By Sean Labar
Ole Miss entered Saturday’s SEC showdown against Georgia as a slight underdog. Lane Kiffin and the Rebels need to knock off UGA if they want to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
But things took a terrible turn almost right away on Saturday. Ole Miss was stifled by the Georgia defense in the opening series and after taking a sack, starting QB Jaxson Dart threw an interception. But in a nightmare scenario, Dart appeared to suffer an injury to his ankle and the cameras showed him visibility frustrated on the sideline before heading to the locker room.
“Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart limped off the field and to the locker room in visible pain, favoring his left ankle,” the ABC broadcast reported. “I’m told he went to the locker room for further evaluation, you saw him slam his helmet in frustration. I’m told he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg.”
The Bulldogs found themselves in the red zone quickly, and after getting held to fourth down, decided to go for it and found the end zone giving them an early 7-0 edge on the road.
Dart has been the focal point of Kiffin’s offense since transferring there before last season. He’s started every game since arriving at Ole Miss and has put together an impressive season so far, throwing for 3,210 yards, 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
If Ole Miss is going to pull off the upset against UGA, it’s safe to say Dart gives them the best chance, but as of now his status for the rest of the game remains uncertain.
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Ole Miss Freshman QB Austin Simmons Thrives Immediately After Replacing Jaxson Dart
Dart has been such a critical part of Ole Miss‘ offense and looked so good against Arkansas last week that you would have expected the Rebels offense to take a major step back without him.
But instead, freshman QB Austin Simmons took over and with Ole Miss needing to put together a drive to match Georgia’s opening touchdown, Simmons led the Rebels to a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
In a wild series of events, the ABC broadcast announced that it looked like Dart was returning for the Rebels’ third series of the game which is massive news for Ole Miss fans.
Dart entered the game with a noticeable limp so the injury is something to keep an eye on.
With less than five minutes left in the first quarter, Georgia and Ole Miss are tied 7-7 in a matchup with so much on the line within the SEC and for the College Football Playoff.
