Jaxson Dart reveals Ole Miss' emotions of earning New Year's Six bowl game
Making it to the Peach Bowl was a big deal for Ole Miss and quarterback Jaxson Dart shared some of the emotions of earning a New Year’s Six bowl game shortly after it was announced.
He explained that Ole Miss felt the team deserved a bid to a major bowl game. So, getting the opportunity has the team excited.
“I think we were all just super ecstatic,” Jaxson Dart said. “You come to work every single day from the offseason to throughout the year and you want the opportunity to play on the biggest stages. We definitely thought we deserved it with our wins and the opponents that we faced. We had to come to work every single day and had one of the toughest schedules in the country and had a great season.”
Ole Miss will take on Penn State in the Peach Bowl. FanDuel listed Penn State as a 2.5-point favorite to open with. Since then, though, that’s grown to a 3.5-point line in favor of the Nittany Lions.
“So, I thought that we definitely deserved it and I could say for myself and everybody here that we’re super excited for the opportunity.”
This is Ole Miss’ second time going to a New Year’s Six bowl under head coach Lane Kiffin. It would also be Ole Miss’ first Peach Bowl win since 1971.
Despite all of the excitement that comes with playing in a New Year’s Six bowl, it does mean that Ole Miss is going to be challenged. In particular, Jaxson Dart knows that Penn State brings an elite defense to the Peach Bowl.
“Obviously they’re elite,” Dart said. “They’re one of the best defenses in the country. Got a lot of speed. They’re long, especially at the linebacker position, and they’re explosive on the edges. [They] have great corners and their DBs as a whole have been playing at a really high level.”
Jaxson Dart shares his take on the vibe surrounding Ole Miss football
Ahead of the Peach Bowl, Jaxson Dart shared his thoughts on the vibe surrounding the Ole Miss football program.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think that when you’re on the verge of doing something that a school’s never done before you’re playing at a really high level as a team, I think that definitely catches the national eye,” Dart said.
“And Coach [Lane] Kiffin and all our coaching staff as a whole make this a really exciting place to be. Like I said earlier, it catches a lot of people’s eye and a lot of people want to come here, even if they weren’t really aware of Ole Miss when they were getting recruited out of high school, I think everybody is now. Like I said, it’s a great place to be and there’s definitely a lot of excitement and momentum here.”