It was a picture-perfect night in Jacksonville, Florida, as the Ole Miss Rebels took the field against the Duke Blue Devils in the 80th annual TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Ole Miss came into the first-ever matchup with Duke, looking to prove a point as a heavy favorite after being left out of the college football playoff due to three bad losses in the season.

Thursday night was more about celebrating the seniors who poured everything they had into building Ole Miss Football into a contender under Head Coach Lane Kiffin. Sure, things might not have gone as planned this season, but Thursday night was the curtain call for guys like Jaxson Dart, Caden Prieskorn, Caden Davis, JJ Pegues, and others who gave their all to leave a legacy behind for future teams to follow for generations to come.

Thursday night was the final piece of a longstanding Jaxson Dart legacy that will transcend generations. Dart broke the Chad Kelly single-season passing record early in the first half, and the rest was the icing on the cake for an Ole Miss legend. Jaxson Dart leaves Ole Miss the record holder in single-season passing and total offense records, a record that might be a long time until someone else breaks those. Jaxson Dart finished the night with 404 yards through the air, with four touchdowns to end his career as an Ole Miss Rebel.

Ole Miss opened the game in commanding fashion, racing out to a 24-7 first-half lead over the Blue Devils of Duke. With Jaxson Dart and Caden Davis shattering the record book in the first half, Coach Kiffin had the Rebels right where he wanted them to be to maintain the lead in the second half to earn a 10th win on the season for the third time in five years.

As the halftime curtains broke, Ole Miss’s lead over Duke was 38-7 at the end of the third quarter. With 9:56 on the clock, Dart found Jordan Watkins in the endzone for another Ole Miss touchdown to make it 45-7 over Duke. With 3:43 on the clock, Duke added a garbage time touchdown drive to cut into the Ole Miss lead at 45-14. Jaxson Dart found Jordan Watkins with 1:27 on the clock for the final touchdown in an Ole Miss touchdown to make it 52-14 over Duke. A little trickery on the ensuing kickoff would give Duke a 99-yard kickoff return to make it 52-20 after a blocked PAT in favor of Ole Miss.

In the days to come, the 2024 Ole Miss Football season will see in-depth analysis from all sides, but Thursday night was a night for celebrations and goodbyes as the Rebels earned their 10th win while sending out the core group as winners for the final time in an Ole Miss uniform. Ole Miss dominated Duke from the opening kick to the final whistle, and at the end of the day, the guys’ legacy will last for generations to come.

Ole Miss finishes the season 10-3 and will likely finish in the top ten to close out the 2024 season while building momentum for the fall of 2025.

Photo Credits- Ole Miss Football on X