchase of the best socks you’ll ever put on your feet. Go to DeadSoxy.com and enter the promo code RebelGrove.
"I was pissed," Dart said. "I was tired of not scoring in the red zone and I told myself whoever was in front of me was going to feel it."
"That's awesome," Ole Miss running back Henry Parrish Jr. "You normally see quarterbacks across the country slide. Jaxson Dart has a different mentality." Dart had thrown 178 passes without an interception, the fourth-longest streak in Ole Miss history. Only Matt Corral (234), Stewart Patridge (200) and Jordan Ta’amu (190) have attempted more passes without an interception. Earlier this season, Dart completed 30 straight passes, setting Southeastern Conference records in the process.
Defense extends TD-less streak: After shutting out Furman and holding Middle Tennessee to a field goal, Ole Miss limited Wake Forest to a pair of field goals on Saturday night. It's the first time since 1961 that an Ole Miss team has held three opponents scoreless to open a season. The 1961 Rebels pitched two shoutouts and held Kentucky to a pair of field goals.
"We've come a lot of ways over there," Kiffin said. "A lot of credit goes to our defensive staff and our (Grove) Collective. We have played really good red-zone defense. We've bent in the middle some, but we rose to the occasion there."
Scott, Lawrence make Ole Miss debuts: Southern Mississippi transfer center Gerquan Scott and Oklahoma transfer safety Key Lawrence made their first appearances of the season Saturday. Both players suffered injuries in preseason camp and did not dress for the Rebels’ season-opening wins versus Furman and Middle Tennessee.
Pegues takes leap: JJ Pegues converted a fourth down for Ole Miss in the first quarter, leaping over the Wake Forest defense for a 2-yard gain. The play turned out to be meaningless when the Rebels turned the ball over on a high snap with 7:58 left in the opening quarter. It was the Rebels’ first turnover of the season.
Pegues, Canady limp off: Pegues limped off the field with 7:02 left in the first quarter. One play later, Jadon Canady was shaken up on a Wake forest incomplete pass. Akelo Stone replaced Pegues. Louis Moore stepped in for Canady. Pegues returned to the lineup later in the first quarter. Canady returned in the second quarter.
Captains: Ole Miss’ captains Saturday night were Jordan Watkins, TJ Dottery and Tre Harris. Ole Miss called tails, won the toss and elected to take the football to start the game.
