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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Gator Bowl Practice Report: In the Moment
12/31/2024 | Football
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The No. 14 Ole Miss football team held its penultimate practice of the season on Tuesday at North Florida as it prepares for its Thursday date with Duke in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
As the world rings in a new year tonight, the Rebels are still holding on to the final moments of their 2024 season, making the most of every moment as a team before the upperclassmen move on to the NFL and life after college football. Jaxson Dart, TJ Dottery, Cayden Lee and JJ Pegues spoke with the media after practice on making the most of their final days together.
In the Moment
Jaxson Dart is one of Ole Miss' upperclassmen who is bound for the NFL, and the First Team All-SEC quarterback is excited for the opportunity to put one more good game on tape before he heads to the professional ranks, but as much as anything, he's just soaking in his final days as a college football player.
"That's one reason why I'm really excited about it, but at the same time just being able to play with my teammates and go chase 10 wins and have a lot of fun doing it," Dart said. "There's been a lot of honor in wearing this jersey, so there's a lot of pride in it. I'm just living in the moment right now."
In addition to boosting his NFL Draft stock, Dart has as much on the table as anyone. Dart can break Ole Miss' single-season passing yardage record with 168 yards and the total offense mark with 216 yards, along with a number of single-season averages likely to shake out his way, but the focus is on win No. 10 for the season.
"I've never even thought about it," Dart said. "There were times where I would come I and have no idea I even broke that one. There's been a little talk about it among the coaches, but it's never been a thought for me going into games."
Brotherly Bond
Most of Ole Miss' upperclassmen followed Dart's lead and committed to playing in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which should also serve as a morale boost for the younger guys, and as TJ Dottery said Tuesday, they're ready to close it out the right way.
"it's really important to me," Dottery said. "Finishing the right way with all the guys, especially the senior class. Regardless of whether they've been here a year or three years, I feel like I've made a bond with them, and I feel like it's only right for me to send them out the right way."
The linebacker position had one of the only opt-outs in Chris Paul Jr., who saw his NFL Draft stock skyrocket after just one season in Oxford. Despite missing the All-SEC talent in the middle, Dottery is confident that he and Khari Coleman can team up to keep one of the nation's top defenses humming.
"Khari has been good," Dottery said. "He's been very vocal this week with Pooh not being here. When I'm out of the box, he's in the box and able to control the linebackers and safeties. He's been doing great at that."
Last Challenge
Offensively, Ole Miss will have to content with an elite Duke defense that ranks No. 3 nationally in tackles for loss and No. 9 in takeaways with 26 on the year. So while the Rebels enjoy their final time playing together, they'll also be enjoying one final challenge together.
"It's bittersweet," Lee said. "Just taking every moment in, learning from the guys. It's been a great experience. They've passed along some great knowledge to me that I can take forward in my career."
The Rebel offense could have some impactful additional help as it faces that challenge in the presence of running back Logan Diggs, who is expected to make his Ole Miss debut. Diggs won't have too much pressure on his shoulders, but his coaches and teammates are excited to see what he can do.
"He's looked like the player we always thought he was going to be," Lee said. "Hopefully get him in the game a little bit, see what he can do and go from there."
Business Trip
JJ Pegues has as much reason as anyone on the Rebel roster to soak in his last game in red and blue. The Oxford native and Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner elected to delay his NFL Draft training and pursue one last win for his hometown team.
"We've been trying to soak it in, soak it up," Pegues said. "Being from Oxford, Mississippi, and playing for Ole Miss was a dream come true. We always want to go out with a bang, so that's our main focus, also have fun, but at the end of the day, we came here on a business trip to get the win."
While the offense will take on a Duke defense laden with talent, the Rebel defense will as well—thought it'll look different in a couple of key spots. The Blue Devils will be without quarterback Maalik Murphy and running back Star Thomas. With that uncertainty ahead, they'll lean on the gameplan set forth by defensive coordinator Pete Golding more than ever, and they're prepared for an unorthodox fight in the trenches.
"It's hard, but that's why we have one of the best defensive coordinators in the SEC," Pegues said. "We just leave it up to his hands and whatever he has us to do. At the end of the day, it's us playing, it's 1-v-1, so we just try our best and go hard."
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
As the world rings in a new year tonight, the Rebels are still holding on to the final moments of their 2024 season, making the most of every moment as a team before the upperclassmen move on to the NFL and life after college football. Jaxson Dart, TJ Dottery, Cayden Lee and JJ Pegues spoke with the media after practice on making the most of their final days together.
In the Moment
Jaxson Dart is one of Ole Miss' upperclassmen who is bound for the NFL, and the First Team All-SEC quarterback is excited for the opportunity to put one more good game on tape before he heads to the professional ranks, but as much as anything, he's just soaking in his final days as a college football player.
"That's one reason why I'm really excited about it, but at the same time just being able to play with my teammates and go chase 10 wins and have a lot of fun doing it," Dart said. "There's been a lot of honor in wearing this jersey, so there's a lot of pride in it. I'm just living in the moment right now."
In addition to boosting his NFL Draft stock, Dart has as much on the table as anyone. Dart can break Ole Miss' single-season passing yardage record with 168 yards and the total offense mark with 216 yards, along with a number of single-season averages likely to shake out his way, but the focus is on win No. 10 for the season.
"I've never even thought about it," Dart said. "There were times where I would come I and have no idea I even broke that one. There's been a little talk about it among the coaches, but it's never been a thought for me going into games."
Brotherly Bond
Most of Ole Miss' upperclassmen followed Dart's lead and committed to playing in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which should also serve as a morale boost for the younger guys, and as TJ Dottery said Tuesday, they're ready to close it out the right way.
"it's really important to me," Dottery said. "Finishing the right way with all the guys, especially the senior class. Regardless of whether they've been here a year or three years, I feel like I've made a bond with them, and I feel like it's only right for me to send them out the right way."
The linebacker position had one of the only opt-outs in Chris Paul Jr., who saw his NFL Draft stock skyrocket after just one season in Oxford. Despite missing the All-SEC talent in the middle, Dottery is confident that he and Khari Coleman can team up to keep one of the nation's top defenses humming.
"Khari has been good," Dottery said. "He's been very vocal this week with Pooh not being here. When I'm out of the box, he's in the box and able to control the linebackers and safeties. He's been doing great at that."
Last Challenge
Offensively, Ole Miss will have to content with an elite Duke defense that ranks No. 3 nationally in tackles for loss and No. 9 in takeaways with 26 on the year. So while the Rebels enjoy their final time playing together, they'll also be enjoying one final challenge together.
"It's bittersweet," Lee said. "Just taking every moment in, learning from the guys. It's been a great experience. They've passed along some great knowledge to me that I can take forward in my career."
The Rebel offense could have some impactful additional help as it faces that challenge in the presence of running back Logan Diggs, who is expected to make his Ole Miss debut. Diggs won't have too much pressure on his shoulders, but his coaches and teammates are excited to see what he can do.
"He's looked like the player we always thought he was going to be," Lee said. "Hopefully get him in the game a little bit, see what he can do and go from there."
Business Trip
JJ Pegues has as much reason as anyone on the Rebel roster to soak in his last game in red and blue. The Oxford native and Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner elected to delay his NFL Draft training and pursue one last win for his hometown team.
"We've been trying to soak it in, soak it up," Pegues said. "Being from Oxford, Mississippi, and playing for Ole Miss was a dream come true. We always want to go out with a bang, so that's our main focus, also have fun, but at the end of the day, we came here on a business trip to get the win."
While the offense will take on a Duke defense laden with talent, the Rebel defense will as well—thought it'll look different in a couple of key spots. The Blue Devils will be without quarterback Maalik Murphy and running back Star Thomas. With that uncertainty ahead, they'll lean on the gameplan set forth by defensive coordinator Pete Golding more than ever, and they're prepared for an unorthodox fight in the trenches.
"It's hard, but that's why we have one of the best defensive coordinators in the SEC," Pegues said. "We just leave it up to his hands and whatever he has us to do. At the end of the day, it's us playing, it's 1-v-1, so we just try our best and go hard."
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox each week.
Update today to the all-new version of the Ole Miss Sports app, presented by Renasant Bank! The new app will serve as a dynamic hub for Rebel gameday content, including ticketing, parking, schedules, shopping for official Ole Miss merchandise and much more. Click here for more info or to download.
Players Mentioned
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