OXFORD – Besides the obvious monetary investment it requires, there’s a reason Ole Miss fans didn’t rush the field following Saturday’s victory over No. 4 LSU.
These are games the Rebels expect to win these days.
Ole Miss senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss made his third-straight start for the No. 13 Rebels and threw for 314 yards and a touchdown, and Ole Miss allowed just 254 total yards to LSU in a 24-19 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It’s the second year in a row and just the fourth time ever that the Rebels (5-0, 3-0 SEC) have notched a top-five win in back-to-back years, as they took down No. 3 Georgia last year in Oxford.
“I just think it says a lot about where we’re at,” Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin said. “We lost down there and LSU stormed the field last year against Ole Miss, and that doesn’t seem like that’s supposed to happen. And there here, we beat them here and we don’t storm the field. So, good spot to be in.”
Ole Miss racked up 480 total yards in the win, and Chambliss finished with 385 yards of offense. The Rebels ran for 166 yards against LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC), which entered the game surrendering just 64 rushing yards per game.
Chambliss, a Division II transfer from Ferris State, has thrown for 974 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for another 245 yards and two touchdowns in his three starts in place of redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons.
Saturday was the 16th top-five win in Ole Miss history and the program’s 12th 5-0 start.
“Leading Ferris to a national championship definitely was a big goal of mine and a great accomplishment. And then today, obviously beating No. 4 ranked LSU, one of our rivals, it’s like a dream come true,” Chambliss said. “A great team win. Great team win. Defense played amazing, offensive line gave me a great pocket and our receivers just made plays and our running backs, Logan Diggs and Kewan Lacy, just running it in. Yeah, it was a great win.”
The teams exchanged punts on their opening drives, but LSU charged down the field on its second drive by way of a 50-yard completion from Nussmeier to Zavion Thomas. A deflected pass in the end zone from Nussmeier found its way into the hands of Nic Anderson for the game’s first points. The Rebels responded with an 18-play, 83-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard field goal from junior Lucas Carneiro.
A pair of Ole Miss penalties put the Tigers past midfield and deep into Rebels territory, but Nussmeier was intercepted by senior Wydett Williams Jr. at the 12-yard line. Ole Miss’ offense found its rhythm midway through the second quarter, but junior wide receiver Cayden Lee fumbled at the 4-yard line and into the end zone following a deep completion for a touchback. Ole Miss’ defense held its ground again, and a roughing the passer call, an offsides and pair of pass interferences on LSU eventually on the ensuing drive led to a 15-yard touchdown run from sophomore Kewan Lacy.
Chambliss and the offense got the ball back one last time before halftime and made it count, as a 30-yard completion to Lee got the Rebels into LSU territory. On fourth-and-1 at the LSU 13, Chambliss found senior tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 8 yards, and a 2-yard touchdown pass to Lee gave the Rebels a 10-point halftime lead despite 10 first-half penalties. Ole Miss scored the final 17 points of the half and held the Tigers to just 126 yards over the first two quarters.
“We practice hard each and every day. We go hard each and every day,” Williams, who finished with four tackles and the interception, said. “A lot of teams don’t prepare like we prepare. So, it’s not a shock to us (to hold them to 254 yards overall).”
A pair of third-quarter Damian Ramos field goals – including one after Chambliss’ first interception of the season – cut Ole Miss’ lead to four heading into the fourth. A third-and-14 conversion from Chambliss to senior Harrison Wallace III set up a 6-yard touchdown run from senior Logan Diggs, who played previously at LSU. The Tigers scored a touchdown with just over five minutes to play to inch back within five, but the Rebels ran out the rest of the clock, sealing the victory with a fourth-and-3 throw from Chambliss to Wright.
“(Chambliss) was pretty emotional afterwards in there and (we had) a really cool hug and he said, ‘I love you,’” Kiffin said. “… He was just so appreciative of the opportunity. It’s just a really cool story. I like good stories. Here’s a little short kid from Division II going against Nussmeier and the Mighty Tigers at little Ole Miss. So, it was really cool. And for him to go out of bounds like he shouldn’t and then make a play to end it was awesome. … It’s just a really cool story for a lot of people.”
Ole Miss is on a bye next weekend and hosts Washington State on Oct. 11 at 11:45 a.m.
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