WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – When Mississippi wins the coin toss, coach Lane Kiffin said he’s almost always going to elect to receive.
That mentality sits just fine with quarterback Jaxson Dart.
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Dart completed his first three passes on the opening drive, leading the Rebels 75 yards in five plays for a touchdown that set the tone on Saturday as the No. 5 Rebels rolled to a 40-6 win at Wake Forest.
“I love it, I love it,” Dart said. “It gives you the chance to set the mark on the game. I think when you play a tempo team like us, and we choose to take the ball and go down the field and score right away that can be demoralizing for a defense. You want to make a statement. I think that speaks to the confidence coach Kiffin has in us.”
The senior quarterback passed for 377 yards and two touchdowns and Henry Parrish Jr. rushed for 148 yards and two TDs. Dart was 26 for 34, and he also had a 13-yard touchdown run.
Tre Harris had another monster game with 11 catches for 127 yards, and Jordan Watkins caught a 75-yard TD pass as the Rebels (3-0) outgained the Demon Deacons 650-311.
The Rebels defense limited Wake Forest (1-2) to 46 yards on the ground on 32 carries and kept their third straight opponent out of the end zone. The Demon Deacons only had one run longer than 10 yards — and that resulted in a fumble by Ty Clark.
Hank Bachmeier finished 22-of-39 passing for 239 yards for Wake Forest.
“Ole Miss ... they are what everyone thinks they are,” said Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, whose team failed to score a touchdown for the first time since a 52-3 loss to Clemson on Nov. 6, 2019. “I thought our guys played really hard but Ole Miss is well-coached, they have a lot of resources and they’ve used those resources really well to put together a top five team.”
Mississippi opened the season with victories over Furman and Middle Tennessee State by a combined 125 points, and it didn't take long to flex its muscles in its first test against a major conference opponent.
There was some adversity along the way as the Rebels overcame two turnovers and some costly penalties. The Rebels were penalized 11 times for 114 yards, including a 15-yard penalty on Dart for taking off his helmet in the field of play after being hit at the goal line.
“I felt like this is what we needed as a team,” Dart said. “I felt like it was the ugliest 600-yard game we could play. We did a lot of really good things and at times didn't finish. But you saw how explosive we are, too.”
The Rebels opening drive was impressive as Dart went 3 for 3 for 46 yards before Parrish capped it off with a 25-yard touchdown run.
The Rebels were just getting started.
Dart was 10 of 13 for 198 yards in the first quarter alone, showing off his arm strength on Watkins' big play as Ole Miss built 20-3 lead. Parrish also had a 22-yard TD run as the Rebels outgained the Deacons 282-57 in the opening quarter.
“I get nervous when we go into an environment like this,” Kiffin said. “If you don’t start early they get some momentum and you end up going through the motions. But that did not seem to be the case. We started fast on defense and offense, and I was really pleased with that.”
Dart made a mistake in the third quarter when he forced a ball into traffic while rolling out to his left and was intercepted in his own territory. But the Mississippi defense bailed him out, forcing an incompletion on fourth-and-goal from the 3 to maintain a 17-point lead.
Dart capitalized on the next series, scoring on a quarterback draw to make it 30-6. He finished with 36 yards rushing on six carries.
Harris was again huge in the receiving game for Mississippi. He has 28 receptions for 426 yards and two touchdowns in three games.
Big man has hops
On Mississippi's second drive, Kiffin sent in senior defensive tackle JJ Pegues to run the football and the 6-foot-2, 325-pounder didn't disappoint, diving headfirst over the pile — picking up some serious air along the way — to get the first down.
Pegues came into the game with two carries for 12 yards and a touchdown.
Takeaways
Mississippi: Dart looks like a Heisman Trophy candidate, showing pinpoint accuracy on his throws, and, other than the one interception, solid decision-making. Wake Forest was forced to honor Dart's arm, which opened up inside runs for Parrish on his two long TDs.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons had only beaten one top five team in school history, and it was clear early on the Rebels weren't going to be the second. The Deacons struggled to run the ball and couldn't find a rhythm on offense and failed to take advantage of two turnovers.
Up next
Mississippi: Hosts Georgia Southern on Saturday in its final game before beginning Southeastern Conference play.
Wake Forest: Have a weekend off before hosting Louisiana on Sept. 28.
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