Ad Disclosure
Rapid Reaction: Zach Evans lights it up as Ole Miss defeats Troy 28-10
By Crissy Froyd
Published:
Ole Miss did what everyone expected it do on Saturday, taking care off business with a 28-10 win over the Troy Trojans in Oxford.
It wasn’t an incredibly pass-heavy game, with running back Zach Evans leading the way with over 100 rushing yards by halftime and a final stat line of 20 carries for 130 yards. The leading receiver on the day was USC transfer TE Michael Trigg, who finished with just 33 yards through the air on 4 catches. Just 1 of the team’s 4 touchdowns came from a wide receiver, which was reeled in by Mississippi State transfer Malik Heath.
Considering how much this team accomplished through the air when quarterback Matt Corral was at the helm, how much the Rebels rely on the run game will be something to watch moving forward.
Starting quarterback Jaxson Dart looked mostly efficient and his ability to use his legs was on display, though he was not exceptionally impressive while showing some room for improvement. He finished the game 18-for-27 for 154 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Though Ole Miss had already put up a solid 28-3 lead over the Trojans by the final 6 minutes of the quarter to where the mishap didn’t matter, they were able to get an additional opportunity to produce points in a way that they shouldn’t have with a badly misplaced interception by Dart that went into the hands of safety Marks Colvin in the end zone.
As the final score would imply, it was a solid overall defensive effort on Ole Miss’ end, not allowing Troy its first touchdown until the middle of the fourth quarter. That’s something the Rebels will aim to continue after taking a step on that side of the ball in the back half of last season. Junior safety Isheem Young was among the standouts, with a fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter. Safety Tysheem Johnson was the leading tackler on the day with 12 combined tackles.
Ole Miss will look to work out some kinks and find out more about this year’s group as it faces another cupcake opponent in Central Arkansas on Sept. 10. After that, the Rebels will face Georgia Tech and Tulsa, which bodes well for them in terms of having time to make improvements before taking on their first real test against the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 1.
Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.
