Amid an intense quarterback battle that’s carried over into the regular season, Lane Kiffin might have found his replacement for Matt Corral when the No. 22 Rebels defeated Central Arkansas 59-3 on Saturday.
“[Jaxson Dart] came in there and looked impressive,” ESPN commentator and former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said mid-way through the fourth quarter. “They’ve seen all they need to see. I wouldn’t be surprised if they come in tomorrow and make an announcement.”
Dart took over for Luke Altmyer with 50 seconds remaining in the first half after Altmyer was forced out due to an injury to his right arm. It wasn’t a bad outing for Altmyer, who started 6/7 passing for 90 yards and two total touchdowns. It was simply a better outing from Dart.
When Dart came in, the Rebels were up 28-0 on their only FCS opponent of the season. Dart, a USC transfer, quickly led the offense down the field and to a field goal as the half came to a close. On the drive, Dart went 3/5 for 50 yards.
Dart’s second-half showing was reflective of his first drive. While the true sophomore missed some throws that young quarterbacks can be expected to miss, he ultimately proved why he was ranked a five-star recruit coming out of Corner Canyon High School in Utah.
Dart finished the day 10/15 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns before being relieved by third stringer Kinkead Dent late in the fourth quarter.
Making all three quarterbacks’ jobs easy was the myriad of weapons around them. Dart’s best friend and fellow USC transfer Michael Trigg pulled in three touchdowns. Malik Heath scored his second touchdown since transferring from rival Mississippi State. And senior Jonathan Mingo caught three balls for 103 yards – two of which have a chance to crack the SportsCenter Top 10 later tonight.
Just a sick grab here pic.twitter.com/vzG6nOLVop
— SportsTalk Mississippi (@SportsTalkMiss) September 10, 2022
Why use two hands when one works just fine? pic.twitter.com/tWZbz5Xx4u
— SportsTalk Mississippi (@SportsTalkMiss) September 11, 2022
Next up for the Rebels will be the team’s first road game of the season when they travel to Atlanta for a matchup against Georgia Tech.
