Ole Miss QB battle: Lane Kiffin evaluates Trinidad Chambliss, reveals if Austin Simmons was available vs. Tulane

The quarterback situation at Ole Miss has gotten very interesting in the early stages of the season. Coming into the year, head coach Lane Kiffin seemed to be in good shape with Austin Simmons. However, he went down with an injury, which forced Trinidad Chambliss into action. Immediately, Chambliss has thrived.

Ole Miss is coming off a massive win over Tulane, where the offense was firing on all cylinders. That was a game that saw Simmons warm up beforehand but, ultimately, not play while Chambliss rolled. After the game, Kiffin admitted that Simmons was available, but he was happy with what he saw from Chambliss.

“Austin was available, yeah,” Lane Kiffin said. “I thought Trinidad played great.”

Trinidad Chambliss completed 17 of 27 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 112 yards on the ground. In the process, he’d help lead Ole Miss to a 45-10 dominant win over Tulane.

“I love the most important thing, not turning the ball over two weeks in a row. If you do that, you win a lot of games. First offense didn’t turn it over back-to-back weeks, and he played really clean. No balls on the ground, one sack. We had one last week. So, back-to-back weeks, when you just don’t have negative plays,” Kiffin said. “And he carries the ball 14 times, only loses two yards. Has the one sack, everything else is positive and rushed for 112. So what, 419 total, in three and a half quarters is really good against a defense that’s stopped a lot of people.” 

Austin Simmons initially went down with an apparent ankle injury in the Kentucky game. Lane Kiffin would have him available for the Arkansas game, where he briefly played and seemed to reaggravate the injury. So, it’s hard to say how healthy Simmons was, even if he was available.

Regardless of Austin Simmons’ health, the Ole Miss offense hasn’t seemed to drop off at all under Trinidad Chambliss. That’s even led to some calls for him to take over as the starter full-time. Among those was David Pollack.

“I don’t think it’s debatable — it’s Trinidad to me,” Pollack said. “He threw for 307 yards and ran for 112 last week. He’s got moxie, savvy, and I love his calm, cool demeanor. He’s not a big guy, but he doesn’t get flustered; he throws the ball on time and in rhythm. You can trust him because of his experience. Remember, he won a Division II national championship and has played a ton of football. He’s not like a flash in the pan. His running ability gives you an advantage, especially versus LSU.”

Ole Miss is getting ready for a massive weekend in the SEC now, hosting LSU. Ahead of that game, Lane Kiffin clearly has a massive decision to make at quarterback.