Neal McCready's postgame notebook is presented by DeadSoxy. Enjoy DeadSoxy's Labor Day Sale. Buy two pairs of DeadSoxy socks and get one free. Use the code LABORDAY at checkout.
OXFORD — If there was a concern for Ole Miss following the Rebels’ season-opening, 76-0 win over Furman, it was the running game.
Ole Miss rushed for 243 yards in the win over the Paladins, but it wasn’t a dominant performance on the ground.
Saturday, the sixth-ranked Rebels appeared to make it a priority to get the rushing game going, a big part of a 52-3 win over Middle Tennessee.
Ole Miss (2-0) ran on its first four plays of the game. The Rebels settled for a 33-yard field goal from Caden Davis on the opening possession. An 11-yard touchdown run from Henry Parrish Jr., gave Ole Miss a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
"I felt like I had things going," Parrish said.
Matt Jones had four carries on the Rebels’ next possession before being relieved by Parrish, who promptly scored from 11 yards out again to extend the lead to 17-0.
Ole Miss went to halftime leading, 31-3, and with 139 yards of rushing offense. Parrish had 12 carries for 122 yards and Jones had 22 yards on nine attempts. Quarterback Jaxson Dart had five first-half carries for minus-5 yards.
Parrish added a 42-yard run midway through the third quarter, giving him a career high in rushing yards. A 1-yard TD run with 3:10 left gave him his career high in touchdowns in a single game.
"I thought that it was great, like we talked about during the week, to get the run game going," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said.
"I just had the hot hand today and we just rolled with it," Parrish said. "It feels good, knowing I put the work in day in and day out. I don't complain. I just work. I just grind."Parrish, who began his career at Ole Miss before transferring to Miami for two seasons, finished with 14 carries for 165 yards and four touchdowns.
"He had a great summer," Kiffin said. "He got here and his weight was down and he put a lot of good weight on. It's great to see."
"I have to give all the credit to the big boys up front," Parrish said. "I was just reading off my keys. ...I feel good about everything. ...This is why I came back. I love this place. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."
Ole Miss finished with 258 rushing yards on 42 carries, an average of 6.1 yards per attempt on the ground.
Kiffin hinted that he expects a couple of interior offensive linemen to return to availability soon. Gerquan Scott and Caleb Warren have missed the first two games of the season due to injuries.
Dart (almost) perfect: Dart completed his first 20 passes on Saturday, breaking the record previously set by Matt Corral in 2020 versus Vanderbilt. The record-breaking pass was a 16-yarder to Tre Harris early in the fourth quarter. Dart finished with 24 consecutive completions before his pass intended for Harris with 9:56 left was broken up.
Dart had completed his last six attempts versus Furman, giving him 30 straight completions.
Dart's 30 straight completions set the SEC record, breaking Tennessee's Tee Martin previous record of 23.
"I didn't know the record or anything like that, so I was just trying to continue, just put the ball in my guy's hands," Dart said. "I think sometimes just flashes on the board and you peep it. But I wasn't really thinking about it much until I threw an incompletion and I started thinking about it."
The NCAA record for consecutive completed passes in a single game belongs to Dominique Davis, who completed 26 straight for East Carolina in 2011.
Dart finished Saturday with 25 completions on 27 attempts, good for 377 yards and a touchdown.
"That was really neat to see," Kiffin said. "It's hard to go 24-of-24 on air with no one around. ...He prepares each game like it's the national championship."
"I think it's just the standard is the standard," Dart said. "I think that we all have big dreams and aspirations for this year, and for a lot of us, this is our last season, so we want to take advantage of every opportunity that we get, regardless if it's a game rep or a practice rep. We always say practice how you play. So each rep is extremely important.”
SEC Single-Game Record:
24 - Jaxson Dart, Saturday
23 - Tee Martin (Tenn.), vs. S. Carolina, 1998
SEC Overall Record (Multiple Games):
30 - Jaxson Dart, Furman + MTSU, 2024
24 - Tee Martin (Tenn.), 1 vs. Bama, 23 vs. S. Carolina, 1998
Watkins makes debut: Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Waktins made his season debut Saturday.
Watkins, who was in a black jersey, signifying no contact, in every practice available to media during the preseason. He did not dress for the Rebels’ opener versus Furman.
Watkins had a critical block on Parrish’s touchdown run with 2:10 left in the first quarter, one that extended Ole Miss’ lead to 17-0.
Watkins finished with one catch for 28 yards.
Kiffin said having Watkins in the slot along with sophomore Cayden Lee gives the Rebels two really good options at that position, adding that depth provides a more explosive offense.
"It was awesome to have those two guys because those guys can play, you know, Jordan can play outside, so he was playing with them," Kiffin said. "And when those two guys are in, you just know they're going to figure their plays out. They allow us to play really fast because they're so savvy and unique players."
Nolen injured: Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen appeared to suffer an injury to his left leg midway through the third quarter Saturday. Nolen, a preseason first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection, was injured while pressing Middle Tennessee quarterback Nicholas Vattiato. Ole Miss’ John Saunders Jr., intercepted Vattiato’s pass in the end zone on the play.
Nolen was helped off the field and taken to the tent behind the Ole Miss bench.
Nolen didn't return to the game but he was on the sideline and on a bicycle on the bench.
Kiffin said fans can "rest easy tonight," noting that he made the decision for Nolen not to return to the game, not medical personnel.
Paul gets start: Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr., made his first start of the season Saturday. The Arkansas transfer linebacker replaced Khari Coleman in the Rebels’ starting lineup, joining TJ Dottery at linebacker. Paul was the Rebels’ leading tackler a week ago in a victory over Furman.
Paul recorded 6.5 tackles in the win over Middle Tennessee, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
Bentley doesn’t play: Ole Miss running back Ulysses Bentley IV dressed Saturday but did not play until late in the third quarter. Bentley had just six carries for 23 yards in Week 1 versus Furman.
Bentley finished Saturday's game with 13 yards rushing on five carries.
"We've got a lot of good running backs," Kiffin said. "I thought Parrish practiced really well and we wanted to get Matt (Jones) more involved after having the best touchdown ratio over the last couple of years."
