Rebel quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss offense looked well put together against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, Oct. 10. While there are still issues to work through, offensive coordinator John David Baker’s unit put up 45 points, with the remaining seven points coming from a defensive touchdown. Baker seems to have settled in as the OC.
Ole Miss’ offense totaled 409 yards against Vanderbilt. It had 22 first downs and was 5-of-11 on third down. The offensive line also played well, giving Chambliss plenty of time to scan for targets.
Baker called for a deep pass to wide receiver Deuce Alexander to begin the game. The pass was beyond its target and fell incomplete, but it was nice to see Baker try something bold early. Too often this season, Chambliss has been caged in by conservative playcalling.
Chambliss went for another deep shot, but it was off target. Tight end Caleb Odom nearly converted a third down with a 9-yard pickup, but the Rebels had to punt to open the game. After that, the offense kicked into high gear, scoring touchdowns on four consecutive drives.
The Rebel run game had six plays of 10 or more yards for 107 total yards, including a 10-yard rushing score by Chambliss and a 35-yard touchdown from running back Shekai Mills-Knight, the first of his career. Ole Miss’ 196 rushing yards was the team’s highest in a single game so far this season.
Ole Miss has significant offensive depth. Coming into the season, everyone praised the team for its deep running back room. Prior to last Saturday, Rebel fans had not really seen that depth, but Frazier had a solid performance with 73 yards on 13 attempts against Vanderbilt.
“(Frazier) had a really good week of practice last week,” Golding said. “I felt like he separated himself from some of the other guys from an every-down standpoint. … He’s playing well right now.”
Frazier was impactful in the Rebels’ 52-17 win in Week 6. Baker utilized running back Kewan Lacy some in the first half — he scored a touchdown and compiled 39 yards — but Frazier filled in very nicely for Lacy, giving Ole Miss much-needed yards.
After Frazier, Baker has solid options, though JT Lindsey will need to step up quickly. He has had some big moments, like a fourth down carry and 2-point conversion against LSU, but he has not racked up many yards yet. Mills-Knight may have bought himself more playing time with a strong but brief performance on Saturday.
“(Lindsey’s) still in the mix. He’s still there. (Mills-Knight) came in … (and) gave a spark,” Golding said. “We’ve got the depth that we need there. It’s nice to minimize (plays) and package it based on who’s in the game, so we get a little more specific from a game-planning standpoint and make sure that we’re going to base it on what they do well.”
Having good running back depth can offset Lacy’s absence, whether he is injured or only taking a few plays to rest. Still, offensive game-planning is more difficult without Lacy.
“Sometimes, when you don’t have (Lacy), and you try to fit (the opponent) into what you want to do, that’s not always perfect and that’s hard to do,” Golding said. “(Having depth) allows us to cut some of the reps off of (Lacy), get really specific with him … and then we’ve got three guys that we can roll in and hopefully not miss a beat.”
The Rebel offense is certainly better with Lacy. His presence creates favorable situations and matchups for Baker. Having him on the field is vital for Ole Miss success.
“Obviously, getting Kewan (Lacy) back really healthy, that’s going to change box counts as well,” Golding said. “It’s going to be fun moving forward to have all those pieces back healthy to where (Baker) can really personnel it up and create some mismatches.”
Baker’s utilization of Ole Miss’ depth has improved throughout the season. Alexander’s name has consistently been used in headlines this season, but other names have been prevalent, too.
“We’ve gotten better at using our pieces. (Baker has) done a really good job all year,” Golding said. “We’ve improved every week on using our pieces effectively, creating opportunities for those guys.”
Seven different Revels had explosive plays; three different ballcarriers had over 30 yards and four different receivers had 20 or more yards. Tight end Michael Smith caught the first of his Ole Miss career, and nose tackle Jamarious Brown caught a touchdown pass, showcasing Baker’s creative offense.
“Everybody knows how explosive (Alexander) is,” Golding said. “There’s going to be a lot of weeks that (the opponent is) going to come into the game and take (Alexander) out of the game, and that’s going to open up a lot of other opportunities for other people.”
Wide receiver Traylon Ray had a breakout game against LSU in Week 3 with 115 yards and a touchdown. Odom is becoming an increasingly important target for Baker. He has 17 receptions and 230 through six weeks. He had four more catches for 29 yards against the Commodores.
Importantly, Chambliss played his game without having to bear the weight of doing it all himself. He only played three quarters and still racked up more than 200 yards with three touchdown passes.
The offense stalled in the third quarter, something the unit will need to work. Despite totaling four touchdowns, Chambliss did not have his best performance in Week 6.
“I would say I did solid in the first half. Second half, (I) came out (and) just wasn’t on top of my game, but I have to finish off and play all four quarters,” Chambliss said in a postgame press conference. “(It) doesn’t matter if we’re up 42-10 at half. … There’s a lot of room for improvement for me, just based off accuracy with ball location and reads.”
Ole Miss’ offense looked formidable in Week 6, but the page now flips to a difficult Week 7 match against No. 13 Missouri. Chambliss and the Rebels will look to execute well from start to finish. Hopefully, Baker will continue to let Chambliss let loose and spread the ball around.
