Ole Miss Offense Cruises, Gives Rebels Dominating Win Over Middle Tennessee

The Ole Miss Rebels cruised for the second straight week to a non-conference win.

Sep 7, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Henry Parrish Jr. (21) runs the ball for a touchdown during the first half against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

OXFORD -- For the second week in a row, the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels secured a dominating non-conference win at home. This time, however, it was the ground game that starred in the show alongside quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Ole Miss (2-0) took down the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 52-3 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, and its offense continued to operate efficiently after routing Furman 76-0 in Week 1.

Running back Henry Parrish Jr. finished the day with 165 yards and four scores on the ground, leading the Rebels in both categories. He left the game with an apparent injury in the third quarter, but he returned later in that frame for a score that pushed Ole Miss' lead to 45-3.

Jaxson Dart also had an impressive day, although he didn't have the same passing touchdown numbers as he did last Saturday. Dart threw 24 straight completions to open the game, a mark that he held into the fourth quarter of play.

Dart's 24 consecutive completions broke a school record previously held by Matt Corral (19 in 2020) and an SEC record previously held by Tee Martin (23 in 1998) for most consecutive completions in a single game.

Dart finished the day with 377 yards through the air and both a passing and rushing score. The Rebels put up over 600 yards of total offense in the win.

The Ole Miss defense kept MTSU at bay, although the Rebels did give up some big plays in the secondary. Middle Tennessee quarterback Nicholas Vattiato finished the day with 209 yards through the air.

From a defensive statistic perspective, TJ Dottery, Pooh Paul and Trey Washington led the way in total tackles with six, and John Saunders Jr. hauled in an impressive interception for the Rebels in the third quarter that set up another Ole Miss scoring drive. The Rebels also finished the game with nine tackles for loss after registering 16 TFLs last week.

Ole Miss has now opened the season 2-0 while outscoring its opponents 128-3, and it will have its first road test of the year next week when it travels to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on The CW.