Jackson Dart threw four touchdown passes for Ulysses as No. 14 Mississippi dominated Duke in a 52-20 Gator Bowl victory Thursday night in Jacksonville, Fla. – Bentley IV ran for two points.
Coach Lane Kiffin, who expressed displeasure over the College Football Playoff selection, had his team sit out to prove a point. The Rebels played tight for much of the game, keeping Duke’s revamped offense in check.
Dart, who is expected to be selected in the NFL Draft, completed 27 of 35 passes for 404 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown to Jordan Watkins with 1 minute, 27 seconds left, and finished his career as a college player. It left a lasting impression.
Watkins caught two touchdown passes, and Daquan Wright and Antwain Wells Jr. each had one each for Ole Miss (10-3), now in five of its last six games. I won. Jordan Watkins was the team’s leading receiver with seven receptions for 180 yards.
Duke (9-4), playing under first-year coach Manny Diaz and appearing in the Gator Bowl for the first time, switched to quarterback Henry Bellin IV as the starter. Malik Murphy left via the transfer portal, and Grayson Loftis, the quarterback who helped Duke win a bowl in 2023, also left via the transfer portal.
Bellin completed 25 of 44 for 236 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Sahamir Hagans scored the final points of the game on a 99-yard kickoff return.
The Blue Devils also were without running back Starr Thomas, who rushed for 871 yards during the regular season before entering the transfer portal.
Duke’s Terry Moore picked off his fourth interception of the season, picking off a fake pass from kicker Caden Davis and returning it 59 yards to end the game’s opening possession.
However, Ole Miss stopped Duke on fourth down on the other side of the field. The Rebels needed just four plays to gain 68 yards to get their first score of the game on Dart’s 32-yard pass play to Wells.
Duke gained 36 total yards on 11 plays in the first quarter. But the Blue Devils, trailing 17-0, went 75 yards in eight plays and scored on a 16-yard pass from Bellin to Javon Harvey.
The Rebels scored on Dart’s 21-yard pass to right field with 1:52 left in the first half to lead 24-7 at halftime.
The second-half scoring began with Isaiah Hamilton’s 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, giving Ole Miss a 31-7 lead.
–Field level media
