Ole Miss Mauls Mercer 73-7

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

The No. 22 Ole Miss Rebels opened the 2023 season with a victory over the Mercer Bears by a score of 73-7.

The Ole Miss (1-0) offense dominated early as junior starting quarterback Jaxson Dart found Tre Harris for three touchdowns, less than four minutes into the start of the game.

At the start of the first quarter, Dart connected with Harris three times for 86 yards and a long of 38 yards. Harris tied the school record for receiving touchdowns with three in a game on the first three possessions.

Mercer (0-1) scored on its opening possession on a 75-yard run by quarterback Carter Peevy.

The Rebels gained 293 total yards in the first quarter and 237 yards through the air.

Ole Miss added 10 points to the scoreboard in the second quarter as Caden Costa hit a field goal and Quinshon Judkins crossed paydirt from three yards out.

The Rebels took a 38-7 advantage into the locker room at the half.

In the third quarter, the Rebels picked up where they left off after two back-to-back scores.  Jordan Watkins took a punt back to the house for 70 yards and on the next possession, Dart found Harris for a new Ole Miss record for the fourth receiving touchdown on the day.

The touchdown made Harris the 22^nd player in the SEC to score four touchdowns. Harris finished the day with six receptions for 133 yards and four scores.

Dart finished the day going 18-of-23 for 334 yards in the air and four touchdowns. He also ran the ball four times for 36 yards.

Spencer Sanders saw his first action in an Ole Miss uniform in the third quarter and led a 76-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a six-yard pass to Ulysses Bentley to make it 59-7.

Sanders found Cayden Lee in the end zone on the next possession for another Ole Miss touchdown.

Ole Miss will return to action Sept. 9, traveling to New Orleans to take on No. 24 Tulane. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN 2.