Ole Miss at LSU: Can Jaxson Dart Lead the Rebels to Victory?

Jaxson Dart will look to answer the call and keep the Rebels undefeated and in first place in the SEC West.

Jaxson Dart and the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels face their toughest test to date as they travel to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers (5-2, 3-1). The Rebels are seeking their first 8-0 start since 1962. In order to do so they’ll need to earn their first victory in Tiger Stadium since 2008.

Ole Miss is coming into the matchup on the heels of a 48-34 victory over the Auburn, while LSU took care of business on the road defeating Florida 45-35 behind Jayden Daniels’ six touchdown performance. It’s no secret that the Ole Miss rushing attack is one of the best in the country, they rank 3rd nationally with 271.4 rush yards per game.

It will be interesting to see if LSU goes all in to stop the Rebels strength offensively, if they do they will be exposing their biggest weakness: their secondary. If this indeed comes to fruition the key to victory for Ole Miss could be their sophomore signal caller, Jaxson Dart. Since winning the starting job Dart has done a good job of running the offense overall and he’s proven to be a threat with his legs. He’s thrown for 1,488 yards on the season with 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, also rushing for 371 yards. However, outside of the Vanderbilt game he has struggled in SEC play with accuracy and has turned the ball over in each of the first three SEC contests.

If Ole Miss wants to walk out of Death Valley still holding sole possession of first place in the SEC West, Jaxson Dart must protect the football and punish a struggling LSU secondary when the opportunities present themselves.

I believe Ole Miss will gash the LSU defense on the ground early, and if they are able to get a lead, LSU might be forced to load the box defensively. Look for Jaxson Dart to prove why he won the starting job and why Lane Kiffin recruited him out of the transfer portal to lead this team in 2022.

Prediction: Ole Miss 34, LSU 27