Jaxson Dart admits Ole Miss' whole team has been looking forward to Alabama matchup

This week, both Alabama and Ole Miss will start SEC play with a battle between one another. In what looks like it could be a big game in determining the SEC West Champion, Jaxson Dart and the rest of Ole Miss know that they’re in for a challenge.

At the same time, as Dart explained, Ole Miss is excited for this game and has been looking forward to this matchup.

“This is a game that I feel like our whole team has been looking forward to,” Jaxson Dart said. “Especially with how things ended last game, last time we played them, toward the end of the game.”

Last season, Alabama won a close game in Oxford, 30-24. Going into the fourth quarter of that game, it was tied at 24 but Ole Miss wasn’t able to finish strong.

Responding won’t be easy. Historically, Ole Miss struggles against Alabama. The Crimson Tide lead the all-time series by a record of 54-10-2. That includes winning the last seven games. Only twice in the history of the series has Ole Miss won in Tuscaloosa.

“Obviously, they’re Bama. So, you know what to expect from them. I think all of us as kids have grown up and seen them at the top. So, we’re excited for the challenge.”

Ole Miss is off to a 3-0 start that includes a Top 25 win over Tulane and a Power Five win against Georgia Tech. Alabama comes into the game at 2-1, having lost to Texas in Week 2. Neither has played an SEC game yet.

Lane Kiffin is glad Alabama doesn’t have Bryce Young

Prior to this season, Alabama had four straight future NFL players at quarterback. The most recent of those was Bryce Young, who went first overall to the Carolina Panthers. However, in 2023, there have been some pains in replacing him at quarterback.

Ahead of the game between Ole Miss and Alabama, Lane Kiffin joked that he’s glad that he won’t have to deal with Bryce Young.

“Well, it’s good to know Bryce won’t be there. That’s very positive. I mean, we all got our issues and, you know, this is one of the best teams or the best team in the last 15 years and one of the hardest places to play,” Kiffin said.

“Just because Texas won one in there, I mean, it didn’t get easier. So it’s a huge challenge, a dynasty and gotta do a lot of work to be able to be on the field with those guys. [They have] premier recruiting classes of five star players everywhere.”