Behind record-setting days for both quarterback Jaxson Dart and receiver Jordan Watkins, the No. 18 Ole Miss football team reversed its fortunes in Fayetteville, dominating SEC rival Arkansas, 63-31.
Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2) entered the game just 2-13 all-time in Fayetteville but led Arkansas (5-4, 3-3) wire-to-wire and put the game away by halftime on Saturday for its first win at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium since 2008.
Jaxson Dart set the single-game passing record, along with a number of career marks, and Jordan Watkins broke the single-game receiving yards and touchdown records. We have a full recap of Dart's records and Watkins' records.
Offensive Leaders
Jaxson Dart finished 25-for-31 for an Ole Miss single-game record 515 passing yards. Dart threw six touchdowns, and Austin Simmons added one as the Rebels tied their single-game team passing TD record.
Jordan Watkins caught eight passes and broke Ole Miss' single-game records with 254 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Tight end Dae'Quan Wright led the Rebels in receptions with nine, notching 99 yards and two touchdowns. Cayden Lee also hit the century mark with 127 yards on just five catches.
Defensive Leaders
Playing with a large lead for much of the day, the Ole Miss defense pinned its ears back and finished with eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss. TJ Dottery led the way with a team-high six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. Princely Umanmielen recovered that fumble for a touchdown and added two sacks. Former Razorback Chris Paul Jr. tied Dottery with six tackles, including two for a loss, and added a pass breakup and a QB hurry. Suntarine Perkins, Zxavian Harris, Kam Franklin, Jamarious Brown, Walter Nolen and William Echols were all in the sack column as well.
First Quarter
Arkansas started with the ball, but Ole Miss quickly quelled the opening drive. Walter Nolen drew a holding flag to nullify a third-down conversion and set up a TJ Dottery sack to force a punt.
The Rebels looked like they would respond with six, but a Jaxson Dart touchdown strike to Antwane Wells Jr. was called back on a pass interference flag. Ole Miss still managed to convert and drive down to the 1-yard line, but the hurry-up rush attempt with Ulysses Bentley IV on 4th-and-1 was stuffed, turning it back to the Hogs.
It was no matter, though. On 3rd-and-10 on the ensuing drive, Dottery hit Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green and knocked the ball loose, and Princely Umanmielen won the scrum in the end zone for a Rebel touchdown.
Arkansas responded with a few chunk plays to drive across midfield, where Green was injured on a 14-yard rush, and the Rebel defense clamped down to force a 55-yard Matthew Shipley field goal, making it 7-3. Green re-entered on the next drive but ultimately checked out at halftime.
Second Quarter
Dart connected with tight end Dae'Quan Wright on two huge gains to propel the Rebels into the red zone as the first quarter ended. Out of the break, it was more Wright. Dart found him for seven yards on 2nd-and-11, then the Rebels called his number again off play action, and he released wide open into the end zone to spark a scoring flurry.
Zxavian Harris sacked Green, then Dottery and Jared Ivey teamed up on a tackle-for-loss to quickly end the ensuing drive. It took Dart just one play to find Jordan Watkins on a 62-yard touchdown.
After another three-and-out, Dart once again needed just one pass to connect with Watkins for a score, this time from 66 yards out, giving him touchdowns on three consecutive pass attempts and giving Ole Miss a 28-3 advantage. On the pass, Dart passed Bo Wallace to become Ole Miss' all-time leader in total offense.
Arkansas responded with a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Rashad Dubinion, set up by a 43-yard pass from Green to Andrew Armstrong to make it 28-10. The Razorbacks looked like they would keep that momentum going, driving down to the Ole Miss 23-yard line, where Umanmielen, then Dottery and Nolen, sacked Green on consecutive plays to halt the drive and lead to a missed 45-yard field goal attempt by Shipley.
With just 1:18 left in the half, Ole Miss stepped on the gas to add to its lead. The Rebels once again used heavy doses of Watkins to fuel the drive, and to finish it off as Dart connected with his favorite target on the day on a corner fade for the 3-yard score with 0:09 on the clock, giving them a commanding 35-10 lead at the break.
First Half Stats
Ole Miss outgained Arkansas 362-202 in the first half. Dart was 18-for-23 with 321 passing yards and four touchdowns. Wright had a game-high seven catches for 75 yards and a score, while Watkins led all receivers with 172 yards and three touchdowns on just five catches.
Defensively, Ole Miss had already racked up five sacks and nine tackles for loss. Dottery had a team-high six tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and two sacks, along with the forced fumble. Chris Paul Jr. was second with five tackles, including two for a loss, and a pass breakup. Harris, Nolen, Perkins and Umanmielen were all in the sack column.
Third Quarter
Ole Miss didn't let up out of halftime. Dart found Cayden Lee for 34 yards, then scrambled for 31 yards to convert on 3rd-and-8 to set up his fourth touchdown connection with Watkins from 11 yards out. With the catch, Watkins tied Tre Harris for the program's single-game receiving touchdown record, joined Henry Parrish Jr. as the second Rebel with a four-TD game this year and gave Ole Miss a 42-10 lead.
Arkansas answered with a touchdown as Malachi Singleton replaced the banged-up Green at quarterback, hitting two chunk plays through the air before scampering 13 yards for a touchdown.
The Rebels swung right back, though, as Dart linked up with Lee on another critical deep ball for 58 yards to set up a 1-yard rushing score by JJ Pegues on 3rd-and-1 to stretch the lead to 49-17.
Another Umanmielen sack led to a punt on the following drive, and two plays later, Dart hit Jordan Watkins for his school-record fifth touchdown reception from 62 yards out.
Arkansas responded with a Rodney Hill rushing touchdown to make it 56-24 through three.
Fourth Quarter
Arkansas looked as though it would cut into that lead again early in the fourth quarter when Singleton tossed a 45-yard pass to Isaac Teslaa, but John Saunders Jr. tomahawked the ball out of the Razorback receiver's grip and through the side of the end zone for a touchback.
On the following drive, Dart hit Cayden lee for an 8-yard gain to break Ole Miss' single-game passing record, then tagged in Austin Simmons. The freshman lefty kept the offense rolling with a 22-yard pass to Wells, then 13 more to Micah Davis before tossing a beautiful touch pass to Wright for the tight end's second TD of the day.
Luke Hasz made an impressive grab on a Singleton throw for Arkansas' final touchdown of the day before the Rebels drained the final three minutes off the victory.
Next Up
The most-anticipated game on the Ole Miss schedule is up next as the Rebels prepare to host No. 2 Georgia on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC. The Ole Miss Athletics ticket office is sold out of all remaining games.