Ole Miss Stock Report: Who Helped and Hurt Themselves vs. Louisville

The Rebels had some breakout stars in last night's game, but still have a lot to improve on.

Mississippi Rebels kicker Lucas Carneiro celebrates with safety Andy Jaffe after kicking the game winning field goal | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss got a huge win in Nashville last night against Louisville.  

The Cardinals hung in with the Rebels for the entire game, forcing Trinidad Chambliss to lead a last-minute drive to set up Lucas Carneiro to kick the game-winning 48-yard field goal.

The expectation for every team in week one is that they’re going to be a little rusty. Some Rebels shook it off quickly, while others will have a lot to clean up against Charlotte next week.

Broadway Chambliss

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passes the ball down field against the Louisville Cardinals during the fourth quarter | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chambliss had himself a second act in the Stadium right across the river from Broadway Street. He reminded everyone that he could put on a show after a tough opening.

He started the game very poorly and looked very uncomfortable in the pocket. He had a fumble and a rare interception in the first half.

In the second half, he turned it on. He threw three touchdown passes and rushed for an additional one. He clearly got comfortable with wide receiver Deuce Alexander after finding him for two 62-yard touchdown passes.

He finished the night looking like a Heisman candidate with almost 400 yards of total offense. Chambliss will tell you he didn’t have the best night, but he'll keep improving and help the Rebels win a lot of games this year.

Deuce Alexander

Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Deuce Alexander runs after the catch for a 62-yard touchdown against the Louisville Cardinals | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Deuuuuuuuuuuucccce”

This is how the Rebel crowd responded to what Alexander did last night. The biggest question heading into this season for the Rebels was the receiving core.

Alexander put those questions to sleep with 159 yards on five catches with two touchdowns. This performance earned him SEC co-offensive player of the week.

He showed incredible breakaway speed on his first touchdown, outrunning a defender who had a great angle on him.

Alexander broke the tape both times he ran into the end zone and settled in really nicely to the wide receiver one position for the Rebels.

The Defense

The defense has a lot to improve on before week three. There really isn’t one player to single out; it was just a bad night for Pete Golding's squad.

The Cardinals scored four touchdowns in the second half. Two of them happened because of missed tackles, and one occurred because of blown coverage.

Good teams take advantage of mistakes, and Louisville did. Golding’s defense has a lot to work on. Luckily, the Rebels will take on Charlotte next week and have the chance to improve on their tackling and coverage communication before the matchup of the decade against LSU.

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