OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaxson Dart threw for 306 yards and No 18 Mississippi used a big third quarter to beat Oklahoma 26-14 on Saturday. The Sooners were up 14-10 at the half before the Rebels (6-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) scored two touchdowns in the third quarter behind Dart and tight end Caden Prieskorn, who had five catches for 71 yards.
Oklahoma (4-4, 1-4), in its first game since last Sunday’s firing of offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, was productive in the run game in the first half but struggled out of the gate on the back end. The Sooners did not cross the 50 in the second half until the middle of the fourth quarter. That drive reached the Ole Miss 13 but ended with three-straight sacks of quarterback Jackson Arnold and a turnover on downs.
The Rebels sacked Arnold nine times. Arnold, OU’s QB1 at the beginning of the season, made his first start since being benched in favor of freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. in Week 5.
Dart’s 24-yard pass to Prieskorn and a 1-yard run by short-yardage specialist JJ Pegues, both in the third quarter, were the scores that made the difference. THE TAKEAWAY Dae’Quan right, the Rebels’ second tight end, had three catches as Dart was forced to find other playmakers in the absence of injured star receiver Tre Harris. POLL IMPLICATIONS Depending on how the rest of the day shakes out, the Rebels could reach the top 15 and regain playoff buzz lacking after their loss at LSU.
UP NEXT Oklahoma: Maine Saturday afternoon. Ole Miss.