Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart celebrates in end zone as Rebels route Furman in season opener. (Image Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics)
The football teams for both No. 6 Ole Miss and unranked Mississippi State understood the assignment.
Job 1 for the first game of the season is to win easily at home, avoid terrible injuries and move on to the next game.
Mission accomplished.
Mississippi State defeated Eastern Kentucky 56-7 to open the Bulldogs’ season of change, while about an hour later highly regarded Ole Miss kicked off a season of great promise by whipping outmanned Furman 76-0.
Up in Kentucky, the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss struggled against SEC opponent Kentucky, losing 31-0 in a weather shortened game.
Ole Miss – Furman
Ole Miss 76, Furman 0: Rebels fans were certainly feeling the spirit of 76 after this blowout.
Highly touted Ole Miss quarterback Jaxon Dart accounted for six total touchdowns, completing 22 of 27 passes for 418 yards and five TDs while also rushing for another score.
Dart opened the scoring with a 15-yard scramble, then connected with senior Antwane Wells Jr. for a 61-yard scoring play on the way to a 24-0 first-quarter advantage.
Dart dealt four more TD passes in the second quarter, giving the Rebels a 52-0 halftime lead – 4 yards to Dae’Quan Wright, 46 yards to senior tight end Caden Prieskorn and strikes of 61 and 22 yards to Tre Harris, who finished with eight catches for 179 yards.
With Dart safely on the sidelines in the second half, freshman backup Austin Simmons added a 35-yard scoring pass to Cayden Lee and Jackson junior Matt Jones made the most of his opportunity with a pair of touchdowns on just three carries, for 17 and 46 yards.
A balanced rushing attack accounted for 243 yards and a 6.6-yard average, with eight Rebels picking up at least 10 yards in the game. Among them, J.J. Pegues, the Chucky Mullins award winning defensive tackle, who made two nifty moves for a 330 pound man to get in the endzone early in the game.
Furman finished with 172 total yards, managing only 26 yards rushing on 30 carries.
Leading the defensive effort, junior linebacker Chris Paul Jr. and Lake Cormorant freshman defensive end Kam Franklin combined for 13 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
Ole Miss Transfer Class, Next Game
A number of Ole Miss’ vaunted transfer portal class, including Paul, made immediate impacts in the game. On defense, Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen and Florida transfer Princely Umanmielen, along with Batesville native Pegues, were all fixtures in the backfield early in the game. Alabama transfer Trey Amos showed lockdown corner ability, snagging an interception in the process. The Rebels offense included contributions from a number of transfers, as well, with Juice Wells of South Carolina scoring the opening touchdown and Miami transfer Henry Parrish, Jr. carrying the running game load for much of the first half.
Up 52-0 at half, head coach Lane Kiffin pulled his starters for the second half.
Ole Miss entertains Middle Tennessee on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. for an SEC Network game.
Mississippi State – Eastern Kentucky
Mississippi State 56, Eastern Kentucky 7: Senior quarterback Blake Shapen, a transfer from Baylor, introduced himself to the Bulldogs’ faithful with an efficient game. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and also rushed seven times for a team-high 44 yards and another TD.
Shapen did his damage in the first half, as MSU cruised to a 35-7 advantage.
It started quickly, with a touchdown on the game’s third play. Shapen found Jordan Mosley for a 65-yard scoring strike and MSU led 7-0 at the 14:28 mark. About three minutes later, Shapen found the end zone on a 4-yard run and the Bulldogs led 14-0 after the first quarter.
New head coach Jeff Lebby and his staff reached into their bag of tricks for a misdirection play early in the second quarter, springing sophomore receiver Creed Whittemore for a nifty 41-yard scoring run.
Shapen threw two more TD passes before halftime. MSU led 35-0 before a Eastern Kentucky touchdown just before halftime.
Leading 42-7 to begin the fourth quarter, MSU leaned on special teams and defense for the final margin. Mario Craver recovered a blocked punt in the end zone and Elijah Cannon tacked on a 51-yard interception return with 4:17 left.
Isaac Smith, a sophomore safety from Fulton, led the Bulldogs’ defense with 11 tackles (5 solo).
Next up for the Bulldogs: A long road trip to Arizona State for a late-night kickoff next Saturday.
Southern Miss – Kentucky
Southern Miss 0, Kentucky 31: A series of weather delays drove the game at Kroger Field in Kentucky late into the night. Once they took the field, SEC opponent Kentucky was just too much for Will Hall’s Golden Eagles team to manage. The weather gods showed mercy just five minutes into the 3rd quarter, raining down lightning that ended the game early.
Through 2 and half quarters, Kentucky dominated the field of play, puttting up 31 points on a balanced 169 yards passing and 148 yards rushing. Southern Miss could not establish the run, eeking out just 5 yards on 12 carries before the game was called.
The inability to move the ball on the ground left the weight of the game on Florida State transfer Tate Rodemaker’s shoulders. Rodemaker went 13-19 with 126 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in his debut.
The Golden Eagles offensive line could not protect Rodemaker or open holes against the Wildcats defensive front, giving up 2 sacks and 7 tackles for loss in the shortened contest.
Next up for Southern Miss: Southeast Louisiana at home next Saturday, 6:00 PM.
