The Rebels Fiesta Bowl coverage has been brought to you by Visiting Angels of Northeast Mississippi.
Ole Miss’ magical season came to an end Thursday night at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, falling to the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday 31-27 in a game that featured a wild fourth quarter with four lead changes. It marked the end of an incredible season for the Rebels, who finished with a record of 13-2. It is the first time in the history of the program that Ole Miss has won 13 games in a single season. The Rebels, who were the last SEC team left alive, became the first team from the state of Mississippi to make the College Football Playoffs.
Now, it’s time to hand out five game balls to the men in Red and Blue.
LUCAS CARNEIRO | Kicker
Carneiro made four of five field goals to score 12 of the Rebels 27 points. Even the one he missed…a 51-yarder…hit the left upright and bounced out. The distance was plenty good. He made field goals of 52, 58, 54 and 21 yards.
KEWAN LACY | Running Back
Lacy managed to top the 100-yard mark despite being hindered by a hamstring injury. All told he rushed for a team-high 103 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Granted, 73 of those yards came on a first-half explosion through the heart of the Hurricanes’ defense in which he stressed his hamstring. But Lacy led with heart, as he came back in the game with the hamstring injury, running with pain the rest of the way.
TJ Dottery | Linebacker
Dottery collected a team-high 11 tackles on the night, including nine solo stops, one sack and a tackle-for-loss.
SUNTARINE PERKINS | Linebacker
Sunny P got after it, finishing with seven tackles, and 1.5 sacks. He often dropped to supply effective coverage.
TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS | Quarterback
Chambliss started slow but finished with a fury. He completed 23-of-37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, with Ole Miss desperately needing a score, Chambliss ripped off a 25-yard run to keep the drive going. He then threw a 24-yard dart to tight end Dae’quan Wright to put the Rebels up 27-24 with one minute and 52 seconds remaining. Was this his last college football game? The NCAA has yet to rule on his appeal for a sixth season of eligibility.