Three Observations From Ole Miss Football's Week 7 Victory Over Washington State

Lane Kiffin and the Rebels get it done in Oxford, escape with a win over the Cougars on Saturday,

Oct 11, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) reacts after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 4 Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0 SEC) survived an upset scare on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium after narrowly taking down the Washington State Cougars in a 24-21 win.

Lane Kiffin and Co. remain unbeaten to open the season with the Rebels taking home the program's sixth consecutive victory in 2025 behind a strong effort from running back Kewan Lacy.

“Probably the one guy who stood out on not really a good day as a team,” Kiffin said of Lacy, who went for 142 rushing yards. “Electric energy, making people miss and had another really good run on one that got called back for a hold. It was a really great effort run.

“If we all played with that effort today, we wouldn’t be feeling like this. We survived. You may have heard me talk about ‘reserve judgement’ on what’s bad or good, and maybe we will look back and say maybe it was good to have this game to wake us up and stop reading where we are ranked.

“We’re ranked fourth, but we played like the 84th-ranked team in the country throughout that game. So quit reading the rat poison and make plays. Don’t make a penalty by hitting the quarterback in the head when we were about to get off the field and finish drives.”

What were the takeaways from Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium?

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

Three Observations: Week 7 Edition

No. 1: Kewan Lacy the Clear MVP

The clearcut MVP on Saturday in Oxford was running back Kewan Lacy after once again lifting the Rebels to a win in 2025.

It was a career day for the Missouri Tigers transfer where the first-year Rebel continues making plays with yards after contact while keeping his legs moving routinely for Kiffin's offense.

On Saturday, Lacy totaled a career-high 142 yards on 24 rushing attempts with multiple momentum shiftig plays for the Rebels.

With Chambliss and Co. struggling to find a groove early, it was Lacy that put the team on his back and made the plays to escape against a fiery Cougars squad.

Chambliss ended the day with 253 passing yards on 20-for-29 attempts through the air with a pair touchdowns.

Oct 11, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Kewan Lacy (5) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 2: Self-Inflicted Wounds Across the First Half

Ole Miss was subpar to say the least on Saturday against the Cougars - and that's being generous - with multiple miscues across the first 30 minutes.

After being stopped inside the five-yard line on the program's first possession of the game followed by a 47-yard missed field goal attempt from Lucas Carniero on the second drive, Ole Miss couldn't get over the hump in Oxford.

Washington State's defense remained stout, but Trinidad Chambliss and Co. continued shooting themselves in the foot with miscue after miscue.

Across the first half, Ole Miss went: Turnover on downs, missed field goal attempt, fumble, field goal and touchdown.

The Rebels struggled on the first three possessions of the first half with Chambliss and the offense shaking the cobwebs off to close out the second quarter to take a 10-7 leading into halftime.

Oct 11, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) passes the ball during the second quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 3: Give the Defensive Line Credit

Ole Miss defensive linemen Will Echoles and Kam Franklin made the most of their opportunities against the Cougars.

Again, it wasn't perfect in Oxford, but there were bright spots at times with the defensive front making impactful plays to keep the Rebels out front.

Echoles ended the night with with a sack, two tackles for loss and four total tackles (3 solo) to give the program a boost in the trenches.

The biggest play for Echoles came in the final minutes of the game when he recorded his lone sack for a 10-yard loss at the Cougars 16 yard-line.

Oct 11, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive lineman Will Echoles (52) and linebacker Jaden Yates (30) tackle Washington State Cougars quarterback Zevi Eckhaus (4) during the third quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

For Franklin, he wreaked havoc up front as the sophomore continues emerging as a critical weapon on defense for coordinator Pete Golding and Co.

He ended the night with a team-high 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.

No. 4 Ole Miss will return to action on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT for a Southeastern Conference matchup against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.

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