WINSTON-SALEM – Most of the fireworks were in the first quarter; the rest of Saturday night’s game between Mississippi and Wake Forest was a slog of injuries — with mostly quick recoveries — and penalties.
No. 5 Ole Miss rode three first quarter touchdowns to a 40-6 win over host Wake Forest. Quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 377 yards and two touchdowns, and added another 36 yards and a score rushing.
Wake Forest (1-2) heads into its first of two off weeks having lost back-to-back games, though maybe not feeling like a total loss. The Deacons moved the ball a few times, taking two Matthew Dennis field goals and failing on fourth down twice inside the red zone.
Hardly the stuff to write home about; yet, some positive movement for a team that blew a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter of its ACC opener a week ago.
Wake Forest has lost 65 straight games to top-10 teams; its only win in program history was against No. 4 Tennessee in 1946 (the AP rankings started in the 1930s).
Ole Miss’ first drive took 1:23 off the clock and looked as easy as 1-2-3. Dart threw a 26-yard pass to Cayden Lee on the first play, there wasn’t a third down on the drive, and Henry Parrish rumbled through the middle for a 25-yard touchdown run.
Ole Miss had 282 yards of offense in the first quarter.
You read that right; quarter.
Its three touchdowns came from 25, 75 and 22 yards out. The only time Ole Miss went into Wake’s red zone, it used 6-2, 325-pound defensive tackle JJ Pegues as a QB to convert a fourth-and-1, and two plays later Dart fumbled a high snap that was recovered by Wake’s BJ Williams.
The 75-yarder was a busted coverage on which Jordan Watkins was about 20 yards clear of any Deacon defenders.
The second quarter featured fewer fireworks and a time-consuming drive by each team.
Ole Miss went first, taking the ball 71 yards on 16 plays. Astoundingly, the Rebels converted six straight second downs. But that drive stalled inside the 5-yard line and Ole Miss settled for a field goal.
Wake Forest had a 4½-minute drive that ended with Dennis’ 38-yard field goal. That essentially sent the game to halftime with Ole Miss leading 23-6.
Wake’s best chance at making this a game was early in the second half. Dylan Hazen picked off Dart’s desperation heave on a third down, and Wake Forest got the ball to Ole Miss’ 7-yard line. But a bad snap turned second-and-goal from the 7 into third-and-goal from the 21, and after a 17-yard pass to Demond Claiborne, Hank Bachmeier’s fourth down throw to the back of the end zone was incomplete.
Ole Miss followed that with an 11-play, 96-yard drive that felt like put the game on ice.
There was a combined 17 penalties for 174 yards.
