Ole Miss football cruised through its non-conference schedule, lighting up scoreboards and piling up stats en route to a 4-0 start. However, the Rebels faced a harsh reality in Week 5 when they suffered a surprising 20-17 home loss to Kentucky.
This adversity is exactly what quarterback Jaxson Dart has been eager to experience, though it came sooner than expected.
“I’m really excited to face adversity,” Dart said before the 2024 season began. “I think it’s something I’m looking forward to, seeing how our team handles it. Last year, what set us apart was our ability to block out distractions and weather the storms. I believe our team’s ceiling is so high, and these moments will show what kind of team we are.”
With seven games remaining, we’ll see how this team responds under the leadership of Lane Kiffin and Dart. The quarterback appears ready to lead the Rebels with both his mindset and on-field performance.
So far this season, Dart leads the nation in passing yards, exceeding 1,800, and has accounted for 16 total touchdowns (13 passing) with just two turnovers. Despite a less-than-typical performance against Kentucky, where he threw for 261 yards and a touchdown while missing some throws and reads, Dart remains Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterback through five weeks.
Highest-Graded Power 4 QuarterbacksÂ
92.8 Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
92.2 Cam Ward (Miami)
91.5 Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)
91.4 Hank Bachmeier (Wake Forest)
90.4 Arch Manning (Texas)
90.3 Haynes King (Georgia Tech)
90.2 Cade Klubnik (Clemson)
90.2 Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt)
90.0 Noah Fifita (Arizona)
90.0 Kyle McCord (Syracuse)
Jaxson Dart took Ole Miss’ recent loss to Kentucky particularly hard and responded by leading an offensive team meeting less than 24 hours later, according to sophomore wide receiver Cayden Lee. Lee also expressed confidence that Dart will rebound strongly.
“I feel like (Dart) has something in store this week,” Lee said. “We’re going to do really well, I feel.”
Ole Miss (4-1, 0-1 SEC) will head to South Carolina for a Week 6 matchup against the Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1 SEC). Saturday’s game, set for October 5, will be broadcast on ESPN with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT. Fans can also catch the action on the Ole Miss Radio Network. The Rebels are currently favored by 8.5 points as they take on South Carolina on the road.
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