Trinidad Chambliss threw for 363 yards on 33-of-48 passing with two touchdowns and an interception, ran for another, and had a third quarter he wanted back. Then, with the game tied at 24 and his starting running back on the sideline, he took Ole Miss 75 yards to win it.
Asked what his confidence level was in the fourth quarter, he gave the answer that explains why this team plays the way it does with him on the field.
“I try to stay calm throughout the whole game regardless of the situation. I was just taught that growing up, and then just playing any sport — stay even-keeled. Can’t get too high, can’t get too low. My mindset really doesn’t change throughout the whole game. I know that we were ahead earlier in the game, but they ended up coming back. So honestly, there was no difference in my eyes. It was still 0-0.”
The drive without Kewan Lacy
Lacy banged up his shoulder after nine carries for 43 yards and a five-yard touchdown — Pete Golding said afterward the x-ray came back negative — and JT Lindsey handled the load down the stretch, including the two-point conversion that made it 32-24.
“Losing a guy like Kewan, he’s super dynamic, and defenses kind of got a plan for him in the run game, maybe stack the box a little bit,” Chambliss said. “And if they see him not on the field, then maybe they’ll scheme up some different formations and disguises and blitzes. But I have all the trust in the running backs. I feel like there’s not a lot of drop-off. So yeah, I’m glad that JT stepped up, got some good tough yardage. So proud of him.”
On the drive itself, he kept the description almost aggressively plain: “Just go out there, execute, don’t get too caught up in the moment. And don’t overthink what you’re doing out there, and don’t play timid. Just go out there and play free.”
He capped it himself, with a 14-yard touchdown run — the designed quarterback keeper Ole Miss had not put on tape all season.
He was not surprised by the two-point call
Golding explained the sequence in detail in his own session. Chambliss confirmed it had been repped.
“All week we were kind of prepping and practicing if we were in a situation kind of like tonight — if we scored, get down, get the offense, stay on the field, go hard count. And if they jump, we’ll see what kind of defense they’re in. And then yeah, they jumped, and then we got closer, and then they jumped again and we got closer. And then it was just all about getting a good push up front from the O-line and then getting our running back downfield. So no, I wasn’t surprised by that. We’ve been practicing all week.”
An apology he volunteered
Early in the session, before anyone asked about it, Chambliss addressed his on-field postgame interview.
“Emotions were high. That’s the best play in football, being in victory formation. But my emotions were high after the game. I got kind of caught up in the moment with the interview. That’s not who I am. So I’m deeply, deeply apologetic to Holly Rowe and everyone out there that was listening. That’s not who I am. So I’m sorry about that.”
What the national conversation sounds like from inside it
Asked why this one carried more emotion than other big wins, Chambliss went somewhere other than Lane Kiffin.
“I just got here last year and Ole Miss has welcomed me in and showed me nothing but love and support. But I feel like the whole nation just kind of disrespects Ole Miss. And when they compare LSU to Ole Miss, they always say LSU has more money, the nicer facilities, bigger fan base, bigger stadium. So there was more to it than just Kiffin being on the other side of the ball.”
He did acknowledge the obvious: “This one meant a lot more than the other games. The coaches that were here are now at LSU, some of the players as well. I wanted this one really bad, and our team did too.”
He said he did not hear from Kiffin during the week and deliberately stayed off his phone. He also did not deny looking toward the LSU sideline after touchdowns: “You kind of black out when you’re playing a big game in front of so many people with just a lot riding on it. So I might’ve been looking over at that sideline. The emotions kind of came out, and I’m just a competitor.”
On Pete Golding, and on the last play
Ole Miss is 5-1 since Golding took over in late November.
“We rally behind PG. We know that he wants to win super badly, and he puts in the time and effort. He’s up here 24/7. He hardly gets any sleep. He’s up here grinding, watching tape, breaking down offenses, just trying to figure out how we can be in the best position possible to win.”
And on the fourth-down interception that ended it — Jaylon Braxton came down with it — with Chambliss helpless on the sideline:
“I prayed with Deuce, I prayed with Horatio and I prayed with Jontay. I think it was during the timeout or some stoppage, but basically prayed for a stop, and God delivered. I’m helpless on the sideline when the defense is out there. If the roles are reversed, if the offense is out there, then I can kind of know that I have some control. But the ball’s tipped and we got the interception, game over.”
Two small things worth keeping
His mother was waiting for him on the Walk of Champions. “Family is the most important thing in my life alongside Jesus Christ. Seeing her support kind of calms my nerves down. Whenever I pray with her, it just feels like I got this.”
And the shirt he and several teammates have worn all week reads Jesus Won. “Regardless of the situation, just give thanks to Jesus Christ. I know times can be tough for some people in their lives, but you just got to always remind yourself that Jesus won.”
Ole Miss is 3-0, 1-0 in the SEC. Next up: at Florida, Saturday, September 26. Hotty Toddy 🦈