Ole Miss is halfway through the regular season, sitting at 5-1 and ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll heading into Saturday night’s matchup with No. 19 Texas. The defense has taken a noticeable step forward over the last two games, but the Rebels’ identity has still been set by an offense putting up 37.5 points per game.
That’s the biggest takeaway from the first six games: when Ole Miss has won, the offense has done the heavy lifting. And at the center of it all has been Trinidad Chambliss.
Coming into the year, Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy were supposed to be the headliners, with both seen as Heisman Trophy contenders. Lacy’s injury issues have kept him from fully driving the offense, which has pushed Chambliss into an even larger role. He has delivered.
Ole Miss opened 3-0, and Chambliss was the driving force behind that start. The Rebels needed him badly in wins over Louisville and LSU, especially with the defense giving up 38 points to Louisville and watching LSU erase a 24-7 deficit before Chambliss answered with the go-ahead touchdown that helped seal the win.
He couldn’t carry Ole Miss past No. 20 Florida in a lopsided loss, but since then the Rebels have bounced back with two SEC wins, including a 31-3 rout of No.
22 Missouri.
With Lacy back in the mix over the last two games and the defense giving more help, Chambliss still remains the offense’s defining piece. He has a little more than 1,800 total yards, 20 total touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also become the team’s leader in rushing touchdowns, which is not exactly what most people expected when the season began.
A big part of that production starts up front. The offensive line was supposed to be the question mark for Ole Miss, especially at tackle, even with the interior returning from last season.
Through six games, though, that group has held up far better than expected, even through injury trouble. Chambliss has been sacked only five times, a strong reflection of both his own pocket feel and the protection in front of him.
Left tackle Terez Davis has been steady and physical on Chambliss’ blind side, while Connor Howes has handled right tackle duties well in relief of Tommy Kinsler, who has also dealt with injury trouble.
The line’s work has paid off in the run game, too. Ole Miss has gotten more than 5.5 yards per carry from two different running backs, giving the offense another layer beyond Chambliss’ passing.
For much of the first month, the Rebels had already shown enough to feel good about the offense. The last two weeks, though, have added another dimension. With Ole Miss winning by a combined 63 points, the pressure has eased, and the run game has opened up in a way it hadn’t before.
That was especially true against Vanderbilt and Missouri. Ole Miss rushed for 196 yards against Vanderbilt and 257 against Missouri, both clear jumps from the 152 rushing yards it posted against Louisville in the opener. The Missouri performance stood out most, with Kewan Lacy and Makhi Frazier both topping 100 rushing yards.
If Lacy can stay healthy and the offense keeps moving at this pace, Ole Miss has plenty more room to climb.
In Other News...
Texas Just Lost More Edge Rush Help Before Ole Miss
Texas is heading into its matchup with Ole Miss thinner on the edge than it expected, with defensive end Colin Simmons likely to miss the game because of a high ankle sprain. The Longhorns are also without freshman edge rusher Richard Wesley, who has been ruled out with the same injury and may miss the rest of the regular season.
Wesley had shown some promise in limited work, with seven tackles across four appearances, but now Texas will have to piece together its pass rush without him. For an Ole Miss offense preparing for a major test, the injuries shift even more responsibility onto the other edge players the Longhorns can call on. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Ingram Just Added Fuel To Ole Miss Texas Debate
Mark Ingram has added another voice to the growing chatter around Ole Miss Week 8 matchup with Texas, and his read is simple enough: he likes the Rebels. Speaking on the game, the former Alabama star pointed to Ole Miss strong record and quarterback play as reasons to feel good about their chances, while also noting Texas recent losses and the injury concerns hanging over the Longhorns.
The betting market has already shown how closely this one is being watched, with sentiment around the matchup shifting as kickoff approaches. For Ole Miss, the interest goes beyond a single prediction. A win would not only strengthen the Rebels standing in a major SEC statement game, it would also keep the conversation moving around how real this team is when the spotlight gets brightest. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A Huge Opening In Austin If Its Stars Deliver
Ole Miss heads to Austin with a chance to land the kind of road win that can reshape a season, and the setup looks unusually favorable for the Rebels. Texas is coming off consecutive losses and has been dealing with injuries, which has only sharpened the focus on a handful of Ole Miss players who figure to drive the matchup, from offensive lineman Davis up front to defensive playmaker Perkins and running back Kewan Lacy in the backfield.
The opening is there because Texas has stumbled on both sides of the ball, but Ole Miss still has to take advantage of it. A road game like this rarely hands itself over, and if the Rebels are going to turn a big opportunity into something bigger, their top players will have to match the moment in a setting that could end up defining the rest of the year. [Read more 🡒]