OXFORD, Miss. — Listed at 6-foot-even, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss didn’t receive any Division I scholarships out of Forest Hills Northern High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He transferred to Ole Miss in May from Division II Ferris State, where he typically played in front of about 5,000 people.
On Saturday, in front of 67,737 people — the fourth-largest crowd in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — Chambliss led the Rebels to a 24-19 win against No. 4 LSU, pushing undefeated Ole Miss (5-0) into the College Football Playoff race and making a case to be the Rebels’ full-time starter.
Playing in place of injured starter Austin Simmons, Chambliss outplayed LSU senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who entered the season as a projected first-round NFL draft pick. He completed 23-of-39 passing yards for 314 yards and one touchdown, and he ran 14 times for 71 yards.
“This is a really cool story,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “I like good stories. Here’s a little, short kid from Division II going against Nussmeier and the mighty Tigers with Ole Miss. It was really cool.”
Chambliss became the first SEC player with 300 pass yards and 50 rush yards in three consecutive games over the past 30 years. He has played so well during that span that Kiffin didn’t rule out the possibility of Chambliss earning the starting job.
“We’ve got a bye week coming up,” Kiffin said “It’s a good problem to have. I don’t have that answer right now, and I don’t need to have it right now. We have two really good quarterbacks. That’s a really good thing to have. You see around the country, people usually when they lose their quarterback, their team changes a lot. And Austin got hurt, and we’re still able to play the way that we played.”
It wasn’t a flawless performance for Ole Miss, which had 14 penalties for 109 yards — 10 of which came in the first half, the most in the Kiffin era. The Rebels, though, exposed LSU’s inept offense, which was held to just 57 rushing yards and was 2-of-11 on third-down conversions.
“We wanted it more,” safety Wydett Williams Jr. said of the defense. “Simple as that.”
Nussmeier was held to 197 passing yards, a career low as the Tigers’ starter. He was often off target and made several bad decisions, including in the second quarter, when he threw a pass into traffic that Williams snagged for an interception.
Chambliss, though, was playing behind an offensive line that didn’t allow one sack and gave him ample time to throw. He led a group that racked up 480 total yards against a defense that was one of the best in the SEC.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Chambliss said. “… It’s an amazing accomplishment. Got to thank God for that one, he’s been with me the whole time. I’ve got to thank Coach Kiffin, the whole staff here at Ole Miss for giving me the opportunity to come here and showcase my skill set, showcase what I can do. Great athletes, just an amazing support staff. It’s a dream come true.”
At Ferris, Chambliss led the Bulldogs to their third national title in four years last season, but the difference in resources was stark. He said he was used to practicing in the snow because there was no indoor facility. There have been a few upgrades with his move, including players around him like receiver Cayden Lee, who led the Rebels with four catches for 70 yards, and running back Kewan Lacy, who had 87 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
“I feel like Trinidad has just done a really amazing job,” Lee said, “the way he’s handled the offense, the meetings he’s had with us personally, just getting us ready for the defense, having us dialed in the film studies, and that’s really showing on the field.”
Chambliss and Simmons hugged after the game, and those within the program said Simmons has handled his injury recovery and the situation well.
“Austin’s been a stud, battling his way back from injury,” Kiffin said. “That’s not easy. You’ve been waiting to be the starter for a couple of years, waiting for Jaxson [Dart] to leave, and so really proud of him as he’s handled that.”
The Rebels head into a bye week with three SEC wins, including Kentucky and Arkansas. Their win against the Tigers was the first this season against a ranked opponent, and it should catapult them into the top 12.
With about a minute left in the game, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter told a staff member, “I think we need as many uniforms down here as we can,” to help prevent fans from storming the field.
It turned out that wasn’t necessary — a moment Kiffin said was an even more telling reaction about the state of the program.
“To me, that’s really cool that you get to a place as a program that you do beat the [No. 4] team in the country and you don’t rush the field because you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, and that’s win the game,” he said. “That makes me happy this program has gotten to that place.”
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t room to celebrate. As Kiffin went into the tunnel, he pumped his fist and flung his visor into the air.
Lee said the only expectations the Rebels have to meet are their own.
“I remember last year, everybody had all these expectations for us to go super, super far, and we didn’t end up doing that,” he said. “And this year I feel like almost nobody is talking us. All of the talk and stuff preseason doesn’t matter. It just matters the team’s mindset and what you guys are going to do every single game. So far we have a 1-0 mindset, and that’s worked out for us.”
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