Ole Miss spent the first quarter banging its head against the goal line, then finally found a wildly unexpected answer.
After five snaps in goal-to-go situations to close the opening frame against Auburn on Saturday, the Rebels still had nothing on the board. Then, on the first play of the second quarter, Ole Miss went to a look nobody in the stadium likely had circled: defensive tackle Will Echoles lined up at fullback on 3rd-and-Goal from the Tigers’ 1-yard line and got the carry.
Instead of serving as the lead blocker, Echoles took the handoff and punched it in for the score, giving Ole Miss the breakthrough it had been chasing. The touchdown capped a 17-play, 89-yard march that was extended twice by Auburn third down penalties.
Echoles’ moment also fit the kind of day he’s been having on defense. He entered the game tied with linebacker Suntarine Perkins for the third-most tackles for loss on the Rebels with four.
Auburn answered right back on the next possession. Quarterback Byrum Brown kept the drive alive with a 4th-and-2 run deep in Ole Miss territory, then hit Chas Nimrod for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Ole Miss preserved its edge by blocking Alex McPherson’s extra point. The chaos didn’t stop there.
Two plays into the next Rebels drive, Trinidad Chambliss threw an interception, and two snaps after that Brown lost a fumble for Auburn, handing the ball back to Ole Miss again. The back-and-forth battle was on SEC Network.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A Linebacker Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Luke Ferrellis night against Auburn ended early, and Ole Miss had to finish the game without one of the linebackers it had been counting on. He was removed from the availability report before kickoff after being listed as probable, then exited in the first half with an unspecified injury and did not return after halftime.
Ferrellis status now adds another layer to a situation that has already drawn plenty of attention around his move to Oxford. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney publicly accused Ole Miss and defensive coordinator Pete Golding of tampering during Ferrellis transfer, and the NCAAs investigation into that matter is still ongoing, leaving the Rebels with an uneasy mix of on-field uncertainty and off-field scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A New Backfield Name Fans Need To Know
Shekai Mills-Knight has become a name Ole Miss fans are hearing more often in the backfield, and the sophomore took another step forward in the first half against Auburn. With Kewan Lacy sidelined by injury, Mills-Knight has seen his playing time rise, and he made the most of the opportunity with a career-high 55 rushing yards and a touchdown before halftime.
A Montreal native who played high school football at Baylor School in Tennessee, Mills-Knight arrived in Oxford as a four-star member of the 2025 class. For a Rebels offense adjusting to life without its usual lead back, his emergence gives the staff another option to lean on while the depth chart continues to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Landed In The Arch Manning Rumor Storm
Arch Manning has suddenly become part of a familiar SEC rumor cycle, with chatter around his future picking up after a difficult 2026 season at Texas. The speculation gained more traction when former ESPN analyst David Pollack said an SEC coach had floated the idea that Manning could leave the Longhorns, and even mentioned Georgia as a possible landing spot. For Ole Miss fans, the interesting part is not just the noise, but the fact that their program has also been mentioned by insiders as a potential destination.
For now, Manning has not said anything publicly and remains committed to Texas, which is why the rumor mill is doing most of the talking. Still, when a quarterback with his name value gets linked to multiple SEC schools, it naturally catches attention across the league, especially in Oxford, where any quarterback opening or transfer possibility becomes part of the conversation fast. [Read more 🡒]