OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaxson Dart threw for three touchdowns on three consecutive third-quarter series as No. 13 Mississippi used a strong second half to defeat Louisiana-Monroe 35-3 on Saturday.
Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 13 CFP) struggled to a 7-3 halftime lead over the Sun Belt Conference Warhawks (2-9, 0-8) before Dart capped consecutive touchdown drives of 78, 60 and 60 yards to build a 28-3 cushion.
Dart finished 24 of 31 passing for 310 yards, including touchdown passes of 13, 2 and 58 yards to Tre Harris, Caden Prieskorn and Dayton Wade, respectively. Wade finished with seven receptions for 108 yards as nine different Rebels caught a pass.
The Rebels had 498 yards of total offense, highlighted by 215 yards in the third quarter outburst. Ulysses Bentley added a first quarter 14-yard touchdown run while Quinshon Judkins had 18 rushes for 65 yards.
Spencer Sanders, relieving Dart for the fourth quarter, threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Caden Lee. The Rebels finished with no turnovers and added an interception by Daijahn Anthony.
Louisiana-Monroe capped a solid early performance with a 26-yard field goal from Braxton Guilbeau on the final play in the first half. The Warhawks finished with 258 total yards, led by Hunter Smith with 17 rushes for 74 yards,
FIRST HALF MISFIRES
Hoping for a strong performance after losing at No. 1 Georgia last week, the Rebels offense was sluggish early. Ole Miss turned the ball over on downs, missed a field goal and Jordan Watkins dropped an uncontested pass well beyond the Louisiana-Monroe secondary.
TACKLE DUO SIDELINED
The absence of Ole Miss offensive tackles Micah Pettus and Jayden Williams, sidelined by ankle and lower body injuries, respectively, was noticeable. The Rebels used different personnel combinations, but the drop in consistency was unsettling as Louisiana-Monroe had 11 tackles for loss. Pettus is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
THE TAKEAWAY
Louisiana-Monroe: The bad news is the current losing streak extends to nine games and historically, the Warhawks are 4-52-1 against 11 different SEC teams. The good news is Terry Bowden’s program will receive a hefty check for $1.6 million for this performance.
Mississippi: The Rebels cleaned up impressively after an ugly first half to maintain a solid resume. Ole Miss is in prime position for a New Year’s Six bowl appearance, a 10-win regular season and a Top 10 berth in the AP poll. A quick turnaround will be required for a Thanksgiving night visit to in-state rival Mississippi State with plenty at stake.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Rebels have been consistently in the AP Top 25 poll rankings, beginning with a preseason slot at No. 22, advancing as high as No. 10.
This win should secure no worse than the current No. 13, with an opportunity to advance to the Top 10 before the final regular-season poll.
A closer evaluation lists Ole Miss as the fourth-highest ranked of six SEC teams in poll. Additionally, the Rebels are among five teams with two losses, including No. 10 Oregon State, No. 11 Missouri, No 12 Penn State and No. 14 Oklahoma.
UP NEXT
Louisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks travel to Louisiana for the Sun Belt Conference finale for both teams on Saturday.
Mississippi: The Rebels wrap up the regular season with a visit to Mississippi State for the 120th Egg Bowl on Thursday night.
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