No. 4 Ole Miss has a knack for bouncing back when it matters most. That wasn’t always the case a year ago.
In 2024, Ole Miss won its 10 games by an average of 32.8 points. Its three losses came by a combined 13 points. The Rebels did not win a single one-score game all season despite ranking in the top five nationally in both scoring offense and defense and having a pair of future first-round picks in defensive tackle Walter Nolen and quarterback Jaxson Dart and eight draft picks overall.
The Rebels (5-0, 3-0 SEC) have already won three one-score games in 2025 – all in SEC play – the latest being a 24-19 win over then-No. 4 LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. It was a game that was far from perfect for the Rebels, who overcame a costly fumble into the end zone from junior wide receiver Cayden Lee and the first interception of the season from senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Fourteen penalties put Ole Miss behind the eight-ball for much of the game, but the Rebels were 8 of 16 on third down – perhaps none bigger than Chambliss’ third-and-14 throw to senior Harrison Wallace III early in the fourth quarter on an eventual touchdown drive – and converted both of its fourth-down tries.
Ole Miss took its first lead late in the second quarter and didn’t look back despite LSU’s late surge. The Tigers scored a touchdown with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to five but didn’t get the ball back for another possession. A year after being unable to hold onto late leads against Kentucky and LSU, the Rebels grinded out the final five minutes of clock with a combination of runs from Chambliss and sophomore Kewan Lacy. The final nail in LSU’s coffin came on fourth-and-3 with 1:46 to go, where Chambliss hit wide open senior tight end Dae’Quan Wright for the clinching first down.
“I just feel like that’s our mindset, and that’s what it’s been since everybody’s come in,” Lee said. “I came back another year, obviously, but just being able to have the next play mentality has been the most important thing. … It doesn’t matter if you catch a touchdown or you drop a pass or whatever happens, the next play is the only play that matters.”
Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin would like to think there’s a distinct difference in mentality from a season ago as far as being able to end games with a power running game. But it’s really not that complicated as far as he’s concerned – they simply have the right players to win these types of games.
“Most coaches would come here and say (it’s) mental, like we did all these new things. No. Kewan’s really good and Trinidad’s a really quick runner,” Kiffin said. “So those will help you when you’re trying to close out games, because you have to run the ball. And so that’s a good combination to have in what you call four-minute offense. Those are always a problem on defense.”
The face of the Rebels’ resilience has been Chambliss, who thrived at the most important position on the field in the wake of redshirt sophomore Austin Simmons’ injured ankle. The Ferris State transfer has racked up 1,219 total yards and six combined touchdowns in his three starts. He’s the No. 7 graded quarterback in the FBS by Pro Football Focus and was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week and the AP Player of the Week following the Rebels’ win over LSU.
“We didn’t start the way we wanted to. You want to have a fast start as an offense and set the tone. I believe that we were going to have the ball regardless if we won the toss or not,” Chambliss said. “But, yeah, it didn’t work out the way we wanted to. But it didn’t affect us. We knew that we are a great offense and we know that we can push the ball against this defense, and that’s what we did throughout the stretch.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
