Carleigh Holt-The Grove Report
Ole Miss Rushing Attack Rolls vs. Troy in Week 1
The No. 21 Ole Miss Rebels started the regular season on a high note beating the Troy Trojans 28-10 in their home opener on Saturday.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart saw his first action in a Rebel uniform as coach Lane Kiffin announced prior to the game that Dart would be the guy starting under center this week.
Dart finished the day with 18 completions for 154 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His first touchdown pass as a Rebel was a 12-yard completion to Ole Miss receiver Malik Heath.
Dart spent most of the afternoon handing the ball off to Ole Miss running back Zach Evans. Evans was a workhorse in his first game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, recording over 100 rushing yards with more than 10 minutes left in the first half.
Evans finished the day with 20 carries for 130 rushing yards and one fumble.
With the run game firing in the first half, Kiffin opted to work on passing in the second half. Evans spoke with reporters after the game about how he felt when Kiffin changed the game plan.
"I was disappointed [at first] but [coaches] came and talked to me and settled me down," Evans said. "You can't be stingy, everybody has to eat."
Evans did the dirty work, piling on the yards while the rest of the Ole Miss running back room took care of business in the red zone.
Junior Ulysses Bentley IV and freshman Quinshon Judkins both found pay dirt in their first game as Rebels. Bentley recorded two carries for five yards and one touchdown, while Judkins rushed for 87 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.
Evans also spoke about Judkins' promising Ole Miss debut.
"Quinshon, he went crazy," Evans said. "All the work he's putting in is crazy because he's just 17. [This game was] a stepping stone for him."
An Ole Miss receiver also found his way into the end zone via the ground, as senior Jonathan Mingo took a two-yard swing pass from behind the line of scrimmage to the house.
While Dart started the game at quarterback, he finished the game on the sidelines. Sophomore quarterback Luke Altmyer came in for Ole Miss once the game was out of reach for the Trojans. Altmyer finished the day with one completion for 13 yards.
Ole Miss will welcome the Central Arkansas Bears to Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. CT. Kiffin has already confirmed that Altmyer will be the starting quarterback versus the Bears, but Dart is expected to see playing time as well.
You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.
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