Dart ends Ole Miss career with 4 TD passes in Gator Bowl romp over Duke
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- — Jaxson Dart threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns in his final collegiate game, leading No. 16 Mississippi to a 52-20 romp over Duke in the Gator Bowl on Thursday night.
Dart connected with Jordan Watkins seven times for 180 yards and two scores, including a 69-yarder with 1:27 to play that got the quarterback chewed out by coach Lane Kiffin. Dart added 43 yards rushing, leaving EverBank Stadium with grass and dirt stains all over his red and white uniform.
The senior never considered opting out of the bowl game. Instead, he helped the Rebels (10-3) make history. With the victory, Ole Miss notched double-digit wins in consecutive years for the second time in program history and the first since 1959-60.
Ulysses Bentley IV, another senior playing his last college game, ran for 70 yards and two scores for the Rebels. Isaiah Hamilton returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. All of them got to celebrate with sideline dunks on a portable basketball hoop adorned with Duke logos.
This ACC-SEC postseason matchup was never close. It wasn’t expected to be, either. Ole Miss was a 17 1/2-point favorite, according to , mostly because the Blue Devils (9-4) were without quarterback Maalik Murphy and running back Star Thomas. Both entered the transfer portal after Duke’s regular-season finale.
Third-year sophomore Henry Belin IV made his second career start and was harassed all night. Belin completed 25 of 44 passes for 236 yards, with two touchdowns and the interception. He was sacked three times.
Belin’s TD passes were two of the team's few highlights. Sahmir Hagans' 99-yard kickoff return — off a cross-field lateral, no less — was another.
One of Ole Miss’ few miscues came when Kiffin called for a trick play on fourth down. Kicker Caden Davis’ pass got picked off in the end zone, and Dart took nearly every snap the rest of the way.
The takeaway
Duke: The Blue Devils won't put too much stock into the loss, not with Belin getting a rare start and more offensive help on the way.
Ole Miss: The Rebels had most of their starters play in the bowl, a testament to how they feel about Dart and Kiffin. CB Jadon Canady and RT Micah Pettus, both starters, entered the transfer portal. And LB and leading tackler Chris Paul Jr. opted out to prepare for the draft process.
Key injuries
Duke cornerback Terry Moore, who intercepted the kicker’s pass on the trick play, left the game in the first half and ended up in the locker room. Ole Miss offensive lineman Eli Acker injured his right knee on an extra point in the second period and was helped off the field.
Chewed-up field
The field at EverBank Stadium was far from pristine. The center section of grass was mostly chewed up, looking more like a community sandlot than the bright-green sod that usually seems pulled from a resort golf course. The Jaguars hosted Tennessee in an NFL game four days earlier, leaving little time to get the turf in its best shape. Overnight temperatures in the 40s didn’t help regrowth, either.
Up next
Duke awaits the arrival of former Tulane QB Darian Mensah, who will reportedly get $8 million in NIL funding over two years to play for the Blue Devils.
Ole Miss will turn to highly touted left-handed QB Austin Simmons, a redshirt freshman from Miami. Simmons enrolled two years early and spent the last two seasons watching and learning from Dart.