JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ole Miss redshirt freshman Austin Simmons got an example of quarterback leadership in the Gator Bowl. It just cost him a few snaps.
In his final game, Rebels’ senior Jaxson Dart refused to sub out Thursday of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl with the Rebels’ well in control against Duke in what would be a 52-20 rout. There was a narrative that a non-College Football Playoff bowl was meaningless for the Rebels, especially after Ole Miss (10-3) fell just short of Dart’s win-out ultimatum issued from a cramped room underneath Death Valley after LSU beat Ole Miss on Oct. 12. At best, a bowl win was just a consolation prize.
And yet, even with Chad Kelly’s single-season records broken and a huge lead at hand, Dart shook off coach Lane Kiffin. Dart did not come out of the game when Simmons started to trot on the field in the fourth quarter.
“I actually tried to take Jaxson out if you saw earlier,” Kiffin said postgame. “He refused to go out, which says a lot about him.”
Most Rebel stars followed Dart’s lead when the quarterback said he was putting risk of injury aside to play one last game. Defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen, both likely early-round NFL Draft selections, were doing battle in the trenches throughout the first half and into the second.
“I told my teammates, my coaches and my mom before the game that I’m going to leave everything I have out on that field,” Dart said. “I play the game the way that I play it, and I don’t really look into the future. I’m just there for the moment and I’m going to compete.
Dart even took his zeal for the game too far in Kiffin’s eyes by throwing a 69-yard touchdown to receiver Jordan Watkins with 1:09 left. Kiffin said he apologized to Duke (9-4) coach Manny Diaz for the last-second touchdown.
“(Watkins and I) told each other, if we’re going to be out there, we’re going to play football,” Dart said. “And they pressed (Watkins).”
Simmons eventually entered the game on Ole Miss’ final possession. He looked poised to take over the offense next season. He played great in limited action against Georgia and completed his only pass for 34 yards against Duke after Kiffin finally convinced Dart to take a curtain call in the waning seconds.
Kiffin can’t think of a more optimal mentor for Simmons that Dart, who he has backed up for two seasons.
“(Austin) has had this big brother showing him every way to do every single thing right — except for making his own plays up at the end,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin has described his relationship with Dart as a father/son type connection. Dart plays with his heart on his sleeve. Kiffin loves him for it.
Dart threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns on 27-of-35 passing against Duke. In his three years at Ole Miss after transferring from USC, Dart passed Eli Manning to exit Ole Miss as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards.
“I think you have a lot of pride when you play this game,” Dart said. “You have a lot of pride that you carry over when you wear this jersey. We feel like Oxford has given more to us than we could give to them. You’ve heard coach Kiffin say that, but we feel that way too, being transfers.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
