The Good, Bad and Ugly of Ole Miss' Win Against LSU

The Rebels looked impressive, but not perfect in a statement win over LSU.

Ole Miss tight end Caleb Odom stiff arms LSU safety Tamarcus Cooley during a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels defeated Lane Kiffin and the No. 7 LSU Tigers in a 32-24 thriller in Oxford.

Ole Miss earned a statement win tonight, but not everything went smoothly. Let's look into the good, the bad and the ugly for Ole Miss' 2026 Magnolia Bowl victory.

Good: What Ole Miss Proved

Mississippi Rebels head coach Pete Golding interacts with Louisiana State Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin prior to the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a win like tonight's, Ole Miss and their head coach Pete Golding proved that they won't drop in relevance in the absence of former head coach Lane Kiffin. In fact, they might be better off.

Pete Golding has been the head coach of Ole Miss for six games. In those six games, Golding is 5-1, with wins over three top-12 teams. In comparison, Lane Kiffin is now 1-8 on the road against ranked opponents when coaching a top-10 team.

Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss also had another game where he willed the Rebels to victory. Offensive coordinator John David Baker had him throw the ball 48 times. On those throws, Chambliss had 33 completions for 363 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Those stats for Chambliss meant a good game for the receiving corps; Traylon Ray, Caleb Odom, Deuce Alexander and Horatio Fields all had at least five catches for more than 50 yards. Ray, in particular, had a breakout game, finishing with seven receptions, 115 yards and a touchdown.

If Golding and Baker can keep up this momentum heading into the rest of this year's challenging schedule, then the sky's the limit for the 2026 Ole Miss Rebels.

Bad: Kewan Lacy's Injury Struggles Continue

Mississippi Rebels running back Kewan Lacy carries the ball against the Louisiana State Tigers during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy is a special playmaker on the field when he's healthy. The problem is, he's starting to leave a lot of games with injuries.

In the Rebels' last four matchups, Lacy has left three of them early because he was hurt. Against Miami in the semifinals of last year's College Football Playoff, Lacy left early with a hamstring injury, though he would return.

This offseason, Lacy got shoulder surgery due to the heavy workload he had for Ole Miss last season. There was optimism around keeping Lacy fresher; however, he left the Magnolia Bowl with a shoulder injury, and he left the Rebels' Week 1 matchup against Louisville because of a leg injury.

Lacy's injury concerns are legitimate, but it's not time to panic over them yet. However, if this trend continues and it really is as hard to keep Lacy healthy as it seems, then Ole Miss would have an issue worthy of the "ugly" section of this article.

Ugly: LSU's Comeback

LSU Tigers receiver Winston Watkins Jr makes a catch to score a touchdown against the Ole Miss Rebels while they take on the LSU Tigers. September 19, 2026; Oxford, MS, USA; at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The atmosphere couldn't have been better inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at halftime when the Rebels were up 24-7. Then, LSU crawled back from the deficit and had the game tied at 24 late in the fourth quarter.

Even though Ole Miss ultimately came out with the victory, they were lucky not to be punished for blowing a lead that large.

Tonight, Ole Miss should celebrate. Their defensive backs played much better than they have so far this season, and the defense overall looked very good, but going forward, a major focus needs to be put on protecting the momentum the Rebels gain.

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