Ole Miss football survives early scare, smashes Vanderbilt behind Jonathan Mingo
NASHVILLE − Ole Miss football survived a scare on the way to earning a bowl bid as quickly as possible.
The No. 9 Rebels defeated Vanderbilt 52-28 from FirstBank Stadium on Saturday.Ole Miss (6-0, 2-0 SEC) benefitted from an up-and-down day from quarterback Jaxson Dart, explosive plays and a defense that figured itself out in the second half to take down Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-2) and start 6-0 for the first time since 2014. This is the first time Ole Miss has scored 50 or more points against an FBS opponent since last season's 52-51 win over Arkansas.
Vanderbilt led by 10 points in the first half and went into halftime leading 20-17 thanks to superior ball control and some mistakes by Ole Miss' offense, including an interception, a turnover-on-downs and drive-stalling penalties.
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Dart and running back Zach Evans pushed the Rebels back ahead with a 21-point third quarter headlined by a 71-yard touchdown heave from Dart to senior Jonathan Mingo. Dart finished the game with 448 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.Mingo finished with 247 receiving yards, an Ole Miss single-game receiving record, and two touchdowns.
Jaxson Dart's biggest game yet
Coming into this game, Dart's season high for passing yards in a game was 213. That's how many he finished the first half with against Vanderbilt.
This was the first game Ole Miss had any measure of a downfield passing attack this season. Dart connected on throws of 61 and 48 yards in the second quarter and found Mingo for 71- and 72-yard touchdowns in the second half.
His second-quarter interception was one of the ugliest throws of his Ole Miss tenure, throwing late down the sideline after scrambling for almost 10 seconds. It's the same kind of mistake he made on regrettable interceptions against Troy and Georgia Tech, but unlike in those games he made the big, long throws to offset it.
What happened early?
Vanderbilt led for most of the first half with a methodical, grinding offensive approach. The Commodores held the ball for 19:51, including a drive that lasted 8:54 late in the second quarter. They averaged 5.8 yards per play, but more impressively they slowed Ole Miss' attacking defense, only allowing two tackles for loss and no sacks.
The end result was a 20-point first half in which the Rebels defense never looked comfortable. Vanderbilt outrushed Ole Miss in the half, ran more plays and converted 60% of its third and fourth down tries. After holding a strong Kentucky offense to 19 points in four quarters, a first half like this one is a huge regression for the Rebels' defense.
A third quarter to remember
Second-half struggles have defined the first two months of the season for Ole Miss. After coming out flat against Troy, Tulsa and Kentucky, the Rebels had no choice but to correct that against Vanderbilt. The defense forced three punts and a turnover, and the offense scored touchdowns on three straight drives before Dart ended the hot streak with an interception.
The Rebels were averaging just 11 second-half points per game before the third-quarter outburst.
What's next?
Ole Miss hosts Auburn next week from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Contact Nick Suss at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football smashes Vanderbilt on Jonathan Mingo's record day
