Notes and Observations From Ole Miss' 40-6 Win Over Wake Forest

The Ole Miss Rebels committed 11 penalties on Saturday night, but they came away with a 40-6 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Jaxson Dart and Henry Parrish during Ole Miss' win over Wake Forest. / Ole Miss Athletics

The No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels were far from perfect on Saturday night, but they came away with a 40-6 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons all the same.

The Rebels (3-0) were plagued by penalties throughout the game, and some sloppy play on defense continued to be a problem at times. Still, Ole Miss was able to keep Wake Forest out of the end zone, and it has yet to surrender a touchdown on the young season.

There were some pros and cons for the Rebels on Saturday night, so let's take a look at those below.

1. This was a sloppy performance, but it wasn't all bad.

Ole Miss committed 11 penalties for 114 yards on Saturday night, and it allowed Wake Forest to keep some drives alive as a result. The Rebel secondary also had some issues again in the win, but the defense as a whole was able to buckle down in the red zone and keep Wake from scoring touchdowns.

Despite the game not being very clean for Ole Miss, it still won 40-6, and the outcome of the game was never really in doubt. The Rebels struck for points on their first drive of the game, and they led the rest of the way.

That and the fact that the defense has yet to allow a touchdown this year says a lot about the talent on this team, but this level of sloppy play doesn't need to be repeated down the road.

2. Jaxson Dart and Henry Parrish Jr. quietly had another big day.

Dart threw for two scores on Saturday, and despite throwing his first interception of the season in the third quarter, he finished the night with 377 passing yards and a rushing touchdown.

Ole Miss definitely left some opportunities on the field offensively, but those numbers will get you wins more often than not in college football.

It's also worth noting that Henry Parrish's tear continued on Saturday. He put up 148 yards on the ground (6.4 YPC) and two touchdowns, and he is clearly the top back for this team as Week 3 comes to a close. The one-two punch of Dart and Parrish can be deadly in SEC play, if the offensive line performs well in front of them.

3. Jared Ivey was carted off the field with an injury.

The broadcast on The CW showed that Rebel defensive lineman Jared Ivey left the sideline injury tent on a cart in the second half. There has yet to be any official word on what exactly he injured, but if he misses an extended period of time, that's a big blow to this defensive front.

Ole Miss has depth along the line, but Ivey's veteran presence is a key part of its production. How the Rebels respond to his potential absence will be big.