Dayton Wade had to 'step up to the plate' for the Ole Miss offense following Tre Harris' injury
Not often do walk-ons earn valuable playing time let alone become a key piece of a team but Dayton Wade is proving the exception to the rule for Ole Miss.
Wade joined the Rebels ahead of last season once he entered the transfer portal at Western Kentucky. With Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo the two key weapons in the passing game Wade had his sporadic moments here and there.
Through two games this season he is one of the the key target for quarterback Jaxson Dart and one the Rebels top three receivers. Wade proved his worth against Tulane on Saturday with a circus catch late in the fourth quarter on a drive that resulted in a touchdown catch by Michael Trigg on fourth down.
Wade’s 43-yard reception was the second longest of the game by any receiver. He noted it sits as his third best catch on his personal scale.
“I’ve made some crazy catches (in my career),” Wade said with a smile. “Considering the situation and how much it meant, (Top 25) opponent I’d say it was a three. My favorite catch, you’re going to have to watch my high school highlight tape.”
Once the Rebels lost their top receiver in Tre Harris three plays into the game due an injury to his left leg, it was up to Wade and Jordan Watkins to increase their roles the final 58 minutes of the game.
“You can ask Jordan, I was telling him the whole time, ‘We’re not new to this. We’re true to this,'” Wade said on Tuesday. “We’ve been down before. We’ve been short-handed before. We’ve had to make a lot of adjustments before. So, to us, we didn’t really flinch. We were just like, ‘Hey, someway somehow we’ve just got to get it done. No matter what it takes, we got to get it done.’
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“We both were doing things that we don’t usually do, but that’s what you do got to do when you’re trying to get a win. Got to step up to the plate and do what it takes”
Wade finished the game with seven catches for a game-high 106 yards, which is a new career-best at Ole Miss. His previous best game was 88 receiving yards in last year’s Egg Bowl.
Being a veteran in the Ole Miss receiving room is something Wade does not put a lot of pressure on himself about.
Like Watkins, Wade is only two games into his second season with the Rebels but in the transfer portal era that is enough to make a player an elder statesmen in the locker room.
Without knowing the extent of Harris’ injury and a timeline for recovery and return to action the responsibilities will continue to be added to Wade’s plate.
“We consider ourselves deep in the receiver room,” Wade said. “We got a lot of talent. Anybody can go in at anytime. If somebody tired we can sub in with no problem. I wouldn’t say I have to start getting on people more than I have before, but I definitely mentor the young (players). That’s your job as a older, older receiver. You don’t want to just keep all that knowledge to yourself.”
