OXFORD – The way Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has handled his newfound spotlight hasn’t gone unnoticed by teammates.
Chambliss, a senior transfer from Division II Ferris State, has caught the eye of the college football world in his two starts in place of injured redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons. Chambliss has completed just under 68% of his passes for 660 yards and three touchdowns and has run for another 174 yards and two scores in his starts against Arkansas and Tulane.
Chambliss ranks ninth nationally with a 186.45 passing efficiency rating and is second in yards per attempt (11.6) and third in yards per completion (17.12). Chambliss has also been a significant asset in the running game for Ole Miss; the Rebels ran for 241 yards on 5.7 yards per carry against Tulane. Chambliss became the fourth quarterback in program history to throw for 300 yards and run for 100 in the same game last weekend, joining Jordan Ta’amu, Chad Kelly and Archie Manning.
“(Chambliss is) coming in and just taking on the role and just playing ball,” senior wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling said. “ … It’s real cool how he can come in without all the distractions and just perform at a high level.”
Simmons has been available in each of the last two games after injuring his ankle against Kentucky. He saw brief action against Arkansas but reaggravated the injury and did not play against the Green Wave. Simmons has thrown for 580 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions this season. Head coach Lane Kiffin told reporters Monday that Simmons would be the Rebels’ starting quarterback if he was “at 100%” but that they “don’t know what percentage he’ll be” at this weekend against the Tigers.
“(Chambliss) just adds another explosive element to the game,” sophomore running back Kewan Lacy said. “ … He can throw and run the ball, so it’s just hard to contain that.”
LSU’s much-improved defense presents a completely new set of challenges from what Ole Miss has seen thus far. The Tigers are tied for ninth nationally at 9.25 points per game allowed, are allowing just 64 yards per game rushing and have surrendered just three touchdown passes. LSU’s defense has allowed just 13 successful third-down tries on 53 attempts.
“They’re a good team,” Stribling said. “They’re going to play hard, and we’re going to play hard, too. So, it’s going to be a good game out there.”
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