Lane Kiffin Preparing For SEC-Level Talent When Rebels Face Tulane

The Rebels head coach was made available to the media on Monday.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The quarterback battle for Week 2 is set: Jaxson Dart vs. Michael Pratt.

Lane Kiffin has officially put an end to his quarterback controversy, first by removing the "OR" between the names of Dart and Spencer Sanders on this week's depth chart, and then in a quote on the record in Monday's media availability.

"Jaxson played really well and had a really good camp and spring, so he’s the starting quarterback," Kiffin said. "We’re extremely excited about that room."

This comes two days after naming Dart the starter for the season opener against the Mercer Bears where he took snaps until the third quarter when the game was well out of reach. Dart's final line included a mark of 18-of-23 through the air for 334 yards and four touchdowns, all of which went to wide receiver Tre Harris who set a new school record for receiving touchdowns in a game.

Jaxson Dart was officially named Ole Miss' starting quarterback on Monday. (Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics)

Now, the No. 22 Ole Miss Rebels will travel to New Orleans to face the No. 24 Tulane Green Wave in Week 2, although both team's rankings in the AP Poll will likely have improved by then after winning big on Saturday. 

Ole Miss opened as a favorite over the Green Wave, but they are not your typical Group of Five team. Tulane is led by Michael Pratt at quarterback who had an impressive stat line of his own this week, going 14-of-15 through the air with four touchdowns of his own.

Oh, and Tulane is also the team that defeated the USC Trojans and Heisman winner Caleb Williams in last season's Cotton Bowl. Needless to say, Lane Kiffin isn't taking this opponent lightly on the road.

"They ask about nine-game SEC schedules, and this is a test of a nine-game SEC schedule," Kiffin said. "This is an SEC football team with that type of talent, and going on the road is always challenging."

The last time Ole Miss and Tulane met on the gridiron, it was a much different scenario. Sure, Pratt was the Green Wave's quarterback, but that team finished with a record of 2-10, including a 61-21 loss in a rain-soaked Oxford against a Rebels team that finished in the Sugar Bowl.

Now, Kiffin's Rebels will have to bring their A-game on the road very early in the season if they want to leave Yulman Stadium with a win.

“Every year is different for every team," Kiffin said. "I thought they were going to have a really good season (in 2021). They had the ball going down to beat Oklahoma, but a much different team now that’s had a lot of success. The quarterback basically played as well as you can on air last week.”

This game may not draw the attention that matchups like Texas and Alabama will in Week 2, but make no mistake: this game can have access bowl implications down the road, and fans will soon know a little bit more about Ole Miss' potential after this one.

Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.