The No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels hosted the Washington State Cougars in a non-conference matchup for their 2025 Homecoming game on Saturday. The Rebels won narrowly, 24-21, in a game which came down to the final play.
First half
The game started slow, with two Rebel drives stalling in the red zone. On the first drive, an incompletion by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss on 4th-and-goal resulted in a turnover on downs.
“Momentum is so critical, and little things can flip it,” Kiffin said in a post-game press conference. “Things would’ve been different if we finished that first drive.”
The second drive ended on a missed 47-yard field goal attempt by kicker Lucas Carneiro.
The Cougars took a 7-0 lead with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Zevi Eckhaus to freshman receiver Landon Wright.
The Ole Miss offense opened the second quarter with a botched snap. Chambliss reacted quickly; he corralled the ball and completed an eight-yard pass to wide receiver Cayden Lee to put the Rebels just short of the red zone. However, the drive ended when Chambliss fumbled after being sacked by Washington State’s Isaac Terrell.
Late in the second quarter, the Rebels showed some life. Running back Kewan Lacy led the offense into field goal range, and Carneiro drilled the kick to make the game 7-3. On the next drive, Lacy once again did most of the work, and Chambliss capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dae’Quan Wright. Ole Miss led 10-7 at halftime.
Despite this three-point lead, Ole Miss stumbled in the first half. The last time the Rebels touched the field was two weeks ago in a victory over then-No. 4 LSU. The offense did not find its groove until late in the half.
“(I) felt like we were very sluggish,” Lee said in a post-game press conference. “We had no consistency, so we just have to play better.”
Second half
The Ole Miss defense continued its strong showing by forcing the Cougars into a 3rd-and-long, but a costly roughing the passer flag gave the Washington State offense a new set of downs. The mishaps continued when Cougar running back Kirby Vorhees broke free for a 46-yard touchdown, giving Washington State a 14-10 lead.
As the end of the third quarter approached, wide receiver Deuce Alexander did not have a single target. Chambliss continued to miss routine throws, so the offense relied on the ground game. A 17-yard touchdown scramble by Chambliss at the end of the quarter put the Rebels ahead once again, 17-14.
The Rebel defense opened the fourth quarter by forcing a three-and-out.
Lacy opened the next Rebel position with a 23-yard rush, setting up the offense in scoring position. Chambliss capitalized with a pass to Lee on the sideline, who broke a tackle and made another defender miss to score a 35-yard touchdown. The Rebels took a two-score lead and brought the score to 24-14.
On the next drive, the defense was solid once again. On 4th-and-8, however, Rebel cornerback Jaylon Braxton was flagged for holding, and the Cougars received an automatic first down. A few players later, Eckhaus lobbed a pass to receiver Tony Freeman for a 19-yard touchdown, shrinking the Rebel lead to just three, 24-21.
On the next drive, Chambliss responded with a 42-yard completion to Wright. The Rebels were then forced back 15 yards after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. A holding penalty pushed them out of field goal range, and the Rebels were forced to punt.
The Ole Miss defense was left as the only thing standing between a monumental upset. Though the secondary and pass rush did their jobs, another pass interference penalty on fourth down — this one with three seconds remaining –– gave the Cougars another chance to win.
After a last-ditch lateral effort, Washington State could not finish its almost incredible upset, ending the game 24-21 and moving the Ole Miss Rebels to 6-0.
“(It was) unacceptable how we played today,” Chambliss said in a post-game press conference. “We got the win, but we have to be better.”
What’s next?
The Rebels will travel to Athens, Ga. on Oct. 18 to play the No. 10 Bulldogs. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ABC.
