Ole Miss left Gainesville with a lopsided loss, but the offense came away with something to build on.
The Rebels were beaten 52-28 by Florida, a game that exposed plenty on the defensive side as the Gators rolled up nearly 500 yards of total offense. Pete Golding will have work to do after a performance like that, because this kind of night cannot turn into a pattern.
Still, the offense showed enough to keep Ole Miss from leaving empty-handed in terms of lessons. Even with starting running back Kewan Lacy out, the Rebels found ways to move the ball and create pressure of their own.
Lacy, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury since the first game against Louisville, was missed early. Without him, the attack leaned a little too heavily in one direction, and that showed in the first half. Ole Miss tried to get the run game going but never really got it established, which helped Florida hold the Rebels to just six points before halftime.
The first half ended with Ole Miss at 148 total yards, but the second half brought a much different rhythm. The Rebels added 278 yards after the break, and Chambliss settled in quickly once the game opened up. He looked much more like the quarterback Ole Miss saw against LSU.
Chambliss finished with two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown while helping run a fast-paced offense. Early in the second half, Ole Miss trimmed the lead to three points, its closest approach to Florida all day.
Deuce Alexander was right in the middle of that push. His 134-yard game may not have looked loud on the surface, but it was a major part of how the Rebels stayed in the fight. When Ole Miss needed a play while trailing, Chambliss kept looking Alexander’s way, and Alexander kept delivering.
Several of those connections came on deep throws, and Alexander continued to show that he can challenge number-one corners. That part of the passing game gave Ole Miss a real spark.
The bigger picture is simple: even with the defense getting beat up, the Rebels showed they can score fast and keep an opponent under pressure. Chambliss and the offense made it clear that if Ole Miss falls behind, it has a group capable of answering quickly. The missing piece, as this game showed, is getting the defense to come up with a stop.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Has Earned A Ranking Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Mississippi States fast start has turned what looked like a solid opening month into a real ranking conversation. The Bulldogs are 4-0 and already 2-0 in SEC play, with a win over No. 25 Missouri helping push them up to No. 16 in the AP Poll, and sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor has been one of the biggest reasons for the surge. Taylor has thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns, tying for the national lead in passing scores and giving Mississippi State the kind of offensive punch that can make voters take notice.
The debate now is whether the Bulldogs have done enough to climb higher despite the company they still have to keep in the schedule. Teams ahead of them have stumbled, which only sharpens the argument around Mississippi States place in the poll, but the next stretch will say plenty about how serious this start really is. No. 7 Alabama is looming, and LSU is not far behind, leaving the Bulldogs with a chance to turn an early ranking into something much more difficult to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A Heisman Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The late-September Heisman conversation had a few familiar faces in it, but Ole Miss had its own reason to pay attention. Across the weekend, standout performances from quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers around the country kept the race crowded, with individual game breakthroughs and efficient stat lines nudging certain players into the spotlight as the season starts to settle into its next stretch.
For Rebels fans, the issue is less about the national debate itself and more about what it says about where Ole Miss fits in that race. The review of the weekend's biggest efforts, along with a look ahead to upcoming matchups for some of those players, underscores how quickly the conversation can shift once October football gets rolling. Ole Miss can still make noise, but the path to having a true Heisman contender is starting to feel like a problem fans can't ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Trinidad Chambliss Gives Ole Miss Hope Despite One Ugly Warning Sign
Ole Miss left the loss to Florida with a sharp reminder of how quickly a game can get away from it when the defense cannot slow the run. The Gators piled up more than 300 rushing yards, turning the afternoon into a long one for the Rebels and exposing a problem that will need fixing if this team wants to hold up in SEC play.
Trinidad Chambliss still gave Ole Miss a reason to keep looking forward, though, because the quarterback handled a heavy load and produced one of the better individual outings of the day. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 298 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and added 44 rushing yards with two scores, giving the Rebels a clear offensive centerpiece even in a loss that raised more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]