Sometimes it’s not how you start, but how you finish — and that was certainly true for No. 12 Ole Miss in a 45-15 win over Auburn on Saturday.
The Rebels (6-2, 4-2 SEC) were lackluster in the 1st half and squandered an opportunity to garner momentum early after the intermission when they were forced to settle for a field goal after driving to the Tiger 3-yard line. Auburn (4-4, 2-4 SEC) responded with a 75-yard drive to cut the Ole Miss lead to 17-15 midway through the 3rd quarter. A blessing for the Tigers turned into a curse when a failed 2-point conversion attempt not only failed to tie the game, but galvanized a 28-0 run in favor of the red and blue.
“They’re focused on the attention to detail and doing their job in adding consistency in performance. When we see a lot of guys out there on all three phases doing what they’re supposed to do, it looks good,” Golding said. “They’ve got the ability to do that more. I think you saw, more than not tonight, of guys doing their job, playing with toughness, and executing.”
The tale of two halves for Ole Miss was defined by a couple of key factors: Finding an offensive flow and stopping Auburn on 3rd and long. After struggling to sustain consistent drives and keep Auburn’s offense off the field, Pete Golding’s Rebels turned a corner when it mattered most. It started with Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss using his legs to his advantage to move the chains on a couple of occasions. He even found the end zone on a designed run. Defensively, Golding said execution was what stopped the Tigers from moving at will in late-down situations. It also helped that the Rebels held dual-threat Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown to a mere 5 rushing yards.
“That was a big emphasis this week going into practice. We watched a lot of cutouts of missed tackles on him. He’s a really big cat,” Ole Miss linebacker Keaton Thomas said of Brown. “He’s 6-foot-4, 235 [pounds]. It reminded me of the old Cam Newton back in the day.”
The 2nd-half run was sparked by a 26-yard rushing touchdown by Chambliss in the waning minutes of the 3rd quarter. Golding’s defense then forced a punt, allowing the offense to build a buffer on the scoreboard. That came to fruition with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Choctaw County alum Caleb Cunningham. Rinse and repeat. Another forced punt yielded another passing touchdown tossed by Chambliss, this one going to Auburn transfer Horatio Fields. Ole Miss, with a 38-15 advantage, pulled Chambliss late in the 4th quarter and turned to Auburn transfer Deuce Knight to commandeer the offense. The sophomore from George County sent his former team home with a 30-point loss, courtesy of a 17-yard rushing score.
Chambliss completed 22 of 34 passes for 263 yards, 2 passing touchdowns, an interception, and a rushing score, with 65 complementary yards on the ground. His top target was Fields, who caught 6 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown against his former team. Cunningham had 55 yards and a touchdown in the air.
“I guess my mindset was a little different today in getting back to getting out there, cutting loose, not thinking about it too much. You know, going out there and having fun,” Chambliss, who was admittedly distraught after last week’s loss at Texas, said.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED.
@TrinidadChambl1 x @HoratioFields https://t.co/HlxVBypQLf
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 31, 2026
One of the big question marks surrounding this game was how Ole Miss would answer the bell in the running game in star ball carrier Kewan Lacy’s absence. Chambliss, of course, helped with that effort, mainly in the 2nd half. But the biggest rushing performance came from reserve Shekai Mills-Knight. The sophomore logged a team-best 71 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Rebel defensive tackle Will Echoles also had a rushing touchdown in the matchup.
The Ole Miss defense adjusted after Auburn was 5 of 8 on 3rd-down tries and 1 of 1 on 4th-down attempts in the 1st half. The Tigers moved the chains just twice on 3rd down and got stopped on their lone 4th-down attempt in the 2nd half. Thomas led the Rebels’ defense with 8 total tackles, a pass breakup, and a crucial forced fumble.
Fellow Ole Miss linebacker Tah’j Butler had a solid performance, with starter Luke Ferrelli missing much of the 2nd half with an injury. Butler had 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and a pass breakup. Raleigh native Suntarine Perkins was effective in getting to the backfield as well. He had 2 sacks and a pass breakup in the matchup.
Brown was 25 of 38 in the air for 195 yards and a touchdown for Auburn. His top targets were Chas Nimrod, who had 62 yards and a score, and Christian Neptune, who had 53 yards. The Tigers were limited to just 63 yards on 27 carries. Running back Jeremiah Cobb led the Tigers’ ground game with 7 carries for 35 yards. Defensive back Champ Anthony had 8 tackles for Auburn. Tiger safety AnQuon Feagins intercepted a pass thrown by Chambliss, though Ole Miss wideout Deuce Alexander made the takeaway possible.
Alexander, typically a sure-handed wideout for Ole Miss, was off, despite catching 5 passes for 59 yards. The senior dropped a wide-open ball delivered by teammate Traylon Ray on a trick play and muffed a punt in the matchup.
“I said, ‘Keep your head up, man. Let’s learn from this. We’re going to need you. You’re a great football player.’ He was down on himself. He had a couple of drops that are not like him,” Golding said. “He’s got a high competitive character. He’s an unbelievable guy.”
Golding added that he was happy Ole Miss was able to score 45 points with the usually-reliable Alexander accounting for none of the points.
Next up
Ole Miss will return home for a crucial matchup versus No. 3 Georgia. The game, with College Football Playoff ramifications for the Rebels, will kick off from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. CT, and will air on ABC and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
