Instant Takeaways From Ole Miss' First-Ever Loss to Oklahoma

For the first time ever, Ole Miss lost a football game to Oklahoma.

Ole Miss dropped its second straight game, marking its fourth loss of the season, in what was a sloppy and unconventional Sunday afternoon in Norman.

After expressing great objection to Saturday’s originally scheduled game being moved to the following day, Oklahoma defended its home turf. The Sooners sent the Rebels to 6-4 (4-4) with their 24-17 win and moved themselves to 6-4 (4-3).

Here are our immediate takeaways following the Rebels’ Week 11 loss.

Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Pete Golding looks up during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rebels get bullied on the ground again

To no surprise, the struggling Sooners’ offense wisely leaned on their run game for much of the day and imposed their will physically.

After giving up nearly 300 rushing yards on 50 attempts against Georgia, Ole Miss’ defense was dominated on the ground again. Oklahoma totaled 49 carries on the afternoon, gaining 188 rushing yards while scoring two touchdowns.

Oklahoma’s domination on the ground helped set the pace for its offense, a critical part of its successful game plan. At one point in the early part of the fourth quarter, Ole Miss had run just its fifth play of the second half. Oklahoma won the time-of-possession battle by 13 minutes, possessing the ball for nearly 37 minutes.

Third down rates were telling

Oklahoma’s run game wasn’t the only reason it controlled the clock. Look no further than each team’s third-down conversion percentage.

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Oklahoma finished the game converting on nine of 16 third downs faced (one-for-two on fourth down), good for a 56 percent success rate. At one point in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma was nine-of-14 (64 percent) on third downs.

For Ole Miss, a far different story on critical downs.

The Rebels finished the game converting just four of their 12 total third downs faced (0-1 on fourth down), for a 33 percent success rate. Second-year punter Oscar Bird punted four times in Norman on Sunday afternoon, just two shy of the six he booted away against Georgia last week.

Trinidad Chambliss put the cape on, but with minimal help

Despite the slow start, a couple of dangerous passes and an offensive showing handicapped by the weather, Trinidad Chambliss played one of his better games of the year considering the circumstances.

Ole Miss was down its top offensive lineman in Patrick Kutas and it was noticeable. Against Oklahoma’s stout defensive front Ole Miss surrendered two sacks, but its impact was more felt in how it affected the Rebels’ approach. If it weren’t for Chambliss’ exceptional ability to elude defenders, the number of sacks taken could’ve been tripled.

Chambliss looked like the dual-threat quarterback he was throughout the 2025 season, rushing for 84 yards (game-high) on 11 carries (7.6 YPC). The Sooners’ pass rush helped eliminate any possibility of Ole Miss finding consistent success on downfield throws, and Chambliss finished with 127 passing yards on 14-of-27 completions.

Again, that number could’ve looked different for Ole Miss had the Rebels not dropped four-to-five passes, with some coming in large moments. On 4th & 13 late in the fourth quarter, Chambliss threw a pass deep down the sideline in a position where only Deuce Alexander could’ve caught the ball, but after review, it was ruled a drop, negating the potential 40-plus-yard gain.

I think the perfect encapsulation of Chambliss’ outing on Sunday afternoon came on Ole Miss’ second, and final, touchdown drive of the game. Chambliss accounted for 77 total yards (51 rushing) on the series himself, with the highlight plays coming on a 32-yard scramble on third down and a 26-yard touchdown strike to Caleb Odom.

Though Chambliss did his best to put his superhero cape on, the pieces around him weren’t enough to capitalize on a commendable performance against one of the nation’s top defensive units.

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