Lane Kiffin evades question on if he considered putting Austin Simmons in Washington State game

Now halfway through the season, the Ole Miss quarterback situation has remained mysterious. That’s after the Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin entered the season confident in Austin Simmons as their starter.

The challenge is that Simmons got injured. In his place, Ole Miss turned to Trinidad Chambliss, who has been a revelation for the most part. In turn, that also created some controversy and, seemingly, an in-season competition. So, when Chambliss struggled in the Washington State game, some fans expected to see Simmons, though he never came into the game.

Naturally, that led to questions after the game for Kiffin on if he considered making that quarterback change. However, when asked, Kiffin did his best to avoid them. Instead, he focused on the play of Chambliss.

“Yeah, Trinidad started slow,” Lane Kiffin said. “Missed a really critical in-route there that would’ve converted on 3rd and long there. He made some plays for us, especially on the drive at the end of the first half. Overall, he did some good things. Made a really critical play, obviously, with the scramble touchdown, but he did not play consistently like he had. It is what it is.”

Trinidad Chambliss has had his story very well documented now. A Division II transfer from Ferris State, he came in for Austin Simmons when Simmons was injured late in the Kentucky game. Since then, he’s played well and while Simmons has been available, Ole Miss has given him time to get fully healthy. Lane Kiffin has also, when possible, been coy about his status.

In the win over Washington State, Chambliss would complete 20 of 29 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 15 yards and another touchdown. So, while there were some issues, he did play well overall. Kiffin noticed that too. He also was critical of how the entire team played, beyond the quarterback position.

“You’re not going to play perfect every week, and he still was 20-for-29 with two touchdowns. So, he did some good things, but not as consistent as we need to be, and we weren’t around him, especially in protection. They took a lot of risks, like I said, with blitz zero. We had a few guys that needed a little time, and we weren’t able to get them off or we missed them.”

Undoubtedly, quarterback will continue to be a point of concern for Ole Miss moving forward. Regardless, Kiffin likely won’t get away from the question until it’s fully decided.