The Music City Kickoff proved to be a tough fight for Ole Miss, but the Rebels managed to secure a last-second win over the Louisville Cardinals. While some Rebels met or exceeded fan expectations, others fell short. Here is how the Rebels performed, using an A-F grading scale.
Lucas Carneiro — A
Last season, Carneiro was often hailed as the hero of the game. In this season’s opener, he looked just as good, despite one missed field goal. Against Louisville, Carneiro went 2-of-3, but his grade is due to more than just his stats.
When the offense struggled to start, the Rebels fell back on Carneiro and trusted him to put points on the board. He delivered and tied the game at three in the second quarter.
Carneiro then had an opportunity from 46 yards but had a rare miss. This did not rattle him, and Carneiro was ready for a 57-yard attempt, just one yard shy of his career long.
Although Carneiro missed, the referees called a roughing the kicker penalty when Cardinals defensive back DJ Waller knocked Carneiro off his feet. The Rebels were able to use the opportunity to score a touchdown.
The moment that contributed most to Carneiro’s “A” was his ability to shake off the pressure and nail the 48-yard game winner as time expired.
Carneiro has proven time after time that he is made for big moments and can be trusted to earn points. His miss can be forgiven: He only missed four kicks last season and still has one of the strongest legs in all of college football.
Deuce Alexander — A
Heading into the game, there were questions surrounding the Rebels’ wide receiver room. Who would step up to make plays for the Rebels?
Against Louisville, returner Deuce Alexander carried the team and made a case for himself as the Rebels’ top receiver. He ended the game with five receptions for 159 total yards, including two 62-yard touchdowns.
Alexander’s first touchdown came in the third quarter when he snagged a bullet pass from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and sprinted 40 yards to the end zone, outpacing multiple defenders.
His second touchdown came just eight minutes later. Chambliss floated the ball high near the sideline, and amid tight coverage, Alexander caught the pass in stride and hustled in for another touchdown.
Additionally, Alexander’s 159 receiving yards marked the first 100-yard game of his collegiate career.
Alexander gets an “A” for trust he built both with fans and Chambliss.
After being largely overshadowed last season, Alexander was an option when Chambliss needed one most. He will likely emerge as someone Chambliss turns to for breakout plays in the future.
Trinidad Chambliss — B
Chambliss looked good, but he was not an outstanding performer early in the opener. He did, however, wake up in the second half. As a result, the Heisman hopeful earns a “B” for his performance.
Right away, the offense looked shaky. Chambliss was forced to fall on a high snap that sailed over his head, and while this was not his fault, it was not the start the Rebels wanted.
On Ole Miss’ second drive, Chambliss dove for the first down, but he did not protect the ball adequately. The ball was punched out, and Louisville recovered the fumble.
After that, Chambliss had some short passes that served as confidence boosters, and he seemed to settle in before launching a deep pass to wide receiver Traylon Ray for 31 yards.
From there, apart from one interception, Chambliss looked very much like the quarterback the Rebels know and love.
Between the deep passes to Deuce Alexander and a 35-yard touchdown pass to tight end Caleb Odom, Chambliss’ arm looked good. He also proved that he is still a dual-threat quarterback with his 5-yard run into the end zone.
Overall, mistakes in the first half took Chambliss down a letter grade, but his second half performance was enough to prove that the Rebel star is back.
Blake Purchase — B-
When Purchase transferred to Ole Miss, the defensive end was marked as someone who could put immediate pressure on opposing offenses. Against Louisville, Purchase got the chance to prove himself, and he ended the game with half a sack and five total tackles, three of which were solo.
Notably, Purchase pressured the quarterback well. In one instance, he helped teammate Suntarine Perkins sack Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, which stopped the Cardinals’ drive and forced a punt.
However, he could improve. Purchase missed opportunities due to bad decisions. Late in the third quarter, there was a moment when Purchase broke through the offensive line, but he was fooled by a fake handoff, and Kienholz was able to sneak by and run for nearly 40 yards.
In another play late in the fourth quarter, Purchase moved inside to try to tackle Kienholz, which left an opening on the outside for the Louisville quarterback to run in for a touchdown.
Overall, Purchase was slightly inconsistent. At times, he delivered the needed pressure, but at other times he misread situations and gave up big plays, so he earns a “B-.”
Rebel secondary — D
Rather than just one player alone, the Rebels secondary defense performed poorly as a unit. Throughout the second half, the Cardinals were able to consistently find open space deep downfield, and the Rebels could not make the plays required to stop them.
One play that sticks out came with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Kienholz, who was on the run, threw a deep ball to receiver Lawayne McCoy, who caught the pass right on the edge of the field.
Safety Edwin Joseph came flying in to knock McCoy out of bounds but missed. Cornerback Jaylon Braxton hesitated and also missed his opportunity for the tackle. Safety Anthony Robinson III got stiff-armed and fell to the ground, and McCoy was free to head for the end zone.
Sequences like that were all too familiar, and just minutes later, the same trio allowed open Cardinals running back Isaac Brown to make a catch inside the Rebels’ 10-yard line.
Outlook
After the sluggish start, the Rebels offense was not a worry, but for a defense that has been hailed by many as an elite unit, Ole Miss needs to fix its problems soon.
