How Ole Miss Took Care of Business Against Troy in Week 1

The Rebels handle business in Week 1, but not without a few bumps along the way.

Carleigh Holt-The Grove Report

OXFORD, Miss—The Ole Miss Rebels head into the season 1-0 after running straight through the Trojans defense.

Running back transfer Zach Evans led the way for the Rebels with 130 rushing yards on 20 carries. He amassed 100 yards in just the first half. 

Jaxson Dart came out looking good in the new threads. He appeared to be reasonably comfortable in his new offense, but Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin says there is still work to be done.

“I thought he was doing really well,” Kiffin said. “He knows what his issue has been. He knows not to be speeding things up and understanding the timing of our passing game. It won’t work on this conference coming up.”

More time in the system should help Dart settle down a bit. He missed a few open receivers and threw an interception in the game.

“It's kind of been the story of camp,” Kiffin said. “The deep passing game has just been a little off. Not an explosive passing day. 22 yards was the longest completion of the day.”

As for the running back room, Kiffin was pleased with what he saw. It wasn’t just Evans that impressed him. 

“[Quinshon] seemed like he was angry at the whole state of Alabama,” Kiffin said. “He ran angry. He is a special freshman.”

The Rebels came out with a win and Kiffin is pleased with his guys on offense, but there is more to build off of.

“It’s good to come out of week one with a win,” Kiffin said. “But we have to do better.”

Execution seemed to be the theme of this game, and it isn’t just the head coach that is aware of it. 

“We showed sparks here in there, but we have to stay grounded,” Troy Brown said. “There were times we didn’t execute.”

Despite being a transfer, Brown has taken a leadership role in the defense.

“Everybody thought the linebacker group was a question mark,” Brown said. “We wanted to go out and play physical. I feel like we showed up for our first appearance.”

The Rebels hope to build off this performance and be ready to execute more consistently in their game next week on Sept. 10 against the Central Arkansas Bears. 

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