OXFORD – The Ole Miss quarterback room appears to be in good hands, regardless of whose hands take the snaps under center Saturday against Tulane.
Senior Trinidad Chambliss started in the No. 13 Rebels’ (3-0, 2-0 SEC) 41-35 win over Arkansas last weekend in place of redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons, racking up 415 yards of offense, three total touchdowns and Maxwell Award Player of the Week honors. Simmons started the first two games of Ole Miss’ season but suffered an ankle injury in the win at Kentucky that forced him to miss a drive.
Simmons was available to play against the Razorbacks, but head coach Lane Kiffin said the coaching staff opted for Chambliss because of the desire to use quarterback runs and not wanting to put Simmons in harm’s way. Simmons threw a touchdown pass against Arkansas when Chambliss briefly left the game but reaggravated his own injury in the process. Kiffin told reporters Monday he “would anticipate Austin being fine to play and being our starting quarterback” for this weekend’s matchup against the Green Wave (3-0, 0-0 AAC).
Kiffin told reporters offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. devised two different offensive game plans depending on which quarterback got the start against Arkansas. Here is an in-depth look at how each quarterback has led the offense this season. All stats are from Pro Football Focus.
With Simmons under center
Simmons is known for his powerful left arm; he displayed that elite velocity as a freshman on the Rebels’ baseball team, throwing in the mid-90s out of the bullpen. Simmons is completing 60.4% of his passes (34 of 56) for 580 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s averaging 10.4 yards per attempt – which is fifth nationally among qualified quarterbacks – and his average depth of target is a whopping 11.5 yards, according to PFF. His 17.06 yards per completion is second nationally.
Simmons has made three “big-time throws,” which PFF defines as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.” The Rebels have run play-action with Simmons on 64.5% of his passing attempts; three of his touchdowns have come on play-action passes.
Simmons has completed 3 of 9 attempts of over 20 yards, according to PFF. He has thrived throwing over the middle past the line of scrimmage – 62.5% of his attempts have come in this part of the field – completing 18 of 20 passes of less than 10 yards and 5 of 10 attempts of 10 to 19 yards. Two of his deep completions (20 yards or more) have come over the middle as well.
Simmons has statistically been at his best when blitzed, completing 8 of 12 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He is 4 of 9 passing when under pressure, however, including two interceptions.
As a runner, five of his 16 attempts have come on scrambles rather than designed runs. He has picked up six first downs as a runner.
With Chambliss under center
Let’s start with the obvious – Ole Miss has had more designed runs for Chambliss than it has for Simmons. Fifty-six of Chambliss’ 83 rushing yards this season have come on designed runs, according to PFF. Only three of his 16 rushing attempts against Arkansas were considered scrambles, and Chambliss picked up four first downs as a runner against the Razorbacks. Chambliss’ proficiency as a rusher isn’t a surprise; he ran for 1,019 yards and 25 touchdowns at Ferris State last season.
As a passer, Chambliss is averaging 11.8 yards per attempt (12.2 vs. Arkansas), which would rank second nationally if he had enough pass attempts. Play-action has accounted for 41% of Chambliss’ pass attempts, and both of his touchdown throws have come on standard drop-backs, according to PFF.
Like Simmons, many of Chambliss’ throws are to the center of the field past the line of scrimmage, with 42.8% of his throws going to either the short middle or intermediate middle. Chambliss has not attempted a throw deep over the middle, however. Instead, his hot spot down the field has been to the deep right, where he’s hit 2 of 3 attempts. Chambliss has attempted seven passes behind the line of scrimmage; Simmons has attempted two such passes. Chambliss has also made two “big-time throws,” both coming last weekend against Arkansas.
Chambliss has completed 7 of 10 passes when blitzed and is 6 of 7 when facing pressure.
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