Skip to main content

Ole Miss Has Been Nearly Unstoppable In One Critical Area

The Rebels have the best red-zone offense in the country.
Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss celebrates his touchdown against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss celebrates his touchdown against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

The No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels are 5-1 on the season prior to this Saturday's game against No. 19 Texas. The main reason for Ole Miss' record is the major numbers the offense has put up week in and week out.

Ole Miss is No. 20 in the country in terms of points scored per game, with 37.5. One of the main reasons they've been so productive has been the team's red-zone offense.

The Rebels have been practically guaranteed to score every time they've made it into the 20. Let's look at just how well Ole Miss is doing in the red zone and who deserves credit for the numbers.

Ole Miss Has Been Nearly Perfect in the Red Zone This Season

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy talk during a break in play against Louisville.
Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy talk during a break in play against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss and Iowa State are the only two teams in the country that have scored every time they've gotten into the red zone.

Iowa State has made 17 trips to the red zone. Seven of the Cyclones' scores were from rushing touchdowns, five from passing touchdowns and five from field goals. Ole Miss has made 23 trips and has scored 12 rushing touchdowns, eight passing touchdowns, and three field goals.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is responsible for 14 of the 20 touchdowns the Rebels have scored in the red zone. Chambliss is the only player who has thrown a passing touchdown this season, so all eight passing touchdowns are from him, and all six of Chambliss' rushing touchdowns this season have been in the red zone.

Other players responsible for red zone rushing touchdowns are backup quarterback Deuce Knight, who scored a rushing touchdown against Charlotte, and running back Kewan Lacy, who has five rushing touchdowns, all from within the red zone.

As for who caught Chambliss' passing touchdowns, Rebels wide receivers Johntay Cook, Caleb Cunningham and Horatio Fields have all caught one, while Deuce Alexander has caught two. Tight ends Caleb Odom and Michael Smith have also caught one, as well as defensive lineman Jamarious Brown. Fields has caught a 21-yard touchdown pass against Missouri.

Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro is responsible for all three field goals from within the red zone.

The red zone numbers show Ole Miss has been one of the most efficient offenses in college football. This is impressive in its own right, but especially so when considering that Ole Miss has dealt with a limited Lacy for much of the season due to his lingering injury issues.

Following a 31-3 victory over No. 22 Missouri that saw Lacy get the most carries he's gotten in a game since Week 1, the Rebels will be looking to keep up the remarkable red-zone efficiency they've shown this season through the team's final six games of the regular season.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Published
Jaydon Koss
JAYDON KOSS

Jaydon Koss is a staff writer for Ole Miss on SI. He is a freshman journalism major at Ole Miss from Petal, MS. Prior to joining SI, he previously worked in community news at RHCJC News in Hattiesburg and shot live sports as part of the production team during his time at Petal High School. You can find Koss on social media channels at @jaydonmkoss.

Share on XFollow JaydonMKoss