Ole Miss had plenty of reasons to leave Nashville with a headache Sunday night. The Rebels were pushed to the edge in a 41-38 win over Louisville, and the game flashed a few of the same concerns that hovered over the roster all offseason.
The new-look secondary gave up chunk plays. The rebuilt receiving group needed time to find its footing. And just a few minutes into the first quarter, returning Doak Walker Award winner Kewan Lacy went down with an injury.
Still, Ole Miss walked out with the win, thanks to more late-game magic from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and a walk-off field goal from Lucas Carneiro. For a team that would have faced a disastrous start to Pete Golding’s first full season in charge, the result mattered. It also showed something this group has leaned on before: resilience.
The opening half was rough on offense. Chambliss never really settled in and looked out of sync while adjusting to his new targets. By halftime, he had thrown for just 75 yards, gone 9-for-17, and tossed an interception.
That interception wasted a chance to build on a 10-3 lead that came after Lacy’s touchdown. Ole Miss’ defense had forced a quick three-and-out right after that score, but the Rebels couldn’t cash in.
A few drives later, another stop from the defense set up a 13-play march that ended with a rare miss from Carneiro. In the span of those two possessions, Ole Miss let a possible two-score cushion slip away and turned what could have been a comfortable halftime into a scrap.
Louisville kept the pressure on from there. The Cardinals opened the third quarter with a touchdown drive, and even after Ole Miss answered with touchdowns on four of its next five drives, the game never fully got away from Louisville.
Then Lincoln Kienholz swung the momentum back with a six-play, 35-yard drive capped by a 54-yard touchdown pass to Lawayne McCoy, pulling Louisville within one score.
Ole Miss still had a chance to put it away with a few first downs. Instead, the Rebels went three-and-out, and Louisville came back down the field to tie it.
That left the game where Chambliss seems to be most comfortable. He showed it again in the Sugar Bowl last season, and he did it here with the season opener hanging in the balance.
Even with his star running back, starting right tackle, and top receiver out because of injuries, the Ferris State transfer delivered in the two-minute drill. With just two completions, a scramble, and a Makhi Frazier carry, he moved Ole Miss into position for Carneiro to end it.
It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t pretty. But it was the kind of finish Ole Miss leaned on a year ago, whether it was the chaos around Kiffin’s exit before the College Football Playoff or the halftime hole against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
The Rebels can’t count on second-half heroics forever, especially if the early-game mistakes keep piling up. But on a night when plenty went sideways, they showed the one trait that can carry them a long way.
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