Ole Miss didn’t just beat Missouri on Saturday. The Rebels controlled the game from start to finish and walked off with a 31-3 win that looked like a statement in every phase.
That was just the second Ole Miss victory ever over Missouri, and the biggest reason it happened was the defense. After some buzz about progress coming out of the Vanderbilt game, this was the kind of performance that actually meant something.
Missouri came in with one of the nation’s most balanced offenses, but Ole Miss stripped that away and forced the Tigers into a one-dimensional fight. The Rebels took away the run game, then doubled Cayden Lee all night and cut off Austin Simmons’ safety valve.
There were a few moments that stood out in a game like that, and Caleb Cunningham delivered one of them. The catch looked routine from the first angle, like Trinidad Chambliss dropped a perfect ball right into his hands.
A different look down the sideline showed just how difficult it really was. Cunningham keeps looking like the real thing.
Chambliss also showed the confidence that makes him dangerous. He fit a throw to Horatio Fields into a window that barely existed, and Fields finished the play while taking a hit. That ball had to be placed exactly where it landed for the completion to happen.
Then there was the interception by freshman Landon Barnes, which came after Pete Golding described the look as six at the line and seven in the box. Barnes dropped from the line into coverage on the bunch side and picked off Austin Simmons. It was Simmons’ first interception of the season that wasn’t tipped off a receiver’s hands.
Kewan Lacy added another burst to the day, even if health has kept him from being fully available at times this season. On a third down late in the first quarter, he made a big play that eventually led to the Horatio Fields touchdown and a 14-3 Ole Miss lead. He also hurdled former Rebel Chris Graves Jr. on the way.
The Rebels got huge production on the ground from both Lacy and Makhi Frazier. Lacy finished with 16 carries for 122 yards, though he did lose a fumble.
Frazier added 101 yards on 15 carries. It was the first time two Ole Miss rushers went over 100 yards in the same game since the 2024 Egg Bowl, when Ulysses Bentley and Henry Parrish pulled it off.
The defense made the biggest splash, though, and there wasn’t really a single name to pin it on. Ole Miss held Jamal Roberts, the second leading rusher in the country, to 39 yards on 20 carries.
Cayden Lee was bottled up all afternoon. The Rebels also recorded two sacks, five tackles for loss and six pass deflections, with Luke Ferelli, Will Echoles, Blake Purchase and Sharif Denson all part of the effort.
A handful of numbers told the same story. Caleb Cunningham scored the first touchdown of his career, and Lacy got his first 100-yard game of the season.
Ole Miss is one of only five schools with a 100% redzone scoring rate, and it ranks first among that group in touchdown ratio. Barnes picked up the first interception of his career as well.
The Rebels also topped 125 rushing yards for the third straight game. On top of that, this was only the second time in the last decade Ole Miss held an SEC opponent to three points. Lacy is now three rushing touchdowns away from second all time in school history.
Trinidad Chambliss moved into eighth place on Ole Miss’ all-time passing yards list, and he still has a chance to climb as high as fifth, with Chad Kelly in sight. The Rebels also now hold the longest Power 4 home winning streak at 15, with Auburn, Georgia, Wofford and Mississippi State still left on the home schedule.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Catches A Huge Break In High Stakes Texas Showdown
Ole Miss got a significant early boost for its trip to Texas, with the Longhorns expected to be without standout defensive end Colin Simmons after he suffered a high ankle sprain against Florida. Simmons was ruled out for the rest of that game, and his status now figures to be evaluated week to week, a notable development for a matchup that already had plenty riding on it.
Simmons has been one of the most disruptive defenders in the country and leads the nation in sacks, so his absence changes the look of a Texas front that typically leans on him to set the tone. For Ole Miss, it removes one of the toughest individual problems on the schedule and adds another layer of intrigue to a game that was already shaping up as a high-stakes test. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Looks Ready For Much Bigger Games After Statement Win
Ole Miss spent Saturday looking every bit like a team built for the bigger stage, taking control early and never really letting Missouri get comfortable in a 31-3 win. The Rebels defense set the tone throughout the afternoon, keeping the Tigers away from their preferred answers and making the kind of steady, disciplined stops that can travel well when the schedule tightens up.
Pete Goldings group now heads into the heart of SEC play with some real momentum behind it, and his record against ranked opponents sits at 6-1 after another statement performance. The challenge for Ole Miss is obvious enough: this level of defensive sharpness has to hold when the opposition gets tougher, because the next stretch will say a lot about whether this was simply a strong showing or a preview of what the Rebels can sustain. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Golding Sends Ole Miss Fans A Warning About Arch Manning
Pete Golding spent part of the buildup to Ole Miss meeting with Texas pushing back on the easy take about Arch Manning. The Rebels defensive coordinator said the notion that Manning is not an elite player is crazy, a notable stance given the turnovers that have shadowed the quarterbacks season. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has already confirmed Manning will stay in the lineup against Ole Miss, which keeps the focus on how the Rebels plan to handle a passer Golding clearly still views as a major challenge.
Golding pointed to more than just the stat sheet, crediting Mannings athletic ability and past success while suggesting some of the struggles have been a matter of bad luck. For Ole Miss, that kind of warning matters because it comes from inside the opposing scouting report, not from a fan debate or a headline. If Manning settles in, the Rebels know they could be facing a quarterback Golding believes is far better than the public conversation has suggested. [Read more 🡒]