Ole Miss Makes Historic Announcement After Blowout Win Over Duke

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew McCarty | Last updated Jan 3, 2025 3:55 PM ET

On Friday night after college football fans watched yet another SEC team lose in the postseason, Ole Miss saved the conference's reputation with a dominant victory over Duke.

Hours after Notre Dame defeated Georgia to move on to the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff, the Ole Miss Rebels and Duke Blue Devils took center stage in the Gator Bowl. Ole Miss jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and eventually took a 45-7 lead before a late rally from Duke led to a 52-20 final score.

After the game head coach Lane Kiffin was pleased with his team's performance, but didn't love when his star quarterback Jaxson Dart checked into a throwing play when the game was already out of reach.

"I love him, except for on that last play there when he checks to a pass play he’s not supposed to do, so he’s got to learn a little bit of class there," Kiffin said after the game. "But other than that, I love this guy. He’s awesome. You never know. Nowadays, people file waivers. Maybe he’ll be back next year."

The call from Dart, though, helped the Rebels make program history with their largest win in bowl history.

Largest Bowl Win in Ole Miss history #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/DCCREAyZIj
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) January 3, 2025

After the game, Kiffin took aim at the College Football Playoff committee that left Ole Miss out of the playoff.

“Glad the way our guys played today,” Kiffin told ESPN’s Taylor McGregor. “The quarterback played really well, the defense did. They made a statement to a committee that left them out that, ‘Hey, here’s an ACC team that won nine games,’ and came out and played extremely well. I think that was really important for them to come out and make a statement like that."

Kiffin and the Rebels certainly made a statement with their 32-point win.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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