Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart briefly left the first quarter of Saturday’s game against Georgia with an apparent left ankle injury before returning to the field later.

Dart was injured on a dropback while throwing a pass that was ultimately intercepted and limped noticeably as he left the field for further evaluation by the team’s trainers.

The quarterback was unable to put weight on the affected left ankle initially, according to ESPN reporter Molly McGrath on the broadcast.

After being examined by the Rebels medical team, Dart left the sideline and went to the team’s locker room for a more detailed evaluation.

But he managed to return to the Ole Miss sideline, although he was still visibly limping as he walked, and returned to the game with 5 minutes left in the first quarter.

In Dart’s place, the Rebels temporarily lined up Justin Simmons at quarterback, and he led the team on a 75-yard drive in 10 plays that resulted in a Ulysses Bentley touchdown that tied the game. game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

Dart came into this weekend leading the SEC with 21 touchdowns and 3,210 passing yards this season, completing nearly 72 percent of his pass attempts.

Dart is also the Rebels’ leading rusher as starting guard Henry Parrish is expected to miss the remainder of the season after injuring his leg in the team’s win over Arkansas.

Ole Miss debuted at No. 16 in the first College Football Playoff rankings and hosts No. 3 CFP Georgia in an extremely important game that could have an effect on the appearance of the postseason.

Just six combined points away from being undefeated, the Rebels enter the game with a 3-2 record in the SEC with losses to Kentucky and LSU, each by three points.

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