Notebook: Reviewing Ole Miss' 42-25 Loss to Texas Tech

HOUSTON, Tex. -- The Ole Miss Rebels found out the hard way on Wednesday night that you do not mess with Texas, falling to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 42-25 in the TaxAct Texas Bowl.

Ole Miss ends the year with an 8-5 record after starting off the season 7-0.

The Red Raiders had control of the game from the jump, forcing back-to-back fourth down turnovers by Ole Miss to start the game, and running for nearly 250 rushing yards.

While getting destroyed in the Texas Bowl is obviously not the result that Ole Miss players and fans wanted, there were still some note-worthy performances during Wednesday's game.

Here are the Rebels who stood out in the Texas Bowl.

Jaxson Dart tried his best to put the team on his back

With his rushing attack being stifled, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin put the game in the hands of his quarterback, Jaxson Dart. While he did make some questionable throws resulting in three interceptions, Dart was slinging it to win it versus Texas Tech. Dart threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 66 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

Like most of the season, Dart spent the majority of the game trying to avoid pressure as the Ole Miss offensive line did not look its best. If Kiffin can continue to build around his talented quarterback, Dart could be in store for a prolific 2023 season.

Trey Washington snags his first career interception

Sophomore safety Trey Washington made the foremost highlight of the Texas Bowl when he recorded his first career interception during the first quarter. Texas Tech made its way into the red zone after the Rebels turned the ball over on downs in their own territory and looked ready to strike first. Washington had other plans, however, and plucked the ball out of the air. Washington was all over the field and finished the game with the second-most tackles on the Ole Miss defense (nine).

Malik Heath ends his Ole Miss career with a bang

Ole Miss receiver Malik Heath was Dart's No. 1 target on Wednesday, hauling in eight receptions for 137 receiving yards and one spectacular touchdown. With time expiring in the fourth quarter, Heath brought in a beautiful 19-yard touchdown pass with one hand in one-on-one coverage.

MALIK HEATH OH MY GOODNESS #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/VUB0bQfnTH
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) December 29, 2022

Zach Evans finds pay dirt in his Texas homecoming

The Houston, Tex., native got the scoring started for Ole Miss when he barreled into the end zone on an eight-yard run. Unfortunately for Evans, that was his biggest contribution to the game. Evans only carried the ball eight times on Wednesday, rushing for 37 yards and one score. Evans' lack of touches is confusing as the tailback mentioned prior to the Texas Bowl that he was healthy and good to go. The junior running back is still in the process of deciding whether or not he will be returning to Ole Miss for the 2023 season.

You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.

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