By: Esteban Sojo
(Photo/Sabri Haidar-The Mojo Network)
The Rebels kicked off their season with a dominating home opener, showcasing their skillful offense and resilient defense. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart played with impressive accuracy, efficiently finding his receivers. Dart finished the game with an outstanding 418 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, completing 22 of 27 passes. Running back Matt Jones was a standout, running for 68 yards and breaking through Furman’s defense to score 2 touchdowns on just 3 carries.
In the first quarter, Ole Miss came out strong, with Jaxson Dart running 15 yards to score the first touchdown (7-0). Furman quarterback Carson Jones completed a 39-yard pass to wide receiver Joshua Harris to the Ole Miss 41 for a first down, but a facemask penalty on Harris brought them back to the Furman 44. The Rebels responded with two big plays—Dart connected with wide receiver Cayden Lee to reach the Ole Miss 39, then threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. (14-0). Running back JJ Pegues found an open gap and scored, making it 21-0, Ole Miss. The Rebels quickly moved down the field, with Dart completing a 21-yard pass to Tre Harris to the Furman 24, followed by a 42-yard field goal from kicker Caden Davis, bringing the score to 24-0. To close the quarter, Carson Jones found Joshua Burrell for a 37-yard completion.
As the Rebels continued to dominate in the second quarter, Dart found tight end Dae’Quan Wright for a 4-yard touchdown, increasing the score to 31-0. Dart then connected with Tre Harris for a 35-yard gain to the Furman 46, followed by a 46-yard touchdown pass to tight end Caden Prieskorn (38-0). Just two minutes later, Dart again found Tre Harris, who made an incredible 61-yard touchdown play, pushing the score to 45-0. Late in the first half, Dart connected with Harris once more for a 22-yard touchdown, making it 52-0.
In the third quarter, Ole Miss continued to dominate. Defensive tackle Akelo Stone and linebacker Chris Paul Jr. sacked Carson Jones for an 11-yard loss, firing up the Oxford crowd. Shortly after, quarterback Austin Simmons completed a 35-yard touchdown pass to Cayden Lee, his first of the game (59-0). In the last 5 minutes of the quarter, Matt Jones found the end zone again with a 17-yard run, increasing the score to 66-0. Later in the quarter, Jones found another gap in Furman’s defense, running 46 yards for a touchdown and pushing the score to 73-0. Simmons then connected with wide receiver Noreel White for a 20-yard play to the Furman 23, setting up a 41-yard field goal by Caden Davis, making it 76-0. In the final minutes, running back Dominique Thomas ran for a collective 53 yards, helping the Rebels move up the field.
Ole Miss powered through Furman in their season opener, finishing with a commanding 76-0 victory. Key players like Jaxson Dart, who ran one in for 6 points and threw for 5 touchdowns while missing only 5 of 27 passes, and wide receivers Tre Harris and Cayden Lee, had standout performances. Tre Harris scored 2 touchdowns on 179 yards, averaging 22.4 yards per catch, while Cayden Lee made major plays, scoring 1 touchdown on 78 yards and averaging 19.5 yards. Both receivers demonstrated their ability to connect with the quarterback and showcased their playmaking skills. In the running back room, Matt Jones and JJ Pegues made an impact by collectively scoring 3 touchdowns. Jones scored 2 touchdowns on just 3 carries, averaging 22.7 yards per run, while Pegues scored 1 touchdown on 2 carries, averaging 6 yards. Dart’s pinpoint accuracy, along with the ability of Jones and Pegues to find openings in the defense, and the catching and playmaking skills of Harris, Lee, and Prieskorn, propelled Ole Miss’s offense to victory. On the other hand, the defense played a stellar game, keeping Furman scoreless. Players like Akelo Stone, Chris Paul Jr., defensive tackle William Echoles, JJ Pegues, and safety John Saunders Jr. controlled the backfield and pressured Furman’s offense, leading to the lopsided final score.
Heading into week 2, the Rebels face Middle Tennessee in a battle to go 2-0 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 7th. While Ole Miss is favored to win, Middle Tennessee will be looking to pull off an upset. As the season progresses, let’s see what the Rebels have in store for us.