COLUMN: Is Jaxson Dart The Guy For Ole Miss Moving Forward?
When Luke Altmyer left last week's game against the Central Arkansas Bears with an upper body injury, it was worth wondering if the Ole Miss Rebels' quarterback competition was beginning to solve itself.
That paired with what Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin called a strong week of practice from Jaxson Dart, and Saturday's win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was his game with his team. Or that's how it appeared, at least.
When Dart departed the game in the fourth quarter, Ole Miss already led 42-0, which ended up being the final score in Atlanta. The quarterback did give way to Altmyer in the first half for one play when his helmet came off on a rushing attempt, but other than that, there appeared to be no consideration given to putting Altmyer in the game behind center, even when Dart threw an egregious interception late in the second quarter.
Dart's upside is obvious. Some of the throws he made on Saturday (even paired with some overthrows) showed why his talent jumps off the page. Then there was, of course, the aforementioned interception in the first half: across his body, on the run and in a two-minute drill for the Rebel offense. That kind of thing can't happen, and Lane Kiffin seemed to indicate as much with his visible frustration on the sideline after the play.
After that? Dart looked poised in the second half, connecting with Malik Heath and Michael Trigg on some impressive passes that made fans and broadcasters alike take notice.
Again, to expect Jaxson Dart to be the same as a veteran Matt Corral from a season ago is asinine, but if Saturday's playing time is any indication, we could be seeing the slow-but-steady progression of this quarterback controversy being resolved.
If Dart can play like he did in Saturday's second half throughout the rest of the season, that might be a good thing for Lane Kiffin. He still has work to do, but that's to be expected for a young quarterback, and Dart's upside certainly gives Rebel fans something to be excited about if he's the guy moving forward.
You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.
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