Ole Miss Uses Offensive Onslaught to Beat Furman 76-0

© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels put on an offensive clinic on Aug. 31 in Oxford, Miss., beating down the Furman Paladins 76-0 in both teams' season opener.

The Rebels racked up 772 yards of offense, while Ole Miss' defense shut out Furman and allowed just 172 yards.

Game Summary

It wouldn't take long for the Rebels to jump in front early. A touchdown run from quarterback Jaxson Dart served as the first Ole Miss score of the season. Two more TD drives followed. By the end of the first quarter, the Rebels had opened up a 24-0 lead.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin wouldn't take his foot off the gas in the second quarter. Dart led four more TD drives to end the first half. A missed field goal on Ole Miss' final first-half drive made the halftime score 52-0 Rebels.

It was backup quarterback Austin Simmons who led the Rebels on their first scoring drive of the second half. Simmons connected with Cayden Lee on a 35-yard pass to put Ole Miss up 59-0. Furman's defense put together two consecutive three-and-outs in the middle of the third quarter.

But the Rebels' Matt Jones had a 17-yard TD run to make it 66-0 with 4:46 left in the third period. Jones added another TD run, this time from 46 yards out, in the third quarter to give Ole Miss a 73-0 lead.

The Rebels added a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring, 76-0.

Turning Point

Despite a strong opening drive, the Rebels faced a third-and-8 at the Furman 15-yard line with 12 minutes left in the first quarter. Dart dropped back to throw, but quickly took advantage of an open running lane. Dart scored the Rebels' first touchdown. That opened the floodgates for an offensive onslaught from the Rebels, who had their way with Furman's defense for the rest of the night.

What it Means

If you didn't already know that Ole Miss' offense was going to be a problem in 2024, well, now you know. Kiffin will always boast impressive offenses wherever he goes. But this season has the potential to be a historic year for the Rebels if the offense can consistently produce results. Ole Miss looks to improve to 2-0 on Sept. 7 when they take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Despite a deflating result, Furman isn't the only team that has ever been embarrassed by Kiffin's Ole Miss offense. The Paladins play their first home game on Sept. 7 when they host Charleston Southern.