Ole Miss expected to start Trinidad Chambliss at quarterback vs. LSU

Trinidad Chambliss is expected to make his third straight start at quarterback for Ole Miss on Saturday against No. 4 LSU as Austin Simmons continues to work through an ankle injury, sources tell On3’s Chris Low and I. Chambliss has impressed, going 2-0 as a starter and totaling five touchdowns.

Simmons started the season as the starting quarterback, but continues to be plagued by the ankle injury. He returned for a few snaps in the win over Arkansas but hobbled off the field. A Ferris State transfer and Division II national champion, Chambliss was 17 of 27 for 307 yards and two touchdowns to go with 112 rushing yards on 14 carries in a win over Tulane.

Trinidad Chambliss has started to get some Heisman Trophy attention for his performance with Simmons sidelined with the ankle injury. Sources have told On3 that Simmons is not 100% yet but is better than last week.

“We’ll have to evaluate (Simmons’) health and then make a decision,” Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said earlier this week. “Today was just a walkthrough, so not enough to evaluate. But at 100% he was our starting quarterback. But we don’t know what percentage he’ll be.”

Chambliss has thrown for 719 yards and four touchdowns this season, while totaling 195 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He hasn’t turned the ball over and is completing nearly 68 percent of his passes. Chambliss is No. 1 in the SEC in yards per pass attempt (11.6) and No. 2 in passer rating.

The Rebels are on a bye next week before Washington State and back-to-back SEC road trips to Georgia and Oklahoma. That gives time for Simmons to get healthy before the brunt of SEC play.

Kickoff on Saturday is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.