Ole Miss put 52 points on the board Saturday at Vanderbilt.
Then its quarterback spent the postgame listing what went wrong. That says a lot about where this offense is right now.
The defense got most of the talk after the 52-17 win in Nashville, and four takeaways will do that.
But nobody gets to 52 without moving the ball, and the Rebels moved it plenty before halftime.
They also got Kewan Lacy back, which may matter more than anything on the stat sheet.
Chambliss grades himself hard
Trinidad Chambliss went 20 of 30 through the air, good for 213 yards and three touchdown passes.
He ran for another score and threw one interception.
After missing his first two passes, he completed 11 in a row. That’s his longest run this season.
He’s now thrown a touchdown pass in 18 straight games. Only Matt Corral and Chad Kelly have longer streaks at the school.
Most quarterbacks would take that line and head for the bus.
“I would say I did solid for the first half,” Chambliss said. “Second half, came out, just wasn’t on top of my game. But I have to finish off and play all four quarters.”
Second half leaves work to do
He has a point.
The Rebs led 42-3 at the break after a 28-point second quarter, with one of those scores coming from the defense.
They managed 10 points the rest of the way.
“Offensively, I feel like we played good in the first half,” Chambliss said. “Second half, struggled again. I feel like we were just sluggish.”
He sees more out there, too.
“I feel like this team has a lot more potential and a lot more that they could do in a whole game,” Chambliss said.
Kewan Lacy’s short day could pay off
The better news came from the backfield.
Lacy started and scored once while gaining 39 yards on seven carries.
He hurt his left shoulder against LSU on Sept. 19 and missed the loss at Florida. He sat out practice through the off week, then did limited work leading up to the game.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said the decision came down to pregame warmups.
“He came out and said, ‘Coach, I’m good. I’m ready to go,’” Golding said.
Seven carries isn’t a full load. It didn’t need to be.
Golding didn’t mention any new problem afterward, so a week off and a light week may have bought the Rebels a healthier back.
“He gives us a different spark,” Golding said. “Obviously, when he’s back there, it’s a different concern for a defense.”
Ground game finds its legs
Chambliss noticed the difference with Lacy behind him.
“You saw it at the first couple of drives, him making one dude miss and then creating an explosive run,” Chambliss said. “So it’s good to have Kewan back.”
Ole Miss ran for 196 yards, its best total this year.
Makhi Frazier led the way with 73 on 13 carries.
Deuce Alexander caught five passes for 74 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown. Michael Smith added a 4-yard scoring catch.
The oddest touchdown went to Jamarious Brown, a defensive tackle who lined up in a jumbo package and caught a 2-yard pass.
“Love when a big man scores,” Chambliss said.
The Rebels sit at 4-1 and have won two of three in the SEC.
Missouri brings a tougher test
Missouri comes to Oxford next, and the Tigers are one of the hottest teams in college football after beating Florida and Texas A&M.
They’ll also bring two familiar faces in former Rebs Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee.
“It’s going to be fun to play them, and it’s going to be weird to see them in different colors and a different uniform,” Chambliss said.
A half of good offense was enough against Vanderbilt.
It probably won’t be against Missouri.
