Ole Miss Rebels Exercise One Key DNA Trait in Thrilling Louisville Win

It’s not hard to find a reason to be concerned with what went down in Nashville Sunday night for the Ole Miss Rebels. Yes, they pulled out the thrilling 41-38 win thanks to more late-game heroics from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and a walk-off field goal from the usually reliable Lucas Carneiro.

Many of the offseason concerns appeared: the newly put-together Ole Miss secondary struggled to stop giving up big plays, while the new-look wide receiving corps took time to settle in through the game’s first half. Not to mention, the returning Doak Walker Award winner, Kewan Lacy, went down with an injury mere minutes into the game in the first quarter.

Yet, despite it all, the Rebels leave Nashville in the win column, avoiding what would have been a disastrous start to head coach Pete Golding’s first full season in charge, considering the ease of Lane Kiffin’s debut in Baton Rouge, and showing a key DNA trait that could take them a long way.

The Resilience Still Shines Through

There is no beating around the bush. The first half was not one to write home about offensively for the Rebels. Chambliss didn’t look like himself and was likely still settling into the game's rhythm and acclimating to his new weapons.

You could almost say he looked human. He finished the half with just 75 yards passing, an interception, and completing nine of his 17 passes. That interception marked a squandered opportunity in the second quarter, as the Rebels' defense forced a quick three-and-out mere moments after Ole Miss took the 10-3 lead thanks to Lacy.

Missed opportunities defined the rest of the half as follows: Chambliss’s interception; the defense managed another stop before a 13-play drive by the Rebels' offense resulted in a rare miss by Carneiro.

In those two drives alone, Ole Miss squandered what could have been a two-score lead and all the momentum instead at halftime. Instead, they found themselves in a fight, especially so after Louisville opened the third quarter with a touchdown drive.

After retaking the lead with touchdowns on four of Ole Miss’s next five drives, those missed opportunities resurfaced. Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz just grabbed momentum back with a six-play, 35-yard drive, ending with an incredible 54-yard touchdown pass to Lawayne McCoy, cutting the deficit to a score.

All the Rebels needed was a few first downs, and they’d win the game. Instead, it was a three-and-out leading to a tied game as Louisville drove right down the field and scored.

Yet, as he showcased in the Sugar Bowl last season, Chambliss knows what needs to be done in two-minute situations.

Even without his star running back, starting right tackle, and top receiver due to injuries, the Ferris State transfer set up Carneiro for the game-winning field goal with just two completed passes and a scramble before a Makhi Frazier carry.

It is the resilience that made Ole Miss what they were last season, from the drama of Kiffin leaving just before the College Football Playoff to the halftime deficit against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Heroic second-half performances won’t always be enough to pull Ole Miss out of a hole, especially with all the missed opportunities early in games. Yet, for all the necessary improvements the Rebels need to make, that DNA trait will take them a long way.

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