Field Level Media
Sep 16, 2023
Jaxson Dart rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a touchdown pass as No. 17 Ole Miss defeated Georgia Tech 48-23 in a nonconference game Saturday night in Oxford, Miss.
Dart passed for 251 yards and the Rebels (3-0) gained 299 yards on the ground after gaining just 232 in their first two games combined.
Haynes King completed 28 of 41 passes for 310 yards for the Yellow Jackets (1-2).
On Ole Miss' first possession of the second half, Ulysses Bentley IV rushed 21 yards for a touchdown that extended the lead to 17-3.
Tech then threw an incomplete pass out of punt formation, giving the Rebels a first down at the Yellow Jackets' 28. Five plays later Dart ran 6 yards for a touchdown and a 24-3 lead.
King ran 1 yard for a touchdown that pulled Tech within 24-10 with 2:07 remaining in third quarter, then threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Eric Singleton Jr. to make it a seven-point deficit with 10:31 remaining in the game.
But Ole Miss ended any thoughts of a comeback with scores on its next three possessions: Caden Davis kicked a 45-yard field goal, Dart connected with Jordan Watkins for a 68-yard score and Quinshon Judkins added a 1-yard touchdown run. Watkins finished with 119 yards on four catches.
After King's 14-yard touchdown pass to Avery Boyd with 1:34 left, Matt Jones ran 36 yards for an Ole Miss score with 49 seconds left to cap the scoring.
Ole Miss scored on the first possession of the game with Davis connecting on a 47-yard field goal.
The Yellow Jackets drove into position to try a tying 43-yard field goal on the ensuing possession, but Zxavian Harris blocked Aidan Birr's kick and the Rebels took over at the Tech 34.
Eight plays later Dart ran 1 yard for a touchdown that extended the lead to 10-0.
The teams turned it over downs on the following two drives -- the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on downs at the Ole Miss 2 and the Rebels did the same on the Georgia Tech 5.
Birr's 22-yard field goal trimmed the lead to 10-3, which is where the game stood at halftime.
--Field Level Media