Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 99th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt dating back to 1894.
• Ole Miss-Vanderbilt is the third-most played series between the Rebels and their 2026 opponents (Miss. State, LSU).
• Ole Miss leads the series 56-40-2, 54-40-2 after vacated wins … The Rebel wins in 2013 and 2014 were vacated by the NCAA.
• Ole Miss has won nine of the last 11 vs. Vanderbilt, including the last five by an average of 24.4 points per game.
• Ole Miss enters the week ranked No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the Coaches poll.
• The Rebels currently rank No. 6 in ESPN’s strength of schedule metric.
• Ole Miss owns the FBS’s sixth-fastest offense, averaging 22.9 seconds per play.
• The Rebels are one of 11 teams nationally that has a 100 percent red zone success rate.
• QB Trinidad Chambliss has recorded a passing touchdown in 17 straight games, which is the third-longest streak in program history.
• Chambliss needs just 236 passing yards to crack into Ole Miss’ all-time top 10 in career passing yards.
• Chambliss is one of just six active collegiate quarterbacks with 8,000 career yards passing and 1,000 rushing across all levels of college football.
• RB Kewan Lacy has 28 career rushing TDs, which is third all-time in program history, just three away from tying Brandon Bolden for the No. 2 spot.
• Lacy has registered at least one rushing touchdown in 12 straight games played.
• WR Deuce Alexander ranks No. 11 in the FBS with 107.3 receiving yards per game.
• LB Suntarine Perkins is tied for fifth in program history with 33.5 tackles for loss.
• Eight Rebels will return to their home state of Tennessee when the Rebels visit Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curits
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt enters the matchup with a 3-2 record following wins over Austin Peay, Delaware and NC State before falling at Auburn, 21-15, and at Georgia, 38-14, in its first two SEC games of the season. The Commodores are averaging 25.4 points and 349.4 yards per game, including 123.0 rushing yards and 226.4 passing yards per contest. Vanderbilt has totaled 615 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns while adding 1,132 passing yards and five passing touchdowns through five games. Quarterback Jared Curtis leads the Commodores through the air with 746 passing yards and four touchdowns, while also contributing 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns in four appearances. Running back Sedrick Alexander leads Vanderbilt with 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while Makhilyn Young has added 134 rushing yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Junior Sherrill leads the Commodores with 28 receptions for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Sherrill has recorded at least 70 receiving yards in each of Vanderbilt’s five games. Defensively, Vanderbilt has limited opponents to 342.4 yards per game and recorded 14 sacks and four interceptions through five games. CJ Heard leads the Commodores with 39 tackles, while Nick Rinaldi has recorded 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Miles Capers leads Vanderbilt with five tackles for loss and has added a sack and an interception.
OLE MISS-VANDERBILT SERIES HISTORY
• This is the 99th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
• It is the third-most played series of all-time between Ole Miss and its 2026 opponents behind Mississippi State and LSU.
• The Rebels lead the series 56-40-2, 54-40-2 after wins in 2013 and 2014 by Ole Miss were vacated by NCAA ruling.
• Vanderbilt leads the series 29-25-2 in games played in Nashville … The original record is 29-23-2 in favor of Vandy.
• Ole Miss has won nine of the last 11 contests on the field vs. Vanderbilt.
• The Rebels has won five straight in the series, outscoring the Commodores by an average of 24.4 points per game during that time.
• The Commodores won the first 19 meetings between the two teams from 1894 to 1938, including 16 by shutout.
TENNESSEE REBS
Ole Miss features eight Rebels from Tennessee: DE Cam Clark (Medina), QB George Hamsley (Memphis), WR William Jones (Collierville), OL Patrick Kutas (Memphis), OL John Wayne Oliver (Nashville), LB Hayden Parker (Collierville), OL Brycen Sanders (Chattanooga) and S Craig Tutt (Christiana).
REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss enters the week ranked No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the Coaches poll.
• The Rebels are on their second-longest AP poll streak ever at 56 straight since 2023, trailing only 73 from 1957-63.
• Ole Miss has now cracked the national top-10 in each of the previous six seasons, the longest such streak since 1959-64.
• The Rebels began the season No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the Coaches poll … It was the second time in the last three years that Ole Miss has debuted top-10 in the preseason.
• The Rebels’ No. 9 preseason AP ranking marked their highest preseason ranking since starting 2016 season at No. 10.
8K/1K CLUB
QB Trinidad Chambliss is one of just six active collegiate quarterbacks with 8,000 career yards passing and 1,000 rushing across all levels of college football. In his career between Ferris State and now with the Rebels, Chambliss has 10,372 yards of total offense (8,414 passing, 1,958 rushing) and 102 total touchdowns (61 passing, 41 rushing).
THE GOLDING ERA
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding has faced a ranked opponent in six of his first seven games as head coach at Ole Miss. Golding is 4-2 in such games and became the first-ever FBS head coach to win four games against AP ranked opponents in his first six career contests. Golding has led the Rebels to wins over No. 3 Georgia, No 17 Tulane, No. 24 Louisville and No. 7 LSU.
BIG LEG LUKE
K Lucas Carneiro has proven to be one of the most reliable long-range kickers in Ole Miss history, already establishing himself as the program’s career leader in 50-yard field goals. Carneiro has connected on six field goals from 50-plus yards since arriving in Oxford in 2025, including a 57-yard field goal during Week 2 against Charlotte, breaking Caden Davis’ previous Ole Miss record of four set. Even more impressive, Carneiro is 12-of-15 on field-goal attempts from beyond 50 yards in his collegiate career, showcasing his consistency and confidence from long range.
RED ZONE SUCCESS
The Rebels are one of 11 teams nationally that has a 100 percent red zone success rate. Ole Miss has been inside the 20-yard line 16 times this season, coming away with a touchdown 14 times and a field goal twice. The 87.5 touchdown rate is the highest amongst the 11 schools with a perfect red zone percentage.
THE STREAK CONTINUES
QB Trinidad Chambliss has registered at least one passing touchdown in 17 consecutive games, extending one of the most impressive touchdown streaks in Ole Miss history. The 17-game run ranks as the third-longest streak in program history, just three short of tying Matt Corral for third place.
NOSE FOR THE END ZONE
RB Kewan Lacy has found the end zone with remarkable consistency, recording at least one rushing touchdown in 12 consecutive games played. The streak is the longest such streak by an Ole Miss player in recorded history dating back to 1956. Prior to missing the game at Florida due to injury, the only SEC players with a longer consecutive TD streak this century were Derrick Henry (20) and Tim Tebow (14).
WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
Dating back to the start of the 2025 season, the Rebels have won eight of their last 10 games decided by one score, including two games so far this season. The Rebels opened the 2026 campaign with a 41-38 victory over No. 24 Louisville and then outlasted No. 7 LSU 32-24 on Saturday. Last season, Ole Miss went 6-2 in one-score contests, earning wins over Kentucky (30-23), Arkansas (41-35), LSU (24-19), Washington State (24-21), Oklahoma (34-26) and Georgia (39-34) in the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels’ only one-score setbacks during that stretch came at Georgia (43-35) and against Miami (31-27) in the CFP semifinal.
A LONG HISTORY
The 2026 season marks the 132nd season of Ole Miss football, with the Rebels beginning play in 1893. Ole Miss holds a 735-553-35 all-time record on the field, 702-553-35 after vacated wins. The only interruptions in the program’s history came in 1897, when a yellow fever epidemic prevented the team from playing, and 1943, when football was suspended at Mississippi’s state-supported institutions during World War II.
REBEL DEBUTS
Forty-two players have made their Ole Miss debut so far this season: S Joenel Aguero, DE Landon Barnes, CB Dorian Barney, WR Levi Blount, DT Michai Boireau, LB Tah’j Butler, WR Jontay Cook III, CB Dante Core, CB Jalyn Crawford, OL Carius Curne, DT Jayden Curtis, S Ant Davis Jr., S Sharif Denson, RB Joshua Dye, OL Troy Everett, LB Luke Ferrelli, WR Horatio Fields, OL Emanuel Faulkner, RB Makhi Frazier, LB JaMichael Garrett, WR Darrell Gill Jr., OL Cooper Johnson, S Edwin Joseph, OL Tommy Kinsler IV, QB Deuce Knight, S Gerald Lacy Jr., RB JT Lindsey, DE Jonathan Maldonado, OL Kane Mankins, WR Jase Mathews, CB Iverson McCoy, K Peter McStravick, DT Jehiem Oatis, DT Jamarion Owens, LB Hayden Parker, TE Brady Prieskorn, S MJ Preston, DE Blake Purchase, DE Jordan Renaud, TE Michael Smith, LB Keaton Thomas, S Craig Tutt and OL Enoch Wangoy.
A SPECIAL WEAPON
When Lucas Carneiro lined up for a 48-yard field goal with only seconds remaining against No. 24 Louisville in the Rebels’ season opener, it was a moment that felt all too familiar. The fifth year native from Cornelius, N.C., calmly drilled the kick to give Ole Miss a dramatic 41-38 victory, adding another chapter to his growing reputation as one of college football’s most clutch kickers. It marked Carneiro’s third career game-winning field goal of at least 45 yards in the final 15 seconds of regulation, the most by any FBS kicker over the last 30 years. His knack for delivering in the biggest moments was already on full display during Ole Miss’ 2025 College Football Playoff run, highlighted by a game-winning kick against Georgia in the CFP quarterfinal. Even before arriving in Oxford, Carneiro had built a reputation for thriving under pressure, drilling a 50-yard field goal as time expired to send Western Kentucky to the Conference USA title game back in 2024.
DEGREES IN HAND
Earning a degree is one of the top priorities for Ole Miss student-athletes. Twelve current Rebels have already accomplished that goal with eligibility remaining: CB Cedrick Beavers (Multi-Disciplinary Studies), K Lucas Carneiro (General Business), QB Trinidad Chambliss (Multi-Disciplinary Studies), LB Raymond Collins (Multi-Disciplinary Studies), OL Troy Everett (Communications [Oklahoma]), WR Horatio Fields (Communications [Wake Forest]), George Hamsley (Finance), WR Izaiah Hartrup (Multi-Disciplinary Studies), OL Patrick Kutas (Multi-Disciplinary Studies), DT Jehiem Oatis (Sports Management [Alabama]), DE Jordan Renaud (General Business) and OL Brycen Sanders (General Business).