Dart completes first 24 passes, sets SEC record

OXFORD, Miss. — Jaxson Dart completed his first 24 passes to set SEC and school records, finishing 25-of-27 for 377 yards in No. 6 Mississippi‘s 52-3 victory over Middle Tennessee on Saturday.

The streak ended when Dart and Tre Harris couldn’t connect on a crossing pattern with 9:56 remaining. Dart broke the SEC record of 23 straight completions to start a game set by Tennessee’s Tee Martin against South Carolina in 1998. The previous Ole Miss record of 19 straight completions was set by Matt Corral against Vanderbilt in 2020.

Spanning two games, Dart also authored 30 consecutive completions, which, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, is the longest streak in SEC history.

Dart was hit hard from the blind side in the second quarter, but responded with throws of 18 and 25 yards before a 3-yard touchdown run. He threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Antwane Wells Jr. in the fourth quarter.

“I’m proud of Jaxson’s leadership,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said.

Coming off an opening 76-0 victory over Furman, the Rebels dominated another lower-level opponent. They have not allowed a touchdown.

Henry Parrish Jr. had career highs with 165 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He averaged 11.8 yards per carry.

Ole Miss had 243 rushing yards last week, but much of it came in garbage time, and Kiffin wanted greater efficiency.

“We have several good running backs,” Kiffin said. “Parrish practiced well, so he got the start today and played well.”

Parrish had just 40 yards against Furman. He surpassed that halfway through the first quarter Saturday with 92 yards and two 11-yard touchdown runs as the Rebels took a quick 17-0 lead.

Zeke Rankin hit a 32-yard field goal for Middle Tennessee (1-1) with 15 seconds left in the first half. Ole Miss led 31-3 at the break.

Kiffin thinks his team can be cleaner.

“A lot of people are doing things right, but there are still too many penalties,” he said.

The Rebels were flagged eight times for 78 yards.

Ole Miss has allowed just 54 rushing yards this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.