No. 9 Ole Miss didn’t just beat No.
13 Missouri on Saturday afternoon in Oxford. The Rebels flattened the Tigers, and Trinidad Chambliss was at the center of everything in a 31-3 rout that was as lopsided as the final score suggests.
Chambliss accounted for four touchdowns, throwing three and adding another on the ground, while Ole Miss backed it up with a defense that never let Missouri find any rhythm. The Rebels scored the last 31 points and held Mizzou to a miserable 1.5 yards per rush on the day.
Chambliss finished 20 of 36 for 241 yards, and after a slow start into the wind he found his groove. He completed just 4 of his first 9 passes before settling in late in the first quarter and carving up Missouri with three different touchdown throws before punching in a short score himself in the fourth.
His first touchdown came on an eight-play, 75-yard march, when Caleb Odom slipped free in the end zone for a 10-yard score with 5:42 left in the opening quarter. Odom, a 6-foot-5 junior tight end, was wide open to finish the drive and give Ole Miss the lead.
The next strike came even with Ole Miss missing key pieces on offense. The Rebels were without their top tailback and starting center for part of the next two drives, but Chambliss stayed sharp and fired a 21-yard touchdown to Horatio Fields. Fields absorbed a big hit and still held on.
Before halftime, Chambliss connected again, this time with Caleb Cunningham on a 17-yard touchdown to push Ole Miss firmly in control. He then added the short rushing score in the fourth quarter.
It was the first time Chambliss had back-to-back FBS games with at least three touchdown passes, including last week against Vanderbilt.
Ole Miss also leaned hard on its ground game. Kewan Lacy ran for 122 yards on 16 carries even though a hamstring issue kept him out for multiple drives, and Makhi Frazier added 101 yards on 15 carries. Ole Miss finished with 257 rushing yards and 498 total yards.
Lacy and center Brycen Sanders, who was treated for a leg injury in the first half, both returned after halftime.
Missouri’s offense never recovered after a brief opening burst. Blake Craig opened the scoring with a short field goal on the Tigers’ first drive, but that was about all they could manage. Craig later missed a 23-yard field goal with Missouri trailing 14-3 in the second quarter, and the Tigers finished with 10 straight scoreless possessions.
Jamal Roberts, who had rushed for more than 200 yards in each of Missouri’s previous two games, was held to 39 yards on 20 carries.
Austin Simmons threw for 339 yards on 25 completions in 44 attempts for Missouri, but the Tigers couldn’t turn the yardage into points. He did hook up with fellow Ole Miss transfer Cayden Lee for a 43-yard completion in the second quarter, though Lee was otherwise well covered. Donovan Olugbode led Missouri with 127 receiving yards on nine catches.
Missouri’s best second-half drive ended when Simmons was intercepted by freshman Landon Barnes near the goal line.
The Tigers came into the game searching for their first road win against an AP top-10 team since Oct. 12, 2013, when they beat No. 7 Georgia 41-26 in Athens. Georgia, ranked No. 1 entering this week, remains on Missouri’s schedule.
In Other News...
Mizzous SEC Push Suddenly Looks Tougher After Drinkwitz Injury Update
Missouris trip to Ole Miss brought an injury list that grew into a real concern before kickoff, with a season-high 24 players appearing on the report during the week. Several of the Tigers key names bounced in and out of availability as the game approached, and the uncertainty was obvious by the time the team took the field, with some players ultimately unable to go and others limited in action.
Eli Drinkwitz confirmed the hit Missouri took physically and added another layer of concern by saying linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. is scheduled for a medical procedure after the game. For a team trying to keep its SEC push on track, the bigger question now is how many of those banged-up contributors can get back on the practice field and how long the Tigers will have to manage this kind of weekly juggling act. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Fast Reality Check Raised A Bigger Concern Than The Loss
Missouris trip to Oxford brought a harsh reminder of how quickly things can tilt when a ranked matchup gets away from you. The No. 13 Tigers were beaten 31-3 by No. 9 Ole Miss, and the final score only told part of the story. Missouri had trouble sustaining anything on offense, couldnt cash in on scoring chances, and spent much of the afternoon chasing an Ole Miss team that piled up 498 total yards.
The bigger issue for the Tigers may have been how little disruption they could create on the other side of the ball. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss found room to work, throwing for 241 yards and four total touchdowns, while Missouris pass rush never really changed the rhythm of the game. The run game offered even less help, finishing with 39 yards on 26 carries, leaving Missouri with more questions than answers after a loss that looked less like a one-off and more like a warning. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Heads Into Bye Week With Its Biggest SEC Problem Exposed
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Eli Drinkwitz did not hide the biggest concern afterward, pointing to the defense and its issues getting off the field, especially on third downs. For a team that has now dropped eight straight road games against ranked SEC opponents, the open week arrives with some real fixing to do, not just a need to reset. Missouri has shown enough in stretches this season to suggest the ceiling is still there, but the gap between good possessions and complete games looked wide again in Oxford. [Read more 🡒]