Ole Miss Cannot Keep Asking Trinidad Chambliss to Rescue the Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels suffered a tough 34-27 loss to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night. Ole Miss scored 24 second-half points, but it was not enough, as Texas did just enough to hold off the Rebels.

Both of the Rebels' losses have raised serious concerns. They've looked like two different teams on the road and at home. Sure, Ole Miss handled Vanderbilt on the road, but its play against quality opponents is unacceptable.

The Rebels could learn one valuable lesson from Saturday's game.

Trinidad Chambliss Can't Be the Only Answer

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chambliss isn't blameless. He did not play his best game on Saturday. Chambliss threw three interceptions, and two of them were in the red zone.

Chambliss' mistakes didn't help Ole Miss. However, the Rebels' quarterback finished with 52 pass attempts. In both of Ole Miss' losses, Chambliss threw the ball 86 times. It's hard to win games when you become a pass-heavy offense.

When the Rebels fall behind, they rely heavily on Chambliss to save the day, but there are bigger issues. The Longhorns dominated time of possession, winning 34:57-25:03. Texas began imposing its will on the Ole Miss defensive line.

The Longhorns pounced on the Rebels' inability to stop the run. Raleek Brown finished with 157 rushing yards as Texas totaled over 200 rushing yards. Chambliss can be perfect, but Ole Miss would struggle to win games if it can't stop the run.

The Rebels tried to build on last week's momentum, but old issues resurfaced. Ole Miss struggled to tackle, failed to establish the run, and couldn't do enough in the first half to win. Again, Chambliss isn't immune to criticism, but the Rebels raised several red flags on Saturday.

However, Pete Golding told his team to focus on the next day. He continued to reinforce a week-to-week mentality, and he reminded his group that they control their own destiny.

“I told them we control our own destiny, you know. So we got to go out, and we’ve got several really good teams we still got to play. All we’re concerned about tomorrow is us, and then we’ll move on to Auburn on Monday. That’s a good football team that obviously already beat Georgia. So we know it’s a tough slate, but I think it’s the right group.”

Ole Miss is backed into a corner, and the schedule doesn't lighten up.

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