Skip to main content
Ole Miss

Trinidad Chambliss comes out firing as Ole Miss tests Georgia early

Ben Garrettby: Ben Garrett10/18/25SpiritBen
USATSI_27357636
Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss (Photo credit: USA Today Images)

Trinidad Chambliss started slow in a sleep-walky 24-21 win over Washington State last week. 

He came out hot between the hedges at No. 9 Georgia. 

Chambliss was 6 for 9 for 48 yards and a seven-yard rushing touchdown on the Rebels’ first drive of the game. Ole Miss leads Georgia, 7-3, after one quarter in Athens.

“I feel like we didn’t execute on offense,” Chambliss said after Washington State. “We were driving the whole game and moving the ball, but we just couldn’t finish in the red zone. I didn’t play as well as I should as a quarterback, and that’s a lot on me moving the ball, executing on third downs, making the right choices, and making plays.”

Chambliss is making his fifth consecutive start for Ole Miss at quarterback. However, Austin Simmons, who started each of the first two games for the Rebels, could see action. He received his most game-week practice reps since injuring his ankle in a win at Kentucky. 

“Both [Ole Miss quarterbacks] are ready to play,” Kiffin told ESPN pregame. “Trinidad is going to go first.”

Chambliss replaced the injured Simmons against Arkansas and hasn’t looked back.

No. 5 Ole Miss is undefeated (6-0, 3-0 SEC) to open a season for the second time under Kiffin and just the eighth time in history. 

Only three Rebels teams in the last 62 years have won at least their first six games. Saturday is the first time in three years Georgia has hosted a Top 10 matchup as the lower-ranked team, though the Bulldogs entered the day 7.5-point favorites.

Smart is 1-2 against the Rebels as Georgia head coach.

“We’ve done some good things here as a program,” Kiffin said on the SEC Teleconference. “But there’s another step. Can you go beat an elite program like we were able to do last year in Georgia but now do it at their place? It’s a great opportunity to have. We’re going to have to stay really focused. 

“Heard Kirby talking about the noise and how it needed to be the loudest the stadium’s ever been. I’m sure it will be. But both [teams] have to play in the noise. They actually verbally communicate more on defense than we do on offense. Rare game like that. The noise is not the biggest factor at all in the game. It’ll be blocking, tackling, catching, throwing and taking care of the football.”

Ole Miss is No. 2 in the SEC in total offense and passing offense. The Rebels are No. 5 in rushing offense and No. 4 in scoring offense. 

Chambliss, an off-season addition from Division-II Ferris State, has totaled 1,567 total yards (1,286 passing, 281 rushing) and 10 touchdowns (seven passing, three rushing). Chambliss has completed 65.4 percent (85 for 130) of his passes and leads the conference in both yards per completion and yards per attempt.

Chambliss against Washington State became the first Ole Miss quarterback to throw for 250 yards or more through their first four starts since Eli Manning in 2001.

Could more magic be on the way in Athens? 

“He’s explosive, right? He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s tough, he’s got great lower body,” Smart said this week of Chambliss. “Great instincts. There’s a difference between being a fast guy and being a runner. He sets up blocks and he’s a good passer. They should get the greatest award there is for finding this guy. I don’t know who scouted it, who found him, but he is a really good football player they went out and got and did a tremendous job.”

You may also like