Ole Miss wide receivers' epic failures cost Jaxson Dart and the Rebels a spot in the College Football Playoff
Ole Miss had their College Football Playoff hopes ripped away on Saturday in a 24-17 loss to the Florida Gators, but it never should have happened. Lane Kiffin talked through a lot of the missed opportunities following the gut-wrenching loss, but should have just said, "It was the fault of our terrible wide receivers." Jaxson […]
Ole Miss had their College Football Playoff hopes ripped away on Saturday in a 24-17 loss to the Florida Gators, but it never should have happened. Lane Kiffin talked through a lot of the missed opportunities following the gut-wrenching loss, but should have just said, "It was the fault of our terrible wide receivers." Jaxson Dart deserved better. Ole Miss fans deserved better. Ultimately, the wide receivers' epic failures cost Jaxson Dart and the Rebels a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Jaxson Dart took ownership of his interceptions late in the game as he was trying to force a comeback, but Ole Miss fans who actually watched the game closely likely know that the loss was not his fault.
"I think the only thing I can really say right now is sorry. Sorry to my teammates. Sorry to my coaches. Sorry [to] fans. Can't lose these games. Yeah, this one's going to hurt for a really long time."
It's a shame that Jaxson Dart had to be the one apologizing. He played a near perfect game for much of the contest, but his wide receivers and tight ends let him down. The team logged at least six drops (if not more), two of which would have easily been touchdowns. Two others may have gone for scores as well.
When asked about the dropped passes after the game, Coach Kiffin talked about how unusual it was for Jordan Watkins to drop a perfectly placed deep ball (that would have tied the game late):
"Yeah, very unusual. I think somebody jinxed this week. I think somebody said that Jordan's analytics were 100% catch percentage, and as soon as they said that I said I wish you wouldn't have said that."
Jordan Watkins has been sure-handed for the vast majority of this season, but he logged multiple drops on Saturday, including the most important potential touchdown of the game. Jaxson Dart put it right in his lap, 40+ yards down field, but Watkins couldn't haul it in.
Watkins wasn't the only target who struggled with drops throughout the game though. Tight end Dae'Quan Wright dropped what would have been an explosive play or even perhaps a touchdown. Caden Prieskorn dropped a ball that he possibly could have ran in for a score too. But the real dunce of the game was wide receiver Juice Wells.
Wells dropped an easy touchdown that hit him right in the hands on a red zone trip for Ole Miss, which inevitably led to an empty scoring drive. He dropped another easy screen pass that hit him directly in the hands too. Wells brought in just one of his six targets on the game and was the intended target on both of Jaxson Dart's interceptions.
Wells failed in virtually every aspect of play on the day, so it was only fitting that he was the wide receiver who lost Ole Miss the game on their final drive. Wells was supposed to run an out-and-up, but decided to cut it off short, leading to the game-sealing interception (as you can see in the post below).
It was just a truly abysmal day for all the receiving options of OIe Miss. Tre Harris, the team's star wide receiver who had just returned from injury ended up hurting himself again. Every other playmaker couldn't catch a ball to save their life.
Ole Miss fans and national media may likely want to blame Lane Kiffin or Jaxson Dart for this colossal failure against Florida, but it's clear that the real culprits were the wide receivers today. It's a shame, because the offensive playmakers for Ole Miss had largely performed admirably for the majority of the season. They just came up short for Jaxson Dart and the Rebels when it mattered most.
Lane Kiffin laments “a lot of missed opportunities” for Ole Miss following gut-wrenching loss to Florida
Ole Miss missed massive opportunities against Florida
Ole Miss wraps up their regular season next week in their Egg Bowl rivalry game against Mississippi State on Friday, November 29th at 2:30pm CT. Hopefully the team can finish on a high note after this epic failure.
We'll be back with more Ole Miss Rebels coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
