By Elijah Klepczyk
Emmerich Newspapers
OXFORD - Ninth-ranked Ole Miss rolled past Charlotte 41‑9 in its home opener over the weekend. Star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss turned in another efficient performance, going 23‑for‑26 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Tailback Kewan Lacy picked up right where he left off last season, rushing for 86 yards and scoring twice.
“I was proud of their effort,” head coach Pete Golding said of the game, adding that he saw plenty of things to clean up, but thought the team played well as a whole.
After giving up five touchdowns last week to Louisville, the Ole Miss defense responded by giving up zero to the forty-niners. The Rebels were also able to create a turnover this week, with safety Nick Cull intercepting a pass with 17 seconds left in the first-half.
Ole Miss scored on five of its six first half possessions, and went into halftime up 27-0. Lacy found the endzone on the Rebels opening drive for a nine-yard score. Later in the second quarter Chambliss found Johntay Cook II for a 14-yard touchdown, and in the following drive Lacy found the endzone again with a 5-yard rush.
Lucas Carneiro went 2‑for‑2 on field‑goal attempts, both coming in the second quarter. He drilled a 57‑yarder to extend the Rebels’ lead to 24‑0, and after Cull’s late‑quarter interception, he added a 51‑yard kick that he sent cleanly through the uprights.
Golding said that he was not happy with the team's third quarter performance, as the Rebels did not score, and gave up six points to Charlotte. Ole Miss got right back on track in the fourth, with Chambliss finding Horatio Fields for a 9-yard touchdown on the second play of the quarter to extend the lead to 34-6.
The Forty-Niners were able to kick another field goal in their ensuing drive to make the score 34-9, but the Rebels were able to respond. Backup quarterback, Deuce Knight, was able to hurdle a defender during his seven yard touchdown scamper, securing the highlight of the night for Ole Miss. Chambliss said after the game that Knight told the team he would jump over a player during the game if given the opportunity to go in.
The 2‑0 Rebels now face their toughest test of the season as seventh‑ranked LSU, led by Lane Kiffin, comes to Oxford on Saturday night. “It’s for real now,” Golding said of the top‑10 matchup, adding that Ole Miss will “have to be at its best” to beat the Bayou Bengals.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ABC, and before the game ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from The Grove from 8 to 11 a.m.
Next week on Sept. 23, Ole Miss will travel to the Swamp to face the Florida Gators and first‑year head coach Jon Sumrall. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the game has not yet been assigned a broadcast slot.
