No. 9 Ole Miss Football defeated the Charlotte 49ers 41-9 in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Sept. 12. The Rebels led all game and did not allow a touchdown. The Ole Miss offense totaled 420 yards, while the defense allowed 322.
First half
Charlotte won the toss and elected to defer, and the Rebels took no time getting their offense going.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completed a 5-yard pass to Deuce Alexander on the first play of the game. On the next play, running back Kewan Lacy ran for five additional yards for the first down.
Chambliss passed to wide receiver Horatio Fields for a first down, then Lacy rushed for another. After two catches by wide receiver Deuce Alexander, Lacy rushed for nine yards to score the first Rebel touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Rebels went ahead 7-0.
Charlotte managed to earn one first down on its first drive, then punted on fourth-and-8 following a holding penalty and a negative play.
On the Rebels’ second offensive drive, the 49ers held the Rebels to a three-and-out. On the next drive for Charlotte, Ole Miss forced the 49ers to attempt a field goal despite two large gains. Defensive tackle Kam Franklin blocked the kick, and cornerback Jaylon Braxton recovered it, putting the Rebel offense in position at the Ole Miss 33-yard line.
Lacy ran for five yards on the last play of the first quarter. To open up the second quarter, wide receiver Caleb Cunningham caught an 8-yard pass from Chambliss. The Rebels picked up 11 more yards on another Chambliss-to-Cunningham connection a play later.
Lacy then picked up 28 yards on the ground, and Chambliss capped off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Johntay Cook II. The Rebels took a 14-0 lead.
Offensive coordinator John David Baker’s offense was up by two scores, but the Rebels looked a little flat, as they did early against No. 24 Louisville in Week 1.
On the next 49er drive, the Rebel defense forced another punt thanks to defensive tackle Michai Boireau’s tackle for loss on third down.
Catches by wide receivers Traylon Ray and Alexander led the Rebels upfield; an 11-yard rush from Chambliss and a defensive pass interference against the 49ers put Ole Miss on the 2-yard line. Lacy ran up the middle for a touchdown to extend the Rebel lead to 21-0.
The 49ers struggled to get their offense going on the next drive, limping to another three-and-out. Braxton broke up a deep pass attempt on third down. On the other side of the ball, kicker Lucas Carneiro knocked in a 57-yard field goal to make the score 24-0.
On Charlotte’s last possession of the half, a quarterback pressure by defensive end Blake Purchase led to an interception by safety Nick Cull. Cull seemingly returned the interception for a touchdown, but the referees ruled that Cull stepped out of bounds at the Ole Miss 38-yard line. After the game, Cull commented on the defense’s performance as a whole.
“I feel like (the defense) made improvement from last week,” Cull said in the postgame press conference. “We still have a lot to go over and a lot of film to watch before next week.”
Because the half was about to end, the Rebels did not have time to run many plays. Carneiro drilled another field goal to end the first half with a score of 27-0.
Second half
The 49ers opened up with a 43-yard rush by running back Chance Williams and a 9-yard completion to wide receiver Jaylen Hampton. Williams charted three more carries during the drive for 19 yards. After an overthrown shot at the end zone, the 49ers settled for a field goal to get on the board, making the score 27-3.
The Rebel offense lagged on its first drive of the second half. JT Lindsey rushed for three yards, then Cook caught a pass for a loss of three yards. Chambliss was sacked for a loss of six on third down, forcing the Rebels to punt.
The 49ers started their next drive at the Ole Miss 9-yard line and drove down the field. A messy showing by both sides of the ball caused Charlotte to settle for another field goal to make the score 27-6.
The Rebels bounced back with a score of their own the following drive. Chambliss completed passes to Fields, Cunningham and tight end Luke Hasz down the field, then connected with Fields in the end zone to extend the Rebel lead to 34-6.
On the next drive, the 49ers scored another field goal, making the score 34-9.
Backup quarterback Deuce Knight entered the game for the Rebels and connected with wide receiver Dillon Alfred for a 34-yard pickup. After a 9-yard completion to Darrell Gill Jr. and a 9-yard run by Knight, the Rebels were back in the red zone. On first-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Knight ran it in himself, hurdling a 49er on his way into the end zone. Ole Miss took a 41-9 lead.
After the game, Fields commented on Knight’s highlight-reel play.
“(Knight) went the whole week telling us he was going to hurdle somebody, ” Fields said in the postgame press conference.“We believed it, too. It was very exciting to see him do that.”
After a scoreless drive by the 49ers, the Ole Miss offense took the field again. However, this drive ended with an interception by Knight. Still, the Rebels finished on top, 41-9.
What’s next?
In what is one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season, Ole Miss will host No. 8 LSU Saturday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m.
