Ole Miss, after suffering a 24-point beatdown at Florida heading into the bye week, took the loss to heart and came back with a vengeance. On Saturday, an energized Rebels team traveled to Vanderbilt and mauled the Commodores 52-17.
Pete Golding’s group seemed to be entering the game flat, as an immediate three-and-out put the ball in the hands of the Commodores (3-3, 0-3 SEC) and young quarterback Jared Curtis, which, in turn, booted the football back to the road foe. And from there, Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 SEC) went to work.
A 10-yard touchdown run by Rebel quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got Ole Miss on the scoreboard with 10:37 remaining in the first quarter. Star running back Kewan Lacy, who sat out during the Florida game with an injury, scored a 2-yard touchdown to put the Rebels up 14-3 at the 3:51 mark of the half. The scoring didn’t stop there. Ole Miss found the end zone four more times to take a 42-3 lead to halftime.
“I just love how the kids responded. They bought in. They played extremely hard,” Golding said after the game. “They played for each other and didn’t get caught up in the scoreboard.”
Though the Rebels were better defensively after a rough outing against the Gators and continued to be strong offensively, Vanderbilt miscues played a role in the lopsided score. The Commodores had a drive that landed them at the Ole Miss 2-yard line stymied by an unsportsmanlike conduct call. And instead of scoring a touchdown, Clark Lea’s bunch had to settle for a field goal.
A later unnecessary roughness penalty on Vanderbilt gave the Ole Miss offense a fresh set of downs, as the Rebels were preparing to line up to kick a field goal. Ole Miss scored a touchdown soon after the flag was thrown. The Commodores also suffered from costly turnovers. A Curtis fumble on Vanderbilt’s side of the field yielded a touchdown by Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins. A Commodore fumble on a kickoff return set up the final score of the first half by the Rebels.
PERK TO THE HOUSE 🏠
@suntarine x #HottyToddy https://t.co/ypibjGoh6m
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 10, 2026
Perkins, a Raleigh native and former high school standout running back, said the play reminded him of his prep days.
“It brought back memories of me being in high school and running the ball as a running back,” Perkins said. “That was awesome.”
Vanderbilt had moments of light in the second half but not enough in the tank to fuel an upset. Curtis threw a corner fade to Ja’Cory Thomas in the end zone to get the Commodores their first touchdown of the game. That occurred midway through the third quarter. After that, Ole Miss scored on a 45-yard field goal by Lucas Carneiro and a 35-yard rushing touchdown by reserve running back Shekai Mills-Knight. Vanderbilt scored a trash-time touchdown with a dwindling fourth-quarter clock.
Chambliss completed 20 of 30 passes for 213 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pick. He exited the game late in the third quarter. The Rebels’ top receiving target was Deuce Alexander, who reeled in 5 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Michael Smith caught his first touchdown pass as a Rebel, and defensive tackle Jamarious Brown also caught a red-zone touchdown — the first of his collegiate career.
“[The ball] came right into my hand. I was like, ‘Wow. I just scored my first touchdown,” Brown, a Moss Point native, said.
First half 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐃 😁
#HottyToddy https://t.co/vHjg5fZY3I
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 10, 2026
Ole Miss rushed for 197 yards as a team. Michigan State transfer Makhi Frazier led that effort with 73 yards on 13 carries. Lacy had 39 yards and a touchdown on 7 carries. He sat in the second half. George County native Deuce Knight, who came in to lead the offense when Chambliss’ day ended, had 14 yards on the ground. He did not throw a pass.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Rebels showed much improvement after giving up more than 300 yards on the ground two weeks ago. Golding’s defense held Vanderbilt to just 103 rushing yards. The Rebels entered Saturday’s game with just a pair of forced turnovers on the season. They forced 3 versus the Commodores — 2 interceptions and the fumble. The team also had 3 sacks, 7 pass breakups, and a whopping 8 tackles for loss. Defensive end Blake Purchase was responsible for 2 of the sacks and 3 of the tackles for loss. Antonio Kite and Nick Cull had the interceptions.
In a blowout loss, the young Curtis shone at times for Vanderbilt. The freshman completed 19 of 32 passes for 222 yards, a touchdown, and a pair of interceptions. One of the picks was a result of a Commodore wide receiver dropping the football, rather than it being a bad pass.
“That kid’s going to be special. Elite arm talent; he’s really big. He’s more athletic than you think,” Golding said. “He throws a really good ball. He extended a couple of 3rd downs. I think he’s going to be a problem in the future.”
Next up
Ole Miss will return home and face Missouri at 2:30 p.m. CT. The Tigers will head to Oxford with an offense led by former Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons and wide receiver Cayden Lee. A TV station yet to be announced and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations will air the matchup.
