No. 9 Ole Miss Football defeated No. 24 Louisville with a last-second field goal in a 41-38 showdown on Sunday, Sept. 6. While a win is always the goal, there is speculation regarding how good this Rebel team is. The offense struggled in the first half before exploding for 31 points in the second.
The offensive line played well but was also helped by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ escapability in the pocket. While he did not get sacked, the Cardinals pressured him multiple times. Right guard Patrick Kutas commented on the offensive line’s performance against Louisville.
“I think I played, personally, pretty good. I played physical,” Kutas said in a press conference on Sept. 8. “As a unit, I thought we played really well.”
While Ole Miss won the game, the offense started off slowly in the first half. Kutas commented on how the team was able to band together in the second half.
“(We focused on) just staying true to ourselves, knowing that the game plan was going to work, just being confident,” Kutas said. “Last year, just whenever we faced adversity, we just always worked through it. It was never like, ‘We’re screwed.’ It was always, ‘We’re ready for this.’”
One of the surprising players who played a major role in the offensive recovery was tight end Caleb Odom. He discussed his transition from wide receiver to tight end and how his skills at tight end have improved since last season.
“I’m trying to embody this tight end role and really … be that Swiss Army knife that can block (a defensive) end,” Odom said on Sept. 8. “I don’t run in the game and everybody’s screaming, ‘Pass, pass, pass.’”
Chambliss led the team to the win with a fantastic second half. He threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Kutas praised Chambliss for his leadership when it mattered most.
“(Chambliss has) grown. He’s always going to be a guy who leads by example,” Kutas said. “(He keeps) everybody’s morale up. We’re not going to go into a slump because we didn’t play as (well) as we thought in the first half.”
Chambliss’ ability to play under pressure is one of his most noteworthy skills, especially in big games last year.
“He’s super calm,” Kutas said. “It’s kind of scary, honestly. He’s so confident in his ability, and we are too. We’re not nervous or anything. It’s just, ‘We’re going to get you the first down. There’s nothing you can do about it.’”
Wide receiver Deuce Alexander propelled the Rebels to the win after totaling 159 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He was the third option at receiver last year behind De’Zhaun Stribling and Harrison Wallace III.
This year, Alexander has definitely taken a step forward and been more of the main guy on the offense, but Odom also discussed how Alexander is different from a team culture standpoint as well.
“Deuce has always been Deuce, just a speedy guy that can get open on any route and catch the ball,” Odom said. “I definitely feel like he looks a lot more confident and just with everything he’s doing, whether that’s practice, being more of a leader, being more of that voice that we are hearing around in the locker room and stuff.”
Head coach Pete Golding did not release a depth chart leading up to the Louisville game. He waited until Tuesday, Sept. 8, to do so. Notably, in the wide receiver room, Caleb Cunningham is ahead of Darrell Gill Jr. on the chart, but neither played on Sunday.
Izaiah Hartrup is behind Horatio Fields, who impressed in his first game as a Rebel with 47 yards on five catches and looks to be the WR2. Johntay Cook II had a couple opportunities to make plays, but the slot receiver could not haul in the passes. Behind Cook is Traylon Ray, who hauled in two passes for 30 yards.
Running back Kewan Lacy also factored into the passing game with 19 yards on four catches, though it was clear offensive coordinator John David Baker was trying to force the ball to Lacy at times, which made the offense slightly predictable.
Looking ahead to Charlotte and the LSU game, Kutas spoke about how the offense cannot overlook any opponent, no matter the team or conference.
“We’ve got a game this week, so you can’t look past anybody, no matter who you’re playing,” Kutas said.
Odom echoed Kutas’ comments but also discussed how playing ranked opponents like Louisville can be just as beneficial as starting out the season against teams who are less talented.
“I think the battle-tested games and the hard games are always good to go ahead and just get out of the way early,” Odom said. “(But) a lot of teams are playing the FCS schools or the not-as-good schools, and who’s to say that’s not good? You can look at it either way.”
Ole Miss will take on Charlotte in a night game at home on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6:45 p.m. This will be the first home game of the season and will be streamed on ESPN.
