Jaxson Dart and the Ole Miss Rebels missed the College Football Playoff but they do have a chance at taking down the Duke Blue Devils in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville this Thursday. After losing to Florida and ending their SEC Championship hopes, Ole Miss bounced back and beat a bad Mississippi State team in the Egg Bowl, but they have had some injuries down the stretch.
Running Back Henry Parrish and WR Tre Harris both finished the year injured. The Rebels will also miss starting CB Jadon Canady and starting RT Micah Pettus, who committed to Florida State. (Really? The Seminoles? After the season they had?) Now, many of the defensive linemen who are moving on to the next level plan to play, as well as CB Trey Amos and QB Jaxson Dart. It sounds like Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin are having one more run for their money.
As for the Blue Devils, starting RB Star Thomas is in the portal, and QB Maalik Murphy has already committed to Auburn, but Manny Diaz said he does not expect any other opt outs. Henry Belin IV will start at quarterback for the Blue Devils, but Thomas accounted for over 75% of Duke’s rushing yards. That is a lot of production to make up on the ground, and Belin IV has thrown one pass all season. Can he rally the Blue Devils to upset Ole Miss?
Duke Blue Devils vs Ole Miss Rebels: Gator Bowl
Sophomore Henry Belin IV starts for the Blue Devils in the Gator Bowl
Matchup Information – Duke vs Ole Miss
- Venue & Location: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, FL)
- Date: Thursday, January 2nd, 2025
- Kick Off: 7:30pm Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Betting Odds
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Spread
- Duke +17.5 (-110)
- Ole Miss -17.5 (-110)
Money Line
- Duke +585
- Ole Miss -805
Total
- Over 51.5 (-110)
- Under 51.5 (-110)
Dart Starts for Rebels One Last Time
Jaxson Dart leads Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl
Now, Dart and the Rebels are fully loaded and ready to go, you know, besides a few injuries. The high flying offense certainly took a hit once Parrish and Harris went down, but the dual threat Dart has plenty of talent around him. As long as he doesn’t pull a Cam Ward and sit the 2nd half, the Ole Miss offense should be cruising. I don’t have much faith in Duke to keep up, especially if the Rebels turn this game into a shootout.
Duke has won three straight games, but turning to back ups against an SEC team probably won’t go well. Sure, they will be highly motivated, but talent wise and from a rhythm stand point, the chemistry probably won’t be there, at least for the first half. Like I said, Ole Miss can score and they rank 14th in the country putting up 34 points per game. They are Top 10 in first half scoring, and I’ll be leaning on backing them in the first half, simply with the worry that Dart decides to sit out after throwing 3 TDs (I don’t think he will, he’ll finish what he started).
Duke Blue Devils vs #14 Ole Mis Rebels Best Bets
Back Ole Miss to put some puts on the board early against Duke
Duke vs Ole Miss Prediction: Ole Miss Wins, Duke Covers, Over 51.5
Best Bets: Ole Miss 1H TT Over 16.5 (-165) Bovada
Did I lay this juice? No, even though it doesn’t scare me. But you can find 17.5 around (-130) or 18.5 around (-105) which are basically the same number in my eyes (18 and 19 aren’t football numbers).
Everything seems like the Rebels are going to give it all they’ve got, and for a team that nearly puts up 20 points per first half, I see them doing so again. While Duke does have a very good secondary, Lane Kiffin is going to let his seniors show out, pulling out all the tricks in his bag and letting the playbook loose. This season was not a success for the Rebels in their own eyes, they wanted to be playing on New Year’s Day. However it looks like the players are going to rally for one last dance together, and I think they start off very, very hot.
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