No. 9 Ole Miss opened its season Sunday night in Nashville with the kind of game that can only be described one way: wild.
The Rebels outlasted No. 24 Louisville, 41-38, on Lucas Carneiro’s game-winning field goal with seconds left, surviving a night that swung back and forth after a sluggish start and a second-half scoring burst from both teams.
It was not clean, especially early. Ole Miss went scoreless in the first quarter, and the Rebels never looked fully settled while John David Baker’s offense searched for rhythm.
Trinidad Chambliss had a rough opening half, including a fumble on a fourth-down attempt and an interception on a pass meant for Deuce Alexander. The offensive line also had moments where protection broke down, and Ole Miss struggled to consistently get the ball to its receivers.
Even so, the Rebels’ defense kept them in it. They limited Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz from building any real momentum in the first half, and new faces like Blake Purchase, Jaheim Otis, and Keaton Thomas made their presence felt by helping slow Louisville’s run game and forcing difficult situations.
Special teams mistakes helped shape the opening half, too. On Ole Miss’ first drive, Brycen Sanders sent a snap over the head of Trinidad Chambliss, which led to a deep punt from Oscar Bird and gave Louisville favorable field position before the Cardinals got on the board.
Louisville then had a high snap on a punt attempt of its own, and that mistake handed the Rebels a short field. Kewan Lacy finished that drive in the end zone to put Ole Miss ahead.
By halftime, the Rebels held a 10-6 lead, but neither offense had done much to inspire confidence.
The game changed fast after the break. Louisville scored its first touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, and Ole Miss answered immediately.
Chambliss hit Deuce Alexander on a 62-yard touchdown pass to put the Rebels back in front, 17-13. Alexander kept torching the secondary, finishing with five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
The back-and-forth continued from there. Louisville kept pressing, and Kienholz made plays with both his arm and his legs.
Ole Miss pushed its lead to 24-16, but the Cardinals answered again, this time with Kienholz finding Tre Richardson for a 62-yard touchdown. Louisville then converted a two-point try to tie the game at 24.
Ole Miss responded with another explosive strike. Chambliss connected with Caleb Odom on a 35-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it 30-24. Then the Rebels defense came up with another stop, and Chambliss added a rushing touchdown to stretch the lead to 38-24.
Louisville still had more in it. The Cardinals answered with a 54-yard touchdown to pull within six, then later drove down the field and got a rushing touchdown from Kienholz to tie the game again.
That set the stage for Ole Miss’ final push. Big completions to Alexander and Odom moved the Rebels into range, and Carneiro finished the job with the winning kick.
The night also came with a setback for Ole Miss, as star running back Kewan Lacy missed most of the second half because of an injury.
In the end, the Rebels got the result they wanted, even if almost nothing about the path there looked routine.
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 🡒]