Trinidad Chambliss Shines, Box Score Stats, Highlights, Draft Stock from Ole Miss Win vs. Louisville

Trinidad Chambliss and the No. 9-ranked Ole Miss Rebels opened their season with a big win over the No. 24 Louisville Cardinals, 41-38 to close out the Sunday with a bang at home.

The only top-25 matchup of Week 1 saw Ole Miss as a narrow 6.5-point favorite over the lower-ranked Louisville team, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

A game-winning field goal from senior kicker Lucas Carneiro sealed the victory after a second-half clinic from Chambliss, creating an instant season-opening classic.

Player	Comp/Att	Yds	TD	INT
Trinidad Chambliss	21/36	336	3	1

Chambliss and the Rebels looked disjointed to open the 2026 season, going three-and-out for minus-12 yards on their opening drive before fumbling on their next possession to trail 3-0 after one quarter.

They notched their first points on a field goal in the second before running back Kewan Lacy rushed for a score up the middle for Ole Miss' first touchdown of the season.

The rest of the second quarter remained ugly for the Rebels, with Chambliss throwing an interception and veteran kicker Carneiro missing a 46-yard attempt. 

Despite the struggles, Ole Miss led 10-6 entering the break.

Fans were getting déjà vu in the third quarter when Chambliss finally remembered who he was, throwing two 62-yard touchdown passes to Deuce Alexander to help the Rebels work into a 24 tie heading into the fourth quarter.

It was an offensive battle in the fourth, with Chambliss and the Rebels notching 31 over the final two quarters. Chambliss helped the team find the end zone on a 35-yard touchdown pass and a five-yard rush, but they could not shake the resilient Louisville team who tied it up at 38 with 1:28 remaining. 

Chambliss led his team on a 40-yard, seven-play drive down the field to set up Carneiro for a 48-yard field goal. After missing an earlier 46-yard attempt, the senior nailed it to lead Ole Miss to victory.

The former Division II transfer had a whirlwind of a season in 2025, starting as a backup before earning the starting job and throwing for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Ahead of the 2026 CFB season kickoff, Chambliss led the No. 6-ranked Ole Miss squad to a notable semifinal appearance against the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes, where the Rebels lost 31-27 without head coach Kiffin, who had accepted the head coaching position at LSU just ahead of their postseason run.

Chambliss is one of the older senior quarterbacks in college football at 24 years old and will turn 25 before taking an NFL snap. Combined with his shorter 6-foot-1 frame under center, that raises questions for ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. about whether he can be a top draft pick.

Before his season debut on Sunday, Chambliss was alongside Ohio State's Julian Sayin as a "maybe" to be selected on Day 1 of the 2027 NFL draft, per Kiper, with plenty to prove this season.

While Sunday's first half raised questions about what Chambliss was going to bring to the CFB world this season, he stepped up in the second half with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score to put his team on top.

If Chambliss works on putting together a full 60 minutes of solid football like he did in the second quarter Sunday, his draft stock should continue to rise.

The Rebels will host the Charlotte 49ers next Saturday.