The No. 6 Rebels welcomed The Citadel to Oxford for the military appreciation game on Nov. 8. After back-to-back SEC wins against Oklahoma and South Carolina, the Rebels stayed hot and secured a 49-0 win against the Bulldogs in the noon game.
Linebacker Tyler Banks commented on the team’s well-rounded performance in a postgame press conference.
“It’s an amazing feeling for one, seeing all your brothers come together,” Banks said. “When it all comes together, it’s a great feeling.”
First half
The Rebels scored on the first drive of the game, moving the ball 87 yards on 10 plays. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss went 6 for 6. An explosive play from wide receiver Tre Wallace III set the Rebels up in the red zone, and running back Kewan Lacy capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
After a Citadel three-and-out, Chambliss remained consistent. He went 5/6 on the next drive. Lacy’s 15-yard touchdown run put him only two scores away for breaking the Ole Miss single season record for rushing touchdowns. This put the Rebels ahead 14-0.
The Rebel defense forced another three-and-out thanks to big hits from linebacker TJ Dottery and defensive end Kam Franklin.
The third drive for the Rebel offense saw some new faces getting involved. Tight end Caleb Odom caught two balls for five yards. Unfortunately, running back Lacy was dropped for a loss on fourth-and-one, resulting in a turnover on downs deep in Rebel territory. However, Citadel kicker Jack Weil missed wide right on a field goal attempt a few plays later.
The Rebels scored quickly on their next possession. Chambliss completed a deep ball to wide receiver Winston Katkins for 32 yards, and an additional 15 yards were tacked on to the end of the play thanks to a face-mask penalty by a Citadel defender.
Chambliss then found Watkins again on a hazardous pass in the end zone, which was tipped by two Bulldog defenders before the Ole Miss wide receiver gathered possession. The Rebels expanded their lead to 21.
Chambliss completed only 12 passes last week against South Carolina. In the first quarter alone this week, he was 17/18 for 190 yards.
To start the second quarter, the Rebel defense forced a three-and-out. This drive also ended with a touchdown, this time a 22-yard reception by wide receiver Cayden Lee. The Rebel lead was 28-0.
On offense, The Citadel finally found some success. Running back Beau Harrington earned the Bulldogs their first new set of downs of the game. Quarterback Cobey Thompkins then completed his first pass of the game to wide receiver Jihad Marks for a 16 yards.
The Rebels then forced a stop on third down and The Citadel punted. On fourth-and-two, quarterback Austin Simmons entered the game and kept the Rebel drive alive with an eight-yard pass to tight end Luke Hasz. Chambliss completed another pass to Hasz, this one for 16 more yards.
After a Bulldog defender was flagged for pass interference against wide receiver Deuce Alexander, Lacy found the end zone once again, tying running back Quinshon Judkins’ single season record of 16 rushing touchdowns in 2022.
“(He’s) a true sophomore, played 10 games and he’s got the record tied,” Kiffin said in a postgame press conference. “Our offensive line has been great. …He probably would’ve had a few more (touchdowns) if we left him in.”
Heading into halftime, the Rebels were up 35-0. The defense allowed 31 total yards and two first downs, along with five tackles for loss. The offense scored touchdowns on five of its six possessions.
Second Half
Staying on queue, the Rebel defense forced the sixth three-and-out of the day, ending the drive with a combined sack by safety Sage Ryan and linebacker Suntarine Perkins — the first sack of the day for Ole Miss.
A poor punt by The Citadel set the Rebels offense up on their own 47-yard line when Chambliss found Odom on a crossing route for a 40-yard gain. Back-to-back receptions by Wallace put the Rebels on the one-yard line. Odom finished the drive off with a touchdown catch, putting the Rebels up 42-0.
After going up 42-0, Lane Kiffin sent out quarterback Simmons and other backups to get some reps in. Simmons’ first full drive ended quickly when a 24-yard rush by running back Logan Diggs was called back for holding. Simmons bounced back from the penalty with a 10-yard pass to tight end Trace Bruckler; but, on third-and-four, Bruckler dropped the first-down pass.
During the media timeout, an Ole Miss fan took the field with his girlfriend to kick a field goal for a prize. Instead of kicking the field goal, though, the fan stopped mid-kick to propose to her. When she said yes, head coach Lane Kiffin went onto the field to take a picture with the newly engaged couple.
Once play resumed, The Citadel had its first explosive play of the game. On a trick play, Harrington held the ball in the backfield for a moment as Thompkins faked a dropback, then rushed up the seam for a 41-yard gain. The Bulldogs were knocking on the door of a touchdown when the Rebels held them at a fourth-and-one, when TJ Dottery swooped in for a tackle for loss.
After taking back possession, Simmons wanted to join in the offensive fun, throwing a beautiful 50-yard deep shot that hit Lee in the hands but fell to the grass, resulting in an incomplete pass to end the third quarter.
Lee made up for the drop on the first play of the fourth quarter when he caught a seam route for 31 yards. However, Simmons’s next throw was intercepted by linebacker Mikey Rosa after a defensive lineman batted it in the air at the line of scrimmage.
The Rebel defense held the Bulldogs to a field goal attempt, which Weil missed.
After failing to get anything going on their next drive, the Rebels were forced to punt.
Down 42-0, the Bulldogs took some shots down field. They were unable to find any success, though, and punted for the seventh time.
In the final minutes of the game, Simmons found wide receiver Dillion Alfred for a 26-yard completion. The quarterback then took matters into his own hands, rushing for seven yards up the sideline to put the Rebels on the Citadel 11. Running back Damien Taylor scored a 1-yard touchdown on a direct snap. The Rebels went ahead 49-0.
This proved to be a great day for Rebel football on both sides of the ball. The defense did not allow a point all game. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s unit held The Citadel to just 107 total yards and forced seven punts. The offense had 563 total yards, with five different Rebels scoring touchdowns. This win was a solid effort all around.
“(The coaches) preached it all week during practice — no matter what the competition is, we have to play our best,” Odom said in a postgame press conference.
What’s next?
The Rebels will welcome the Florida Gators to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff on Nov. 15. ESPN will air the game.
