LIVE! From the Gator Bowl: Real-time updates for No. 14 Ole Miss and Duke
Ole Miss battled Duke for the Gator Bowl on Thursday, check out the live updates below as the Rebels and Blue Devils closed out their seasons. Lane Kiffin’s team captured the 52-20 win, earning a 10-win season for the program for the 2nd straight season.
Jaxson Dart throws 4th TD pass, Duke runs kickoff back for TD
01/02/2025 10:24:24 PMAfter Jaxson Dart hit Jordan Watkins to take a 52-14 lead over Duke, the Blue Devils used some trickery to run the kickoff back for a touchdown. The Rebels got the ball back with 1:06 to play and Austin Simmons entered, running out the clock in the game.
Duke tacks on a late TD
01/02/2025 10:09:45 PMDuke tacked on a late score with 3:43 to go as Belin found Jordan Moore to make the score 45-14 in the 4th quarter. The Blue Devils were able to march down the field as the Rebels started to play more backups.
Ole Miss out to send a message
01/02/2025 10:09:24 PMWhat that message is is unclear but the Rebels have just dismantled Duke from the start and Dart continues to have a tremendous swan song.
Watkins and Dart continued to hook up on this drive with a pair of passes, including the 1-yard touchdown pass to put Ole Miss up 38 with 10 minutes left
45-7 Rebels
Dart putting on a show in final game
01/02/2025 09:29:05 PMIf that was his final drive in an Ole Miss uniform Jaxson Dart put one more highlight reel.
He hit Jordan Watkins for 51 yards with a beautiful throw towards the sideline and Watkins hauled it before going out of bounds. Bentley then scores on a 8-yard run to cap it.
With that throw Dart passed 12,000 yards of total offense for his Ole Miss career, currently at 12,009. He now jumps past Will Rogers (11,999) for 4th in SEC history, and is one of just four in SEC history with 12K total yards: Aaron Murray (Georgia), Drew Lock (Missouri) and Tim Tebow (Florida).
Rebels Defense Gets Stop
01/02/2025 09:23:12 PMThis one is starting to feel over and Manny Diaz must have felt the same way.
Duke opted to go for it on 4th and 8 from the Ole Miss 26 instead of trying to get three points. As good as Bevin has looked at times tonight he had another pass fall incomplete and too far away from a receiver.
Rebels offense gets the ball back and probably would ice it with either three or seven points on this drive. Probably the last Jaxson Dart drive in an Ole Miss uniform one would assume.
Defense with the pick six
01/02/2025 09:11:19 PMDuke quarterback Henry Bevin has played extremely hard tonight but he has his first mistake as Isaiah Hamilton intercepts a pass for the 50-yard pick-six.
Dart was in for the first drive of the half and I would assume he gets another crack at it for a true curtain call moment, but the defense has to go back out first and half of the third quarter is nearly complete.
31-7 Ole Miss
Halftime in Jacksonville
01/02/2025 08:33:30 PMWe have reached the half here at the Gator Bowl and it has been all Ole Miss through the first 30 minutes.
Rebels lead Duke 24-7. Blue Devils will get the ball to start the second half.
1st Half Stats:
Dart and Ole Miss answers right back
01/02/2025 08:21:12 PMIt feels very much that the Rebels can set the score tonight. Dart hits Wright for the 21-yard touchdown pass to respond after the Duke touchdown.
Wright showed good hands on that catch as well, but also took out two cameramen in the process on the follow through. Timeout on the field as they get checked on.
Dart has two touchdown passes and 250 passing yards so far
24-7 Ole Miss with 1:50 left in the half
Duke responds
01/02/2025 08:05:41 PMThe Blue Devils are not going to lie down and just take it. Belin leads them down the field and caps the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Javon Harvey. He did a good job of fooling the secondary and Harvey was left wide open in the middle of the endzone.
Ole Miss secondary gave up some big passes that possession. Belin had two passes for 12 yards and one pass for 27 yards to go with the touchdown pass.
17-7 Rebels with six minutes left in the half
Dart doing it all
01/02/2025 07:52:22 PMDart is trying to also secure the season total offense record, which he was around 216 yards shy from securing. This explains why he is running so much.
He just surpassed Chad Kelly for the season passing record and the total offense records on this drive.
This time Caden Davis attempts a 28-yard field goal and converts.
17-0 Ole Miss with just under 10 minutes left in the half
Bentley Finds the Endzone
01/02/2025 07:37:35 PMDespite that opening drive the Ole Miss offense is doing what it wants to this Duke defense. Dart is having time to find receivers, heavy does of passes out wide to running backs this drive.
Bentley finishes it off with a 1-yard touchdown run after Cayden Lee was stopped just shy on the previous play.
The fake field goal attempt makes more sense and logic suggests Kiffin thinks he can play with his food tonight so why not.
14-0 Ole Miss late first quarter
Wells Breaks Free
01/02/2025 07:25:34 PMMaybe it was the number all along.
Dart hits Wells in the middle for a 32-yard touchdown pass. Wells was untouched and outran the coverage after the reception. Offense looked smoother there. Bentley also had an 18-yard run that drive.
7-0 Ole Miss with 8 minutes left in the opening quarter
Fourth Down Woes
01/02/2025 07:19:21 PMOn 4th and 4 inside the red zone Lane Kiffin opts for the trick play of Caden Davis trying to throw it but it is picked off and returned by Duke.
Duke then tried their own 4th down play but pass falls incomplete and so no harm no foul. Maybe lesson learned by Kiffin.
Opening Drive
01/02/2025 07:10:50 PMRebels offense got the ball first. Jeremy James was the one to fill in for Pettus on the line. McIntyre the center.
Faced with its first fourth down of the game JJ Pegues picked up the short-yardage play plus some. Dae’Quan Wright hauled in a 31 yard pass for a big completion and the Rebels are in the Duke red zone.
Pregame Observations
01/02/2025 06:31:47 PMOle Miss players that are in the transfer portal are suited up for the Gator Bowl. Louis Moore and Micah Davis are both dressed out and available. Juice Wells is also suited up but is now wearing No. 7 for tonight.
Logan Diggs is also suited up and going through warm ups. How much he plays is to be determined.
The end of the 2024 football season ends on Thursday for No. 14 Ole Miss as it takes on Duke in the Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.
When it comes to rosters the Rebels (9-3) are better equipped than the Blue Devils (9-3) due to opt outs and the transfer portal departures.
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Linebacker Chris “Pooh Paul, Jr. opted out to begin his NFL Draft, forgoing his final season of eligibility next year. Offensive lineman Micah Pettus hit the transfer portal after being dismissed form the program after the Egg Bowl.
Duke is without its starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and starting running back Star Thomas after each hit the portal. The Blue Devils are starting third-string quarterback Henry Belin IV.
