The need-to-know notes from Ole Miss football’s debut rout of Mercer

Ole Miss leads the all-time series with Mercer, 2-0, following a 73-7 season-opening win for the Rebels on Saturday.

The lone prior matchup between the teams, in Macon, Georgia, came 112 years ago. Ole Miss whipped the Bears in that game, too, 34-0. Rebel captains on Saturday were wide receiver Jordan Watkins, running back Ulysses Bentley IV and safety Trey Washington.

Veteran Ole Miss offensive lineman Jeremy James made his 37th consecutive start. It was also the 37th start of his career. Other double consecutive starts included cornerback Deantre Prince (16) and quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Second-year Rebel tight end Kyirin Heath made his first career start. Heath got the nod following news Caden Prieskorn will miss multiple weeks with a foot injury. Prieskorn had surgery this week.

Other Rebels to make their first career Ole Miss starts: Washington transfer left tackle Victor Curne; Louisiana Tech transfer wide receiver Tre Harris; UCF transfer linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste; UAB transfer left guard Quincy McGee; Louisville transfer linebacker Monty Montgomery; Miami (Ohio) transfer safety John Saunders, Jr.;  James Madison EDGE Isaac Ukwu; Georgia Tech cornerback Zamari Walton and Alabama/Nebraska defensive tackle Stephon Wynn Jr.

Rebel Reset: Ole Miss whipped Mercer, and here’s how it happened

Liberty transfer safety Daijahn Anthony made his Ole Miss debut, too.

Anthony recorded Ole Miss’ first interception of the year.

Oregon State transfer running back Jam Griffin debuted as well. Same for quarterbacks Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) and Walker Howard (LSU), kicker Caden Davis (Texas A&M), cornerback DeShawn Gaddie (North Texas), defensive tackle Joshua Harris (NC State), DE Cephus Pettis, DT Myles Saulsberry, DT Akelo Stone (Georgia Tech) and DBs Teja Young (FAU) and Chris Graves (Miami of Florida).

The freshmen debuts were DT Jamarious Brown, DE Chamberlain Campbell, TE Jayvontay Conner, OL Preston Cushman, DE DeeJay Holmes, Jr., LB Suntarine Perkins, RB Kedrick Reescano, OL Brycen Sanders and WR Ayden Williams. Perkins, an On3 Five-Star Plus+ prospect in the 2023 class, led the team in tackles (9). Reescano, OL Brycen Sanders, WR Ayden Williams.

GENERAL NOTES

Attendance for today’s game was 60,097 … Ole Miss is now 162-92-7 (.634 winning pct.) all-time during the month of September after vacated wins … Ole Miss is now 104-35-3 (.743 winning pct.) in September home games (including contests played in Memphis and Jackson) … The Rebels are now 79-22-2 (.777 winning percentage) in September games played in Oxford after vacated wins … Ole Miss is now 115-41-6 (.729 winning pct.) all-time versus non-conference opponents during the month of September.

Under Kiffin, Ole Miss is now 10-2 against non-conference opponents.

The Rebels are now 95-29-5 (.756 winning percentage) in season openers and have taken 21 of the last 26 on the field … This game was just the third home season opener for the Rebels in the last six years … Ole Miss last played a current SoCon team in a season opener in 1953 (Chattanooga; W, 39-6) … The last home opener against a SoCon team was in 2016 (Wofford; W, 38-13).

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Ole Miss set its single-game team passing record with 524 yards. The previous record was 517 against ULM on Oct. 6, 2018 … Ole Miss’ 73 points tie for No. 7 in school history, the most of the Kiffin era and the most since scoring 76 against Southern Illinois in 2018 … Ole Miss’ 667 yards of total offense ranks as the sixth-best in school history … Head coach Lane Kiffin owns four of the top-six offensive outings ever at Ole Miss … Today’s offensive showing marks the 21st game of the Kiffin era with at least 600 yards of total offense. Prior to his arrival in 2020, Ole Miss had 16 such games in its entire history.

In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss now moves to 20-5 when striking first … The opening drive of 51 seconds off of a 38-yard pass from Dart to Harris, was the fastest scoring drive to open a season for Ole Miss since 2018 … Harris’ four touchdown receptions set the Ole Miss single-game school record … Harris is the 12th Rebel to have three or more receiving touchdowns in a game.

LOOK: Ole Miss’ dominating, season-opening win over Mercer, in pictures

Harris also became the 22nd player in SEC history with at least four receiving TDs in a game.

Dart’s four passing touchdowns tied a career-high, previously set during his freshman campaign in 2021 at USC against Washington State … Dart’s 296 passing yards in the first half marked a new career-high … The offensive output of 28 points from the Rebels in the first 15 minutes ranks as the most points scored in the opening quarter of a season for Ole Miss since at least 1967 … In his Rebel debut, Sanders added 134 passing yards after playing in the second half … The last time Ole Miss had two 100-yard passers was against Mississippi State in 2019. Matt Corral threw for 124 yards and John Rhys Plumlee added 121 … Star second-year Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts. Judkins is now No. 12 in Ole Miss history with 18 career rushing touchdowns … Thirteen Rebels caught a pass, led by Harris (6 receptions, 133 yards, 4 TD) and Jordan Watkins (6 receptions, 111 yards) … Ole Miss last had two 100-yard receivers at Vanderbilt in 2022.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Ole Miss DE Cedric Johnson tallied career sack No. 14 1/2 in the win. It was his first of the season and went for a loss of 10 yards. Johnson is Ole Miss’ active career sacks leader … LB/DE Reggie Hughes recovered his first career fumble. Hughes is in his second season at Ole Miss. He made his 13th appearance as a Rebel … Anthony snagged his sixth career interception, but his first in an Ole Miss uniform … Former top prospect and second-year Ole Miss DT Zxavian Harris picked up his first career sack — a loss of seven yards and his first solo tackle for loss. Harris finished the day with a team-high 2.5 TFL and was second on the team in tackles … Ole Miss’ two team fumble recoveries matched a single game-high for the Rebels from the last three seasons.

Four of Perkins’ team-leading nine tackles in his college debut were solos.

Harris matched Perkins with four solo tackles of his own. He set a new career-high en route to six total tackles … Saunders, Jr., broke up a pass and added a solo of his own … Ole Miss, defensively, did not allow Mercer to enter the red zone all game.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

A forced fumble from Griffin on a Mercer kickoff return and a recovery from LB Tyler Banks marked career-firsts for both … Davis, the transfer kicker from the SEC-West-rival Aggies, made his second career field goal from 31 yards and his first-ever kick in a Rebel jersey … Watkins returned his first career punt for a touchdown — a 70-yarder and the first punt return for a touchdown for the Rebels in 10 years. The last? A 73-yard score by Jeff Scott against Texas in 2013 … Ole Miss did not punt until 10:48 remained in the fourth quarter. Fraser Masin’s only punt of the day went for 49 yards.