Backup QB Trinidad Chambliss shines in surprise start as No. 17 Ole Miss outlasts Arkansas 41-35

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – Backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss ran for two touchdowns and threw for one in a surprise start, and No. 17 Mississippi outlasted Arkansas 41-35 on Saturday night.

Chambliss had rushing touchdowns of 1 and 2 yards, and his 6-yard TD pass to De’Zhaun Stribling gave Ole Miss (3-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) a 38-28 lead in the third quarter. Chambliss finished 21 of 29 passing for 353 yards in place of Austin Simmons, who was sidelined by a foot injury he sustained in last week’s win at Kentucky.

“I knew this week after Austin got hurt that there was going to be more on my plate,” Chambliss said. “You prepare to play every week and our coaches had a great plan and we really executed as a team. I’m so proud of our guys.”

Simmons spent most of the week in a walking boot, but practiced late in the week and was expected to start. He made a brief appearance in the second quarter, throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Wallace III to give Ole Miss a 28-21 lead. But he limped back to the sideline after his only pass of the game and did not play in the second half.

“Great job by Trinidad, obviously, and a great job by our coaches getting our backup quarterback ready,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “Trinidad really took care of the ball, got out of trouble all night and only got sacked once.”

Taylen Green threw for a touchdown and ran for one for Arkansas (2-1, 0-1), finishing with 111 yards rushing on 13 carries. He went 22 of 35 passing for 305 yards. Mike Washington Jr. ran for 65 yards and two TDs.

“It was a heck of a game from two good offenses,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “We gave ourselves a chance to win it at the end. Two good SEC football teams out there, we just came up on the short end.”

Ole Miss sealed the game with 1:52 left when TJ Dottery stripped the ball from Jalen Brown after a short completion in Rebels territory and Wydett Williams Jr. recovered.

“We’ve had a lot of wild ones with these guys,” said Kiffin, whose Rebels have won six of the last eight meetings with the Razorbacks. “They had a great game plan and give them credit. It’s a good win for us.”

Chambliss, a transfer from Division II Ferris State, totaled more than 3,000 yards of offense as he led the Bulldogs to a national title last season. The senior debuted for the Rebels last week, leading two drives in the fourth quarter to preserve the win over Kentucky.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks totaled 522 yards of offense but missed two crucial field-goal attempts. September concludes with huge opportunities at Memphis and at home against No. 8 Notre Dame.

Ole Miss: Chambliss became the latest hero to emerge in a series trademarked by close games, overtime heroics and bizarre plays. The Rebels finished 7 of 7 in the red zone, and Wallace had six catches for 92 yards.

The Rebels, ranked eighth of 11 SEC teams in the AP Top 25, will be hard-pressed to make a major surge. But they helped their prospects by moving to 2-0 in league play.

The teams combined for 59 points and 634 yards of offense and went 7 of 7 in the red zone in the first half. Lucas Carneiro converted a 36-yard field goal on the final play to give Ole Miss a 31-28 halftime edge. Ole Miss scored on each of its five possessions while Arkansas went 4 of 5. Neither team had a turnover.

Arkansas: Visits unbeaten Memphis on Saturday.

Ole Miss: Hosts Tulane on Saturday in the second of a four-game homestand.