Jaxson Dart injury update: Lane Kiffin gives latest on Ole Miss QB vs. Georgia

After suffering an injury on the opening possession vs. Georgia, Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart returned to the game with his ankle heavily taped. His toughness drew some praise from head coach Lane Kiffin ahead of the second quarter.

Dart threw an interception on the first drive of Saturday’s game and limped off the field shortly thereafter. He quickly headed to the tent, but later went back to the locker room while Austin Simmons took over.

But Dart returned with 5:04 to play in the first quarter and led a scoring drive to give Ole Miss the lead. Kiffin pointed out his resiliency, but also said the Rebels couldn’t slow down after bouncing back from the rough start to the game.

“He’s really tough,” Kiffin said of Dart during his in-game interview with ABC’s Molly McGrath. “Austin Simmons did a great job coming in. Jaxson, obviously, got hurt and then, threw the interception. Put ourselves in a bad spot, and we’ve played well since.

“We’ve got a lot of time to go here. Got to keep playing really good defense and stay balanced, like we are right now, and take advantage of checks vs. their pressures like the last one.”

At the time, Dart’s interception was his only pass attempt of the day. After his return, though, he completed six of his next eight pass attempts as Ole Miss took a 13-7 lead in the second quarter thanks to back-to-back field goals from Caden Davis. It’s a tough day for both offenses, though, as rain continues to fall at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Jaxson Dart is off to a strong start to the 2024 season, entering Week 11 as the SEC’s leading passer with 356.7 yards per game. He’s also the only quarterback in the league to top the 3,000-yard mark so far, and is coming off a monster performance against Arkansas with 515 yards and six touchdowns.

In the process, Dart set an impressive record. He moved past Archie Manning for the most passing yards and also became the winningest quarterback in program history.