Ole Miss Rebels Recover From Sloppy First Half, Take Care of Louisiana-Monroe at Home

It wasn't always pretty for the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, but they acquired their ninth win of the season against ULM.

OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels looked sluggish in the first half against the 2-8 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks on Saturday afternoon, but they came away with a 35-3 win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the final tune up before the annual Egg Bowl.

The Rebels (9-2, 5-2 SEC) only led 7-3 at halftime on Saturday, and they turned the ball over on downs twice in the first half of a lackluster offensive effort. Ole Miss forced a stop to start the second half, however, and it then opened up a 14-3 lead on a pass from quarterback Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris on the ensuing possession.

Ole Miss also struck on its second possession of the second half on a pass from Dart to Caden Prieskorn. By game’s end, the Rebel quarterback had 310 yards passing and three scores before giving way to Spencer Sanders in the fourth quarter.

Ole Miss Rebels QB Jaxson Dart / USA Today Sports

The Rebels’ first score of the day came on the ground from running back Ulysses Bentley IV from 14 yards out, and it gave Ole Miss a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. ULM’s only points of the first half came on the final possession of the second quarter, sinking a field goal as time expired on a promising Warhawk drive.

Statistically, Ole Miss finished with 481 yards of total offense. The flashiest touchdown of the day for the Rebels came on a 58-yard connection between Dart and Dayton Wade, and Wade finished the day with 108 receiving yards, a team-high.

Rebels Hold Slim Lead Over Louisiana-Monroe After Sloppy First Half

Ole Miss now has a short turnaround for its final game of the regular season, and it will travel to Starkville on Thanksgiving night to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the annual Egg Bowl. If the Rebels are able to win on Thursday, they will have earned their second 10-win regular season in school history (2021).

Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.