Sep 7, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin watches during a time-out during the second half against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Jaxson Dart had two scoring passes and a touchdown run and Henry Parrish Jr. ran for two touchdowns as No.5 Mississippi rode a strong start to a 40-6 road victory against Wake Forest on Saturday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Rebels (3-0) scored 20 first-quarter points and that set the tone for another comfortable victory.
Dart completed 26 of 34 passes for 377 yards with an interception. Parrish gained 148 yards on the ground on 23 carries.
Quarterback Hank Bachmeier of Wake Forest was 22-of-39 passing for 239 yards, but couldn’t direct the Demon Deacons to the end zone.
Wake Forest (1-2) only scored on a pair of Matthew Dennis field goals. The Demon Deacons, who suffered a one-point home loss to Virginia a week earlier, finished with 46 yards on the ground.
It was the only power-conference nonconference opponent for Ole Miss and the only road game out of the Southeastern Conference, but the Rebels were certainly up to the task.
The Rebels stretched their lead to 30-6 with Dart plowing into the end zone on a 13-yard run late in the third quarter.
Earlier, Ole Miss needed less than three minutes to go 75 yards for the first touchdown, coming on Parrish’s 25-yard run.
The Rebels took their next possession inside the Wake Forest 20-yard line before Dart’s fumble. The Demon Deacons got on the board on Dennis’ 42-yard field goal later in the opening quarter.
Dart threw 75 yards to Jordan Watkins for one score and Parrish ran 22 yards for a touchdown as the Rebels built a 20-3 lead before the first quarter ended.
Ole Miss collected 282 yards of total offense in the opening quarter compared to Wake Forest’s 57.
It was 23-6 at halftime after Caden Davis’ 33-yard field goal for Ole Miss and Dennis’ 37-yarder accounted for the only points of the second quarter.
Ole Miss won for the first time in three all-time meetings with the Demon Deacons.
–Field Level Media
