No. 6 Ole Miss roars past Middle Tennessee

Field Level Media|published: Sat 7th September, 20:12 2024

NCAA Football: Middle Tennessee at Mississippi

Sep 7, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Henry Parrish Jr. (21) runs the ball for a for a touchdown as Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders defensive back Abdul Muhammad (21) attempts to make the tackle during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Henry Parrish Jr. romped for four rushing touchdowns, Jaxson Dart set a school record for completions, and the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels roared past the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 52-3 Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.

In his second stint at Ole Miss (2-0), Parrish toted the ball 14 times for 165 yards but left briefly after getting shaken up early in the second half following a 42-yard dash.

Dart completed his first 24 passes -- 30 straight going back to last Saturday's 76-0 rout of Furman -- and fell two short of tying the NCAA's FBS game-record of 26.

The senior went 25 of 27 for 377 yards and a score. Tre Harris recorded nine receptions for 130 yards as the squad had 655 yards of offense.

The Rebels used a pair of first-quarter scores from Parrish and a dominant defense to create a 17-0 lead and put to rest any notion that it would not start the season 2-0 for the fourth straight season.

John Saunders Jr. notched an interception, while TJ Dottery recovered a fumble for Ole Miss.

In first-year coach Derek Mason's return against an SEC opponent after a coaching sabbatical, the Blue Raiders (1-1), a 42 1/2-point underdog, saw quarterback Nicholas Vattiato go 21 of 33 for 209 yards and an interception.

Holden Willis had six catches for 93 yards, but the Conference USA school managed just 279 yards.

After Caden Davis' 33-yard field goal to open the game, Parrish ripped off a pair of 11-yard scores for a 17-0 advantage.

Dart widened the margin by dropping back to pass, pulling it down and winding his way three yards early in the second quarter for his second rushing TD.

Capping an 11-play, 99-yard drive, Parrish tacked on his third score on a three-yard run with three minutes left to push it to 31-0, but Zeke Rankin's 32-yard kick with 15 seconds left in the first half registered the first points against the Rebels this season.

After Parrish left, Matt Jones stepped in and produced a nine-yard run, but Parrish returned for his fourth score on a short run with 3:10 left in the third.

Dart's 18-yard strike to Antwane Wells Jr. rounded out the scoring.

--Field Level Media