Ole Miss walked out of Gainesville with a 52-28 loss, but Trinidad Chambliss was not the issue. If anything, the Rebels’ bye week looks like a chance to figure out how to give him a little more support before the Oct. 10 trip to face a Vanderbilt team that keeps climbing.
Chambliss put together another productive night, accounting for just shy of 350 yards. He threw for one touchdown and ran for two more, even while adding his third interception of the season. That turnover mattered, but it was hardly the most damaging mistake Ole Miss made against Florida.
The bigger problem is what has happened around him. Kewan Lacy’s injury issues early in the season have forced more of the offense onto Chambliss, and he has not had his ideal backfield partner to help keep defenses honest. If Ole Miss wants to get back to the level it showed against LSU, the rest of the offense has to catch up fast.
Chambliss has been the steady engine for the Rebels. When he posts a big game, Ole Miss usually follows, and he has topped 300 yards in more than half of his 19 starts for the program.
Even with that kind of production, he still has not really had a flat-out bad day in an Ole Miss uniform. The part that makes it even more striking is where he was two years ago, starting for Division Two Ferris State.
The issue is that the rest of the passing game has been uneven. Deuce Alexander stands out as the one receiver the Rebels can trust right now, but beyond him, the production has been spotty. Lacy, when healthy, is one of the nation’s premier backs, but Ole Miss still does not know when he will be fully back.
Alexander has accounted for a third of the team’s receiving yards and half of its receiving touchdowns. That is both a strength and a warning sign. He has become a true WR1 in the SEC, but it also means opposing secondaries can key on him while the other options try to find their footing.
Caleb Odom has taken meaningful steps forward and has become Chambliss’ go-to target when Alexander is not available. Luke Hasz, meanwhile, is still searching for a real role in the offense in his second season since transferring from Arkansas.
On paper, the receiver room should look deeper than it has. Ole Miss has had strong depth at the position in recent seasons, and the names suggest more balance than the results have shown.
Johntay Cook arrived from Syracuse after a 600-yard season, but he has not come close to matching that level of production. Horatio Fields came over from Auburn and has looked solid, but for a receiver with SEC experience, the Rebels need more.
With the schedule tightening again in Nashville on Oct. 10, Ole Miss will need more than Chambliss carrying the load. If the Rebels still want CFP hopes like they had last season, the players around him have to start producing too.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Running Back Room Faces Pressure Fans Can No Longer Ignore
A bye week after the loss to Florida gives Ole Miss a chance to take a hard look at a running back room that has quickly become one of the more intriguing parts of the roster. The Rebels went into the season with a wave of reinforcements at the position, adding transfers JT Lindsey, Makhi Frazier and Joshua Dye, while also bringing in recruit Shekai Mills-Knight, giving the coaching staff more bodies and more options than it had a year ago.
Now the challenge is sorting out how to use that depth with starter Kewan Lacy injured and the offense looking for a jolt. For a team trying to get back on track, the pause in the schedule could be useful if it leads to clearer answers about who can handle the load and who can help this offense become more consistent when the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Fans Have A New SEC Quarterback Debate To Watch
Josh Pates latest SEC quarterback rankings gave Ole Miss plenty to chew on even after the Rebels recent loss, because Trinidad Chambliss stayed put at the top of the list. The analysts September 29 update continued to view Chambliss as the leagues most effective quarterback so far, a nod to the way he has carried the offense through the early part of the season and helped keep Ole Miss in the mix despite the setback.
Chambliss production helps explain the placement, with 102 completions on 144 attempts for 1,222 yards, along with eight touchdowns and three interceptions through four games. The ranking also adds a little extra edge to the SEC conversation for Mississippi State fans, since Kamario Taylor sits right behind him at No. 2 and Alabamas Keelon Russell is next at No. 3, setting up a quarterback debate that figures to keep moving as league play unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Suddenly Looks Like A Real Threat To Alabama
Mississippi States rise has changed the feel of the SEC race in a hurry. After ending a 12-year drought in ranked-vs.-ranked wins by knocking off No. 19 Missouri, the Bulldogs are up to No. 16 and suddenly carrying the kind of momentum that gets everyones attention in conference play.
Now comes the bigger test: an undefeated matchup with No. 7 Alabama, and it looks far less like a routine Tide appointment than it did a few weeks ago. Alabama has seen real growth from quarterback Keelon Russell, while Mississippi State has its own answer in Kamario Taylor, who leads the nation in touchdown passes this season, setting up a game with real stakes and even more intrigue. [Read more 🡒]