New cast, no problem.
After losing 18 starters from the 2024 roster that mounted a 10-win campaign, it was imperative for Ole Miss and its band of new faces to make a statement in week one. Lane Kiffin and company, facing a Sun Belt opponent in Georgia State, left very little room for doubt following a 63-7 win in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.
“It was very important [to win big], just for us in the room, for confidence,” returning linebacker TJ Dottery said after the game. [There was] a lot of doubt, a lot of people saying we lost a lot, so it was important to show that we are still the same and we are better.”
Sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons made his inaugural start for the Rebels (1-0), and despite a couple of miscues, had an overall positive showing. The southpaw completed 20 of 31 passes for 341 yards, three touchdowns, and two picks.
A three-play touchdown drive following a defensive stop had Ole Miss in a prime position to take the reins of the game early. But a pair of miscues by Simmons prevented the Rebels from running away with the contest in the first quarter. The left-handed field general’s first pick happened after being hit in the backfield by a Panther defender, giving Georgia State the ball in Ole Miss territory. The second interception was an ill-advised toss into a sea of defenders while the Rebels were in the red zone.
Simmons settled, played a much cleaner game after the second pick, and had some attention-grabbing moments. Outside of the three touchdown passes, the highlight of Simmons’ night was a perfectly thrown 47-yard ball to Penn State transfer Harrison Wallace III.
“You can’t really flinch after making mistakes,” Simmons said. “I go back out there, I snap the ball downfield, and score. I just go back out there and score, that’s what matters.”
Among Simmons’ top targets in the contest were Wallace and Alabama transfer Caleb Odom. Wallace logged 130 yards and a score on five receptions, while Odom had 57 yards and a touchdown after catching four passes. Returning tight end Dae’Quan Wright recorded 78 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
The running game, an area where the Rebels had grave difficulties last year, proved solid. Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy, in his first start, led the stable with an eye-popping 108 yards and the first three scores of his collegiate career on 16 carries. Returning running back, Logan Diggs, had seven carries and 91 yards in trash time.
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Pete Golding proved worthy of his recent pay raise. Aside from one drive, which resulted in a 43-yard touchdown pass to Georgia State’s Javon Robinson, the Ole Miss defense showed signs of dominance that were displayed last year — and everybody remembers how solid that unit was. The group collectively had five pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, four tackles for loss, and a sack.
The Rebels held the Panthers (0-1) to a mere 260 yards of total offense. Golding’s crew was especially effective in stopping the pass. The two quarterbacks Georgia State rolled out on Saturday accounted for a collective 69 yards in the air. On the ground, a couple of explosive runs, one of which was amassed by former Rebel Rashod Amos, put the Panthers near the 200-yard mark on the night. Amos led his team on the ground with 68 yards on nine carries.
Dottery led Ole Miss in tackles with nine, five of which were solo take-downs. Defensive end Da’Shawn Womack, an LSU transfer, also logged five solo tackles. Defensive tackle Zxavian Harris recorded the lone sack and interception of the night — and may or may not have broken a basketball goal during his sideline celebration.
PICK FOR THE REBS.
Wait for the dunk 😂@zxavian03 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/HtjmRP1JOG
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 31, 2025
Western Kentucky transfer Lucas Carneiro, the 2024 CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year, had a flawless first game for the Rebels. The junior placekicker connected on a pair of field goals, one from 42 yards out and the other from 33 yards out, while succeeding in three extra-point attempts. Freshman Mike Baker also had a trio of successful point-after attempts.
Scoring Summary
Ole Miss got off to a remarkably fast start, with Simmons completing three consecutive passes, all of which surpassed double digits in yardage. A 38-yard toss to tight end Dae’Quan Wright capped the 48-second drive. After a turnover in the red zone spurred a later Rebel drive, Ole Miss wouldn’t find itself in a scoring position until the second quarter.
With 11:28 remaining until halftime, Carneiro’s name was called, and he was money from 42 yards out, giving the red and blue a 10-0 lead. The field goal was, in large part, set up by a deep ball from Simmons to Wallace. Following a quick defensive stand, the Rebels found themselves in scoring position. A fourth-down keeper by Dae’Quan Wright set up Lacy for a one-yard touchdown.
The first real crack in the Rebels’ defense came late in the second quarter. An explosive run by Amos moved Georgia State past midfield. Later in the drive, Christian Veilleux made a nice pass on third and long to give his team what would ultimately be its only score of the night.
In the waning moments of the first half, Lacy capped a 16-play drive with a two-yard score. Backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was thrown into action following a penalty by the Panthers on the point-after attempt. The former Division II national champion darted into the endzone, giving Ole Miss a 25-7 advantage at the intermission.
Ole Miss scored quickly, once again, at the start of the second half. A 42-yard touchdown by Lacy capped a six-play drive. On Georgia State’s first drive of the third quarter, Veilleux threw a pick to Harris, placing the Ole Miss offense in Panther territory. Simmons took advantage of the short field and hit Odom for a nine-yard touchdown. Ole Miss expanded its advantage by 14 points within the first five minutes after the break.
At the tail-end of the third quarter, Carniero found himself on the field once again. The junior landed a 33-yarder. A couple of minutes later, Simmons tossed his final touchdown of the night, connecting with Wallace for a 26-yard score. Chambliss took over for Simmons and helped lead the final two scoring drives of the game. The Ferris State transfer threw a 13-yard touchdown to Izaiah Hartrup. A five-yard carry into the endzone by Logan Diggs sealed the 63-7 victory for Ole Miss.
Coach’s Comments
It didn’t take long for Kiffin to be asked about the ground attack during his postgame presser. Considering Ole Miss’ struggles in the running game last season, Lacy’s game-one performance gave spectators optimism that the Rebels could be more successful on the ground. Kiffin contended that Lacy’s explosiveness was something his team lacked last year, and that he’s grateful to have a versatile running back at his disposal once again.
“We didn’t have that a year ago, and so it was really good to have it back. I was looking forward to that,” Kiffin said. “[I was] kind of thinking he was going to play like that because that’s how he practices, and he’s got a unique skill set of speed and power.”
Another area of concern heading into the 2025 season was the offensive line, which took much of the blame for last year’s rushing struggles. While on paper, it would appear that the offensive line was dominant on Saturday, given that Ole Miss had nearly 700 rushing yards. However, Kiffin was not 100% sold on that unit and is hoping to see a better product on display by that unit in the coming weeks.
“You would think with the output, it would have been cleaner,” Kiffin said. “We got beat a couple times at guard on both sides, and so I thought it was pretty inconsistent, but we saw some good things on Kewan’s longer run and some good finishes for some things. I’d say [it was] actually better in the run game than the past games at times.”
Next Up
Ole Miss will return to the gridiron on Saturday, September 6, this time on the road, and against a conference foe. The Rebels will head out to Lexington to face Kentucky (1-0), who defeated Toledo 24-17 in its season opener. The game will begin at 2:30 p.m., and will be aired on ABC, along with participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
The Rebels lost last year’s matchup against the Wildcats at home, marking Kentucky’s only SEC win of the year, and will look to get revenge in enemy territory.
“I was there,” Dottery said of the 2024 loss to Kentucky. “[That left] a sour taste in my mouth.”
