Ole Miss walked away from Saturday with a 45-15 win over Auburn, but the scoreboard didn’t tell the whole story. The No.
12 Rebels needed a second-half push to turn what was a sluggish night into a comfortable finish at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and that kind of uneven performance won’t cut it when No. 2 Georgia comes to town next week.
The Rebels were only ahead 14-9 at halftime, and that slow opening has become a pattern. In their last two games against Texas and Auburn, Ole Miss managed just three first-half points against Texas and 14 before the break against Auburn. The offense eventually found its footing in both games, scoring 24 points in the comeback effort against Texas and 31 in the second half against Auburn, but the early holes made things harder than they needed to be.
Saturday’s first quarter was especially messy. Ole Miss’ two first-half touchdowns didn’t come until the second quarter, and both were goal-line runs - one by defensive lineman Will Echoles and the other by running back Shekai Mills-Knight. The passing game never really got rolling early, and the roughest moment came when wide receiver Deuce Alexander dropped a wide-open touchdown on a double pass from wide receiver Traylon Ray.
If Ole Miss wants to have a real shot at Georgia, the run game has to look different. Mills-Knight gave the Rebels a lift against Auburn, taking 16 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown.
It was the first time in his college career that he led the team in carries. Makhi Frazier finished with 17 carries for 56 yards and no touchdowns, averaging 3.3 yards per carry to Mills-Knight’s 4.4.
Mills-Knight needs to stay at the center of the rushing attack next week. He’s the only running back not named Kewan Lacy who looks like he has the highest ceiling for the rest of this season and beyond.
Ole Miss also needs more from Trinidad Chambliss as a runner. He has rushed for a touchdown in all but two games this season, and his ability to create when plays break down is one of his best traits. That element has been missing lately, and the offense has paid for it.
Chambliss has been off over the last three games, with missed routine throws and miscommunications with his receivers contributing to the slow starts. That’s part of why Ole Miss keeps finding itself in catch-up mode instead of controlling games from the jump.
The defense has held up better than the offense, but it hasn’t been perfect either. Ole Miss allowed 34 points to Texas, a reminder that the margin for error is thin when the opponent can punish mistakes.
The Rebels have the talent to hang with Georgia, but the inconsistency is the issue. To beat the No. 2 team in the country on Saturday, Ole Miss will need four full quarters of championship-level football - and that’s something it hasn’t put together consistently yet this season.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Got A Ranking Check Fans Needed To See
The SEC race tightened again in Week 9, and Ole Miss did its part to stay in the thick of it. The Rebels handled Auburn 45-15 behind a big day from Trinidad Chambliss, who found the end zone three times, while the rest of the leagues upper tier kept moving in ways that will matter for the next ranking release.
No. 3 Georgias 27-8 win over Florida and No. 11 Texas road victory at Mississippi State both added more pressure near the top, and South Carolinas win at Oklahoma only added to the shuffle. For Ole Miss, the result was the kind of clean, convincing performance that keeps the Rebels in the conversation, even if the bigger question now is how far the latest weekend will move them when the polls are updated. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Ranking Suddenly Carries More Weight Before A Massive Showdown
A wild weekend across the AP Top 25 has reshuffled the college football conversation just in time for a massive showdown, and Ole Miss has every reason to be watching closely. Seven ranked teams went down, creating movement throughout the poll and putting fresh emphasis on how the rest of the top tier is viewed heading into the next round of high-stakes games.
Ohio States loss to USC was one of the most notable results, with ripple effects that reach well beyond the Big Ten and into the broader College Football Playoff picture. Several teams climbed, others slid, and a few cracked the rankings for the first time this season, which means the margin for error is getting even thinner as the schedule tightens around the Rebels. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Got A National Title Endorsement Fans Will Notice
A fresh national-title conversation has Ole Miss in the mix, with Danny Kanell naming the Rebels among five programs he believes have quarterbacks capable of leading a championship run. The former quarterback and current college football analyst put Ole Miss alongside Miami, Georgia, USC and Notre Dame, a notable nod for a program that has spent recent seasons trying to break through from contender to true title threat.
The Rebels place on that list adds another layer of intrigue around their quarterback situation, especially with Gunner Stockton, Trinidad Chambliss and Jayden Maiava also drawing mention in the broader discussion. Kanells framing does not settle anything, but it does underline how much quarterback play still drives the national conversation, and how Ole Miss has positioned itself squarely inside it. [Read more 🡒]