No team should be judged by how they perform when everything is going its way, just as this Ole Miss program should be judged on how it can respond after the tumult it faced last time out against Georgia.
With the Rebels’ playoff hopes dwindling to the lowest they have been all season, Pete Golding’s squad will need to respond in a big way this afternoon in Norman. Facing an Oklahoma team with a retooled offensive scheme and rejuvenated belief in itself, Ole Miss will need to capitalize on the trend that the Sooners have yet to win consecutive games this season.
Just about everything went wrong at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium last weekend for the Rebels, and it’s true; everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Golding’s side took a clean hit to the jaw from the Bulldogs, and Ole Miss will need to claw itself up against Oklahoma if it wants a chance at getting back to the playoffs this season.
Trinidad Chambliss Plays a Clean Game Following His Worst Showing
Numbers talk, and for Trinidad Chambliss, they’re quite damning. Throwing nine passes to the wrong side this season, the Rebels’ former Heisman frontrunner is third in the Football Bowl Subdivision for interceptions this year. If Ole Miss wants to win on the road tomorrow and show that it can play in tough road environments, Chambliss will need to clean the turnovers up.
The differences between Georgia and Oklahoma are clear, and I truly believe that Chambliss will return to the form he got fans used to in the 2025 season. The Rebels need their star to play a professional game today, and that all starts with taking care of the ball and making the right decisions when the Sooner pass rush gets in his way.
The days of Chambliss and Kewan Lacy backfields are over this year, and the former will need to remind the Rebels’ faithful of the leader he is capable of being. Behind a reworked offensive line, I expect Chambliss to erase the doubts that have been growing surrounding him recently, and #6 will lead Ole Miss to victory in Norman on the heels of a strong offensive showing.
Shekai Mills-Knight has the Best Rushing Performance of the Season
While Lacy’s legacy in Oxford looks like it will end full of questions about injuries and unfulfilled potential, the Rebels have a tailback capable of reshaping the team’s rushing narrative late in the season. I wholeheartedly believe in Ole Miss’ French-Canadian sophomore, and John David Baker’s offensive scheming needs to rely on the talent that can line up beside Chambliss.
Shekai Mills-Knight, when utilized by Baker, has been a revelation for Ole Miss’ rushing attack; the only issue is that Knight has been used nowhere near enough. Makhi Frazier has left a lot to be desired since arriving at Ole Miss from Michigan State, and with Knight receiving the leftover touches, the Rebels have seen what the sophomore back is capable of.
If Shekai Mills-Knight is given an uptick in touches in Norman, there is no reason that the tailback cannot eclipse Ole Miss’ single-game leading rusher this season: Kewan Lacy’s 122-yard showing against Missouri. The Rebels need to be more dynamic offensively, and it all starts with feeding the Canadian native.
The Defense Holds Oklahoma Under 21
Georgia’s offense was able to do whatever it wanted in Oxford last weekend, and the Rebels will need to suffocate John Mateer and the Sooners under the new Jason Witten-led offense.
Ole Miss has lived off of its offense for the past two seasons, and with how things have gone recently, a strong defensive showing in Norman will go a long way, not just towards a win but towards proving to the selection committee that the Rebels are worthy of making the postseason.
Golding’s defense has the talent to be great, now it just needs to translate to the field.
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