Ole Miss has closure after six years under Lane Kiffin as head coach. The Pete Golding era is hitting its stride, and the memory of Kiffin, now LSU’s coach, can be put to rest, as the No. 8 Rebels downed No. 7 LSU 32-24 in a thriller of an SEC opener.
The college football spotlight shone on Oxford all week leading up to Kiffin’s return to a former stomping ground where he had immense success. Ella Langley performed a Thursday night concert on campus, College GameDay set up in the Grove to preview Saturday’s gridiron slate, and the Ole Miss football team gave a packed home crowd what it came for — a big win and a chance to move on from the ex.
“What an awesome weekend, the environment in Oxford. The community did an unbelievable job with so many things going on: the concert Thursday night and GameDay. I’m proud of this building. To [Athletics Director Keith Carter] and to [Chancellor Glenn Boyce], they allowed us to keep our focus on what was important,” Golding said. “Our staff and coaches did an outstanding job. More importantly, our players really stayed focused and worked their butts off. They handled it the right way and did it with class.”
Ole Miss fans played their part, as well. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium drew a record crowd of 70,003 fans, an F-16 flyover, several wristband-powered light shows, fireworks, and a raucous atmosphere. It all paid off, though not without a scare.
The Rebels (3-0, 1-0 SEC), after dominating the first half, led 24-7 at the midway intermission. Star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had clicked on all cylinders. A secret weapon in Traylon Ray emerged as a reliable weapon at wide receiver. Ray notably caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Chambliss to put Ole Miss up 17-7 in the 2nd quarter. Golding’s defense limited Kiffin’s offense, forcing three straight punts and only allowing the one score.
“All glory to God. I stayed down. Not everything comes when you want it to, and I trusted in God’s plan. Look what he did for me today,” Ray, who moved to defensive back out of a roster necessity last year before re-joining the wide receiver’s room in the offseason, said.
It was shaping up to be a blowout in favor of the home Rebels, but the pendulum swung in the opposite direction early in the second half.
An uncharacteristic interception tossed by Chambliss set up a short field for LSU. The Tigers (2-1, 0-1 SEC) marched 33 yards downfield, with a 4-yard touchdown keeper by Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who had struggled in the first half, capping the drive. Leavitt found a groove and later hit wideout Winston Watkins Jr., a former Rebel, in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown. A fruitless offensive possession by Ole Miss allowed LSU to tie the ballgame with a 23-yard kick by Scott Starzyk.
Chambliss, after a self-described shaky 3rd quarter, was not caught up in the moment, nor was he fazed by the fact that his former head coach was on the opposing sidelines. Instead, he remained calm and looked to put the team on his shoulders and lead Ole Miss to victory. And he followed through on that plan with an effective counter to the punch LSU delivered to steal momentum.
On what seemed to be a must-score drive for Ole Miss, Chambliss made big plays. He delivered a 22-yard pass to Horatio Fields to move the Rebels into LSU territory. He put the offense in a position to convert on 4th and short. He delivered a 14-yard strike to Deuce Alexander to land Ole Miss in the red zone. And he ended the drive with a 14-yard keeper that yielded a touchdown.
“I try and stay calm throughout the whole game, regardless of the situation. I was taught that growing up playing the sport, just stay even-keeled. I can’t get too high or get too low. In that situation, I knew that I just had to execute, put points on the board, do what I’ve prepared to do, and that’s what we did,” Chambliss said. “So my mindset doesn’t change much throughout the whole game. I know we were ahead early, and they ended up coming back, but there was honestly no difference in my eyes. It was still 0-0.”
Then it was Golding’s turn to dial up the aggressiveness. A move that might otherwise be attributed to Kiffin’s style, Golding kept his offense on the field to attempt a 2-point conversion. A peculiar decision, given that placekicker Lucas Carneiro is among the best in the sport, the Ole Miss coach wanted to rid the Tigers of a chance to walk the game off. Two LSU offside penalties later, Ole Miss running back JT Lindsey was able to walk into the end zone to put the Rebels up 32-24 with 6:14 left in regulation.
LSU did not go away, however. The Tigers worked themselves deep into Rebel territory. Facing 4th and goal on the Ole Miss 6-yard line, Leavitt and the Tiger offense desperately needed to score. That didn’t happen. Instead, Ole Miss defensive end Kam Franklin deflected the LSU quarterback’s pass, and Jaylen Braxton picked it off in the end zone. Victory formation ensued, and Garth Brooks’ “Callin’ Baton Rouge” later played over the loudspeakers.
In a game where Ole Miss couldn’t really establish a ground attack, Chambliss was the hero. He completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards, 2 touchdowns, and the lone pick. Ray was his top target with 115 yards and a touchdown on 7 receptions. Tight end Caleb Odom, who missed last week’s Charlotte game, was targeted 5 times for 88 yards. Standout running back Kewan Lacy was sidelined with an injury in the 2nd half. Golding said X-rays came back negative, signaling a positive update for Ole Miss.
Leavitt was 16 of 27 for 158 yards, a touchdown, and the game-losing pick. His top target was tight end Trey’Dez Green, who logged 60 yards on 4 catches before suffering an injury in the second half. Wisconsin transfer Dilin Jones manned LSU’s rushing game with 106 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Defensively, Florida transfer Sharif Denson made quite the debut for Ole Miss. After missing the first two matchups with an injury, the corner had an immediate impact, recording 8 tackles, one in the backfield. For LSU, it was veteran linebacker Whit Weeks’ 8 tackles and side-to-side speed that made things difficult for the Rebels. Ole Miss transfer Princewill Umanmielen had 1 of LSU’s 2 sacks in the game.
Next up
Ole Miss will continue conference play at Florida on Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on ABC and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.