Ole Miss Turns Missouri’s Strength Into a Weakness in 31-3 Rout

Ole Miss Missouri 31-3 was not the close game many expected. At Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, the No. 9 Rebels dismantled No. 13 Missouri’s biggest offensive weapon, holding the Tigers to 39 rushing yards in a lopsided SEC win.

A rushing offense that had been rolling

Missouri entered the game with more than 1,000 rushing yards through six games. Jamal Roberts, the nation’s third-leading rusher, had been the centerpiece of that attack. Against Ole Miss, Roberts was held to a season-low 39 yards. Xai’Shaun Edwards managed 8 yards on the ground, and quarterback Austin Simmons lost 8 yards on sacks.

That defensive effort came after a week of questions about Ole Miss’s run defense. Missouri’s ground game was supposed to test the Rebels. Instead, the Tigers never found traction.

Defensive tackle Will Echoles said the Florida game tape was not the team’s best product. He credited head coach Pete Golding with simplifying the defense, which allowed players to return to attacking blocks and making plays. Ole Miss called the performance one of its better defensive showings of the season.

Two 100-yard backs and a 257-yard night

While Missouri’s running game stalled, Ole Miss’s took off. Kewan Lacy carried 16 times for 122 yards, and Makhi Frazier added 15 carries for 101 yards. The Rebels finished with 257 rushing yards, their first 200-plus-yard game since rushing for 237 against Florida the previous season.

That balance took pressure off quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score. Chambliss was candid afterward, saying some passes were behind receivers and that his accuracy was lacking. He said he must improve in that area.

Golding’s assessment was similarly measured. He said the performance was not perfect and that the team can still play better. He added that all three phases showed the things the staff had emphasized and that players performed well.

Backing up a blowout and looking ahead

The win improved Ole Miss to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. Missouri dropped to 5-2 and 2-2 in conference play. The Rebels, who were 5.5-point favorites, had beaten Vanderbilt by 35 points the previous week and needed to back up that dominant performance. They did so emphatically.

Next up is a trip to Austin to face Texas, which has lost back-to-back games since a comeback win over Florida. Ole Miss will bring a defense that just smothered one of the country’s best rushing attacks and an offense that found its ground game in a big way.