Lane Kiffin addresses Jaxson Dart performance, response following interception 'ass chewing'

Jaxson Dart once again earned the start for Ole Miss in their 42-0 victory over Georgia Tech. The sophomore is still going through the growing pains a young quarterback does, but Lane Kiffin was proud to see Dart respond in moments against the Yellow Jackets.

Kiffin spoke about Dart’s performance after the Rebel’s win in Atlanta. He said he was incredibly frustrated with Dart for the interception he threw at the end of the first half. However, it was his response to it with his play in the second half that encouraged him.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“That was really important. He’s still young and they’re gonna make mistakes. You want them to play great,” said Kiffin. “I was obviously really on (Dart) because that was exactly what we had talked about not doing the previous series. That was disappointing. But it was great to see him come back and, as my old coach used to say, take an ass-chewing and regroup.”

Dart didn’t throw a touchdown but finished with 207 yards passing on 62.5% completion and 40 yards rushing. His pick came in the closing seconds of the first half. Afterward, though, he came out in the second half and threw for 115 of his yards. He also maintained the offense in a dominant victory for the Rebels, specifically on the ground. Overall, it was a performance Kiffin wanted to see after he laid out his quarterback heading into and during the half.

“He did a really good job, played really well in the second half, and threw the ball with really good timing,” said Kiffin.

Jaxson Dart is continuing to make his case as Ole Miss’ permanent starter. While numbers and wins are great, pushing through adversity like he did Saturday may be what separates him in the competition for Lane Kiffin.