Rebel Insider: Dart’s Egg Bowl performance, spring improvement make him Ole Miss QB1 … for now
There are a couple of different trains of thought when it comes to the Ole Miss quarterback position.
Don’t believe me? Go to any message board and read any thread about the situation.
Some believe incumbent Jaxson Dart, who started last season, will win the job. If spring training was the indicator, they would be correct.
But some are holding steadfast that Spencer Sanders might edge him out in fall camp. As for Walker Howard, the young transfer from LSU, most refer to him as “the future.”
Jaxson was clearly the best quarterback in spring and the main reasons were that he learned to take care of the ball and he had been in the offense for a year. In full team drills, Dart only had one turnover, we were told, during the entire 15-practice spring session.
Passing accuracy at times and 11 interceptions thrown were the only knocks on Dart a year ago, but some of that can be chalked up to youth, being in a learning curve with the offensive system and getting accustomed to the rigors of the SEC, where defenses are normally stouter than where Jaxson came from – Southern Cal and the Pac-12.
Some deficiencies could also be credited to spotty pass protection and being under pressure too much and too often.
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Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
Whatever the reasons, Dart had his struggles at times, as all quarterbacks do.
But everything seemed to click for him in the Egg Bowl.
Yes, the Rebels lost, but Jaxson played his best game in terms of being in total control of the offense and not making any major mistakes.
In a loss, positive things can be forgotten, but Dart was a mercurial 30-38 (78.9%) for 250 yards with no interceptions, 2 touchdowns and a 151.6 efficiency rating.
He also spread the ball around effectively – Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade with 8 catches each, Mingo with 7 and Malik Heath with 5.
If not for a couple of key drops, one over the middle by usually sure handed Jonathan Mingo that had “big play” written all over it, Dart’s day would still be talked about.
The Egg Bowl Jaxson Dart is what the Ole Miss offensive coaches are looking for.
That performance and having played in the offense for a year gave him a distinct edge in spring and he held on to the top spot throughout.
It will be a major surprise if he is not under center for the opener against Mercer.
But transfers Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard are not chopped liver, so to speak.
While most of the spring was spent learning the offense and making some mistakes while doing so, the Grove Bowl proved to be substantial steps forward for both.
Sanders, who came to Ole Miss from Oklahoma State, was a very good. He was 19-27 for 265 yards with 3 TDs and 1 pick. He was performing with the second team offense against the second team defense.
Howard switched back and forth between the first and second units. He was a combined 11-13 for 185 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions.
Dart did not do as well against the first defense. However, he was still a very workmanlike 18-37 for 302 yards with a score and, most importantly, no interceptions.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart celebrates his (Red) team’s victory in the Grove Bowl
The Grove Bowl brought out the quarterback debate a bit.
There is a big Dart camp. But there is also a smaller Sanders camp and praise for Howard for down the line production.
August will tell the tale, obviously. But if the glimpse Dart gave us in an almost flawless game against Mississippi State is an indicator, and he continues on the path he blazed in spring of taking care of the ball, he will be the starting quarterback when the ’23 season rolls around.
. . . . but in the wings, if there are slip ups, Sanders awaits.
For the record, my money is on Dart. The one that surfaced in the Egg Bowl. The one we saw in spring.
He is the guy to lead this Rebel offense, in this opinion.
But if there are problems, if Jaxson struggles, we have no issues with either of the other two directing this offense. THe Rebels have all the markings to be very good.
Stay tuned. . . . it will be here before you know it.
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