No. 5 Ole Miss puts Wake to sleep
Published 11:24 pm Saturday, September 14, 2024
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Ole Miss’ offense remained fearsome as ever, and it looks like it might have a defense to match.
The Rebels did not allow a touchdown for the third game in a row, and quarterback Jaxson Dart passed for 377 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-6 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.
No. 5 Ole Miss (3-0) is one of three FBS teams, along with No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Ohio State, that has yet to allow a touchdown this season. The last time the Rebels surrendered no touchdowns through the first three games of the season was in 1961.
Jared Ivey led the defense Saturday with six tackles and two sacks. Wake Forest only had 46 rushing yards and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since a 52-3 loss to Clemson on Nov. 6, 2019.
“I get nervous when we go into an environment like this,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “If you don’t start early they get some momentum and you end up going through the motions. But that did not seem to be the case. We started fast on defense and offense, and I was really pleased with that.”
While the defense was keeping Wake Forest (1-2) in check, Ole Miss’ offense didn’t waste time in turning the game into a blowout. It scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and put together another scoring drive in the second to lead 23-6 at halftime.
Henry Parrish scored on runs of 25 and 22 yards in the first-quarter blitz, and finished with a team-high 148 yards on 23 carries. It was Parrish’s second consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
Tre Harris led Ole Miss’ receivers with 11 receptions for 127 yards, and Cayden Lee caught five passes for 83 yards.
Dart threw a 75-yard TD pass to Jordan Watkins for the other touchdown in the opening period.
Dart added a bruising 13-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and threw a 31-yard TD pass to Antwane Wells Jr. with 6:27 left in the fourth to close out the scoring.
Ole Miss rushed for 273 yards as a team, had 650 total yards, and 33 first downs.
“I felt like this is what we needed as a team,” Dart said. “I felt like it was the ugliest 600-yard game we could play. We did a lot of really good things and at times didn’t finish. But you saw how explosive we are, too.”