Defense proves dominant as No. 9 Ole Miss mauls No. 13 Missouri 31-3

Written on 10/18/2026
Caleb Salers

A dominant defensive showing by No. 9 Ole Miss paved the way for the Rebels to maul No. 13 Missouri 31-3 in a homecoming matchup with potential College Football Playoff implications.

Three Saturdays ago, Ole Miss surrendered more than 300 rushing yards in a 52-28 loss at Florida. What was once a glaring issue has seemingly been corrected by defensive-minded head coach Pete Golding. Last week, Ole Miss held Vanderbilt to 103 yards rushing, and on Saturday, the Rebels (5-1, 3-1 SEC) limited an explosive Tiger offense to a mere 39 yards. Going into the game, Missouri (5-2, 2-2 SEC) running back Jamal Roberts was among the top ball carriers in the nation. When facing a revamped Ole Miss defense, Roberts was held to just 2 yards per carry.

“We knew after the Florida game, we didn’t put the best product tape. [Pete Golding] made it simpler on defense to get back to our old self by attacking blocks and making plays,” Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles said. “I just go out there and play. I’m trying to do my best for my team to win. We have a great group of guys. I know I gave my best.”

Echoles had 5 total tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and 2 pass breakups. Rebel linebacker Luke Ferrelli was all over the field, arguably having his best game since joining the team in the offseason. The sophomore had 5 tackles, a sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss. Defensive back Jay Crawford, who had reportedly been struggling with a turf toe injury, filled in for an injured Edwin Joseph and was effective in the secondary. The Auburn transfer had 5 tackles and a pass breakup.

On offense, Ole Miss had no issue running the ball. Star back Kewan Lacy battled through injuries and had his first 100-plus yard game of the season. Lacy finished with 122 yards on 16 carries—an average of 7.6 yards per rush. He even hurdled former Ole Miss teammate and now-Missouri defensive back, Chris Graves, on one carry.


“I want to play all 4 quarters of the game, just being out there and supporting my teammates,” Lacy, who began his collegiate career at Missouri, said. “Having that mindset to finish all 4 quarters of the game is something I stand by.”

Makhi Frazier split carries with Lacy. The Michigan State transfer had 101 yards on 15 attempts. The Rebels totaled 257 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was responsible for the touchdown run.

Chambliss, while not his best in the passing game, was effective. The positives are that the Ole Miss signal caller completed 20 of 36 passes for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns, hitting 9 different targets in the process. The negative is that he missed multiple open targets. A few of those misses could have resulted in touchdowns. Caleb Cunningham led the receiving room with 61 yards and a score on 3 catches. Tight end Caleb Odom and wideout Horatio Fields had the other 2 touchdown receptions.

“The accuracy wasn’t there for some of my throws. That’s something I had to clean up,” Chambliss said, adding that he enjoyed feeding multiple mouths in the passing game in the win. “Getting everybody involved is crucial — not being solely focused on one receiver or two receivers.” Our guys can make a lot of plays when the ball is in their hands … I have all the confidence in our receivers and our tight ends.”

Missouri struck first blood in the game. After an Ole Miss 3-and-out, former Rebel quarterback Austin Simmons marched his new team downfield, but Golding’s defense buckled down in the red zone and forced the Tigers to a field goal. Blake Craig’s 27-yard make was the only time Missouri would find itself on the scoreboard.

Ole Miss scored 31 unanswered, with 21 of those points coming before halftime. Chambliss had all of his passing touchdowns in the first 30 minutes of action. He earned his rushing touchdown early in the 4th quarter. Lucas Carneiro hit a 38-yard field goal with 3:45 left in regulation.

The Tigers threatened at times. A promising offensive possession early in the 2nd quarter yielded a 23-yard miss by Craig. Missouri was gifted a possession in plus territory after a rare Lacy fumble. Instead of capitalizing on the opportunity to take advantage of an Ole Miss miscue, Simmons threw an incomplete pass on 4th and 6. Simmons and company drove Missouri into the red zone in trash time. On 4th and 4 at the Ole Miss 4, a Simmons pass was intercepted by freshman Ole Miss defensive end Landon Barnes.

Simmons’ return to his former stomping grounds may have been defined by a 28-point loss, an inability to capitalize in the red zone, and inconsistency, but he had a decent stat sheet, all things considered. The southpaw completed 25 of 44 passes for 339 yards and the pick. His top target was Donovan Olugbode, who had 127 yards on 9 receptions. Former Ole Miss wideout Cayden Lee caught 5 passes for 62 yards in the loss.

The two Missouri players spent much time after the game catching up with Ole Miss coaches and teammates who have been part of their journey. Simmons, notably, had an emotional moment with Rebel quarterbacks coach Joe Judge. The two were close from the time the left-handed passer was backing up now-New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, to when Simmons got the starting gig at Ole Miss, and when he got hurt and ultimately lost that spot to Chambliss.

“I’m happy when good people, and [Simmons] went and took advantage of a great opportunity with [Missouri Coach Eliah Drinkwitz] and [offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey]. He’s been playing well,” Golding said, recounting a conversation he had with Simmons after the game. “I told him, ‘Keep your head up. You’re a great player. You’ve got a bright future.’ He’ll be fine.”

Ole Miss had a few injuries in the game. Lacy battled through one that had him sidelined late in the 1st half. Starting center Brycen Sanders missed some of the 2nd quarter with a foot injury. Starting left tackle Terez Davis, who has been effective in protecting Chambliss all year, was sidelined in the 2nd half with an unspecified injury. He remained in uniform, however. Missouri remained without All-American running back Ahmad Hardy. The Mississippi native has not seen the playing field since getting shot in Laurel in May.

Next up

Ole Miss will play at Texas on Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on ABC and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.