Ole Miss football: Rebels’ versatile offense the story in victory over Auburn

The Ole Miss defense had some bright moments and big plays but ultimately did not fully meet expectations, and a Rebels team that opened up a 14-point lead in the 1st quarter on Saturday in Oxford soon found itself in a shootout with a lowly Auburn team as the game went on.

But there was plenty to be happy about with the offense, including quarterback Jaxson Dart, who continued to show his sky-high ceiling during a 48-34 victory over the Tigers.

The sophomore signal-caller finished 9-of-19 passing for 130 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He added 115 yards on the ground on 14 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per carry for Ole Miss, which improved to 7-0 and moved up 2 spots to No. 7 in the latest AP poll.

There were some throws it’s easy to imagine he would like to have back and interception-free days are what you always aim for. But there’s no question this is a player with true dual-threat abilities, and it’s going to be exciting for Ole Miss fans to watch him develop in this offense as he’s still very early in his career without an incredible sample size that is continuing to grow.

Dart was on fire out of the gate, quickly giving Ole Miss a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade and a 23-yard scoring pass to running back Zach Evans. The quarterback appeared to create his own play-action fake on that 2nd touchdown inside the final 3 minutes of the 1st quarter.

At some points, there were opportunities for Dart and the offense to create something more, but a conservative mindset was taken by the coaching staff in some instances. Ole Miss mostly remained an aggressor throughout the contest, with a surprise onside kick in the 2nd half producing some points around the same time the defense turned into a pumpkin.

But there was also the decision to attempt a field goal on 4th-and-short to take a 10-point lead, whereas some would have erred on the side of going for it with how well the offense was clicking.

But the Rebels’ all-around success, despite some defensive shortcomings, is based more than just about Dart or a standout backfield composed of running backs who cross the century mark on multiple occasions individually. Those are good things on their own, but the real success is due to Ole Miss’ ability to combine the run and the pass, have a truly balanced offense that can do it all and players who can do multiple things outside of their traditional role and can successfully run trick plays.

It’s about the sheer versatility of the offensive unit as a whole, and Ole Miss has continued to build on that and showcase that. That versatility has started with the steady improvement of the offensive line and the Rebels showing in their recent games that they can incorporate some of those “score from far” elements that we saw a lot of with last year’s offense that was manned by the likes of quarterback Matt Corral.

In last week’s game against Vanderbilt, Dart passed for 448 yards as the passing attack came alive, and we’ve seen passing targets like Malik Heath reach 100 receiving yards or more this season, which Heath did against Kentucky on Oct. 1. And there was plenty to be said about wide receiver Jonathan Mingo’s 247 receiving yards with 2 touchdowns in the 52-28 win over Vandy.

In Saturday’s game, the Rebels had 3 players rush for 100 yards or more. They were the aforementioned Dart with 115 yards, running back Quinshon Judkins with 139 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Evans with 136 yards and 1 touchdown.

“We ran the ball extremely well,” Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin said. “To have three rushers over 100 yards … there were a lot of people doing things right.”

It’s clear this Ole Miss offense can do it in all aspects, and that’s helped propel the Rebels to their 7-0 record.

And it will be what helps this team stay lethal as it marches through the back half of this season.

Crissy Froyd

Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.