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Ole Miss football had a very quiet 10-win season in the SEC.
The Rebels downed Tulane and LSU and fell to Alabama and Georgia for a solid top 4 finish in the conference. The Rebels are right there with Mizzou as for the title of the No. 3 team in the conference after 12 games of action.
Jaxson Dart beat out Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders early in the season and never looked back, throwing for 2,985 yards with 20 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He added 377 yards rushing with 7 touchdowns with his legs.
Dart’s strong play led the Rebels to just Lane Kiffin’s 2nd 10-win season in Oxford, and he’s likely to be the star of the show next season, too. For now, the Rebels are focused on their upcoming bowl matchup, which will be announced next Sunday.
To hold you over, here’s a stock report on the Rebels following the end of the 2023 regular season:
Most Improved: Dayton Wade
Dayton Wade beat out Dart for the nod here. Wade was one of 3 Ole Miss receivers to surpass 700 receiving yards in 2023 and Dart’s No. 2 favorite target behind Tre Harris, who we’ll discuss in a minute.
Last season Wade totaled 27 receptions for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns after transferring from Western Kentucky. He doubled his production in Year 2 in Oxford, totaling 52 receptions for 749 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Harris did most of the scoring for receivers, but Wade was as dependable as they come this season as a No. 2.
He also had a knack for making otherworldly catches this season. We’ll just leave this here:
Another week, another insane Dayton Wade catch ?@__vierr | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/AdTnL7RJs9
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 12, 2023
Biggest Surprise: Daijahn Anthony
Daijahn Anthony was a wrecking ball back at safety the entire season.
The Liberty transfer led the team with 7 pass deflections, totaled 2 interceptions, had 1 forced fumble and 2.5 tackles for loss with 58 total tackles.
He also had perhaps the defensive play of the year. This is as brutal of a hit as you can take in college football, y’all:
Weight Room
? @daijahn5 pic.twitter.com/hf4FSt5jEE
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 30, 2023
It was really difficult not to make this the Play of the Year for the Rebels. This got the Tigers off the field on 3rd and 8 deep into Ole Miss territory. The Rebels drove the field and made it a 14-0 ball game in a matchup they eventually won 55-49.
Best Win: LSU, 55-49
This is self-explanatory. The Tigers and Rebels played an incredibly fun game to close September, with Ole Miss coming out on top.
It’s one of 2 Ole Miss ranked wins on the season and their only win against a ranked SEC program.
Unbelievably, both teams totaled over 625 yards for a total of over 1,300 combined yards, a number that’s hard to wrap your head around considering the game did not enter overtime.
Dart was incredible this game, throwing for 389 yards and 4 touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins was crucial, rushing for 177 yards on 33 carries with 1 touchdown.
Play of the Year: Tre Harris for the win over LSU
And here’s the Play of the Year, which also happened against LSU. Anthony’s hit above could play for this superlative, as could Caden Prieskorn’s touchdown against Mississippi State to put the Egg Bowl to bed.
Ole Miss fans, you know the play that’s coming. It’s the game winner against the Tigers:
TRE HARRIS FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/9qqrA3tBUR
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 1, 2023
In case you’re wondering, here’s Tre Harris’ offer list out of high school from the state of Louisiana: LA Tech, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, McNeese, Nicholls State and Northwestern State. LSU did not offer him. Harris totaled 8 receptions for 153 yards and the above touchdown to put the Tigers to bed.
The Louisiana Tech transfer was marvelous all season for Lane Kiffin and Co. He finished the year with 47 receptions for 851 yards and 8 touchdowns, 2 of which (yards, touchdowns) are team highs.
Most unheralded star: Caden Prieskorn
This is kind of cheating, I know. Prieskorn has received his flowers this season, especially after the below touchdown against Mississippi State as previously mentioned:
Big Poppa for six! @cpkorn12 | ESPN pic.twitter.com/UchGXBJw06
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 24, 2023
If you’re an Ole Miss fan and you want to tell me off for not selecting that as the Play of the Year, I wouldn’t blame you. That might have been the best playcall of the season from Kiffin.
Prieskorn totaled 20 receptions for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns this year and for the most part was simply a background character in Kiffin’s high-powered offense. But he made his mark at big moments this season, and that deserves a shoutout despite not putting up 500+ yard numbers as a tight end.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
