Ole Miss opened the season with a statement win, and Trinidad Chambliss was right at the center of it.
The Rebels beat Louisville in a season-opening, neutral-site matchup, the same type of setting as the only other meeting between the programs in 2021, when Ole Miss won 43-24 in Atlanta. This time, the Rebels again walked away with the result they wanted in front of an announced crowd of 57,390.
Chambliss delivered a big day through the air, throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns. It was his ninth career 300-yard passing game, which moves him into seventh in school history and puts him just behind Eli Manning, who had 10. He also added to a familiar pattern in his career, as he has now thrown and rushed for a touchdown in the same game six times.
Ole Miss found its rhythm after halftime, scoring 31 points in the second half. Chambliss accounted for all four touchdowns in that stretch.
The passing game featured plenty of explosive plays, especially from Deuce Alexander. His 62-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter was the second-longest reception of his Ole Miss career, trailing only his school-record 88-yarder last season against Mississippi State.
He later struck again with another 62-yard catch late in the third. Alexander finished with 159 receiving yards, giving him the first 100-yard game of his collegiate career after previously topping out at 94 yards twice in 2025.
Caleb Odom also made a strong first impression in the stat sheet, finishing with a career-high 66 yards on three catches and a touchdown. Traylon Ray added a 31-yard reception for the first catch of his career.
The ground game also delivered a notable milestone. Lacy scored on the ground in the second quarter, tying Archie Manning for fifth on Ole Miss’ career rushing touchdown list with 25. That score also moved him into a tie for seventh in school history in all-purpose touchdowns with 25, and 20th in points scored with 150.
The win also came with a long list of firsts in the starting lineup. Twelve Rebels made their first career start at Ole Miss: Caleb Odom, Johntay Cook II, Deuce Alexander, Terez Davis, Tommy Kinsler IV, Jamarious Brown, Blake Purchase, Keaton Thomas, Luke Ferrelli, Edwin Joseph, Joenel Aguero and Anthony Robinson II. Three of those players - Alexander, Brown and Robinson - made their first overall career starts.
On the defensive and leadership side, Ole Miss listed Will Echoles, Horatio Fields, Patrick Kutas and Keaton Thomas as captains.
The victory pushed Ole Miss to 98-29-5 in season openers and gave the Rebels 25 wins in their last 30 openers on the field. Against non-conference opponents, Ole Miss is now 76-18 dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov.
12, 1994. Under Pete Golding, the Rebels are 2-1 against non-conference opponents.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Fans ESPN Moment Became A Much Bigger Story Than Expected
The season opener against Louisville gave Ole Miss plenty of drama on the field, but one fans reaction wound up getting nearly as much attention as the game itself. During ESPNs coverage, Sara M. Smith was shown looking understandably stressed after a Louisville touchdown, and the brief moment quickly took on a life of its own once it hit social media.
Smiths anxious expression spread fast enough to turn her into an unintended viral figure, prompting a flood of attention and forcing her to temporarily lock down her Instagram profile. It was a strange little subplot to a wild night in Oxford, where the Rebels eventually finished the job with a 41-38 win on a walk-off field goal. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Win Comes With One Deuce Alexander Debate
Deuce Alexander turned in the kind of breakout day Ole Miss fans will remember from a wild 41-38 win over Louisville, hauling in two 62-yard touchdown receptions to help fuel the Rebels offense. He finished with five catches for 159 yards and two scores, giving the passing game a huge lift in a game that stayed tight deep into the afternoon.
Alexanders second touchdown also left behind a small bit of sideline debate, thanks to a celebration that came immediately after he crossed the stripe. On the play, he flipped the ball behind him and may have let it go before fully reaching the goal line, but the officials did not stop to review it, allowing the score to stand and Ole Miss to keep control of a game it could not afford to lose. [Read more 🡒]
Trinidad Chambliss Answered Ole Miss Biggest Week 1 Question
The most important thing Ole Miss needed to learn in Week 1 was whether Trinidad Chambliss could steady a game that might have gotten away early, and he answered it in a big way against Louisville. After a shaky start that included turnovers, Chambliss settled in and kept the Rebels on course in a back-and-forth matchup, piling up 386 passing yards and accounting for four touchdowns while helping Ole Miss survive a 41-38 finish.
What stood out most was how the game tightened around him late, when every possession mattered and the Rebels needed someone to handle the pressure instead of adding to it. In a weekend when a lot of SEC teams cruised through lopsided openers, Ole Miss got a real test, and Chambliss final drive gave the Rebels a much clearer idea of what they have under center as the season moves into a tougher stretch. [Read more 🡒]