Ole Miss Football Felt Big Performance Coming in 63-31 Win Over Arkansas

The Dart-to-Watkins connection was open all afternoon in a big time SEC road victory for the Rebels.

Nov 2, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) and wide receiver Jordan Watkins (11) celebrate after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mississippi won 63-31. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels had some soul searching to do coming into this weekend's game with the Arkansas Razorbacks with their season on the line in a hostile environment.

Tre Harris was questionable heading into the game, and it was clear someone needed to step up in that wide receiver room. Jordan Watkins did more than just step up, rewriting the Ole Miss record books with five touchdowns and 254 yards receiving.

All of these achievements pale in comparison, however, to a recent one Watkins had where he welcomed the birth of his daughter.

"Yeah, I mean the last couple weeks, they've been pretty rough," Watkins said. "We were actually supposed to have the baby this Monday. Found out that she was going to be coming early, right in the middle of game week. It was chaotic, but it's a good thing that I have my teammates around me, and they were able to pick me up.

"Obviously, having the performance I did today, that's all because of them. Really blessed to be out here with these guys and come out on top like we did today."

Watkins was one of three Rebel pass catchers who pushed or surpassed 100 receiving, a sign that he and Jaxson Dart look back on the same page offensively after a couple of rough weeks. Dart talked about how this week felt different in postgame media availability.

"I actually had a good feeling about today," Dart said. "Thought we had a good week of practice. I knew that we were ready. That's what I echoed in the locker room, that we were ready for this.

"This is a really tough place to play. I thought from the offensive line to [Watkins] and all the other playmakers making great plays and our defense, it was a great team effort."

The Rebels face the biggest challenge of the season next week in the Georgia Bulldogs but look to be getting hot at the right time as they made a statement on the road in Fayetteville. Ole Miss knew after its loss to LSU that it would need to win out in order to earn a CFP bid, and it has done so to this point ahead of another de facto elimination game against the Bulldogs.

Kickoff between Ole Miss and Georgia on Saturday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.