Ole Miss Tops LSU 32-24 in Kiffin's Oxford Return, Rises to No. 1 in Playoff Predictor

Ole Miss beat LSU 32-24 on Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Lane Kiffin's first game in Oxford as an opposing head coach, a result that reshaped the early Southeastern Conference picture and pushed quarterback Trinidad Chambliss to the front of the national awards conversation.

Chambliss completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and added a rushing score. After Ole Miss squandered a 24-7 halftime lead and LSU scored 17 straight points to tie the game with just over 11 minutes remaining, Chambliss led a 13-play, 75-yard drive and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 14-yard run with 6:14 left. Coach Pete Golding elected to go for two, and the Rebels converted to make it 32-24. Cornerback Jaylon Braxton intercepted a tipped fourth-down pass from LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt in the end zone with 1:03 remaining to seal it.

The hardest player to play against in America.

— LSU coach Lane Kiffin, on Trinidad Chambliss

It was the first top-10 meeting between the programs since 1962. Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU on Nov. 30, 2025, two days after the Rebels completed the first 11-win regular season in program history. He was booed and heckled throughout his return, and the stadium played "Callin' Baton Rouge" after the final whistle. Kiffin fell to 2-1 with LSU, while Ole Miss moved to 3-0 and 1-0 in SEC play under Golding. The schools are annual opponents through 2029.

Rankings and the road ahead

Ole Miss climbed six spots to No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-138, behind Texas, Notre Dame and Georgia, while LSU dropped from No. 7 to No. 13. The Rebels also took over the top spot in the Playoff Predictor, credited with the best pair of wins in the country in Louisville and LSU. Chambliss, a former Division II transfer from Ferris State who stayed in Oxford rather than follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge, moved to No. 1 on the weekly Heisman momentum meter ahead of Miami's Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney, Florida running back Jadan Baugh and Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor.

The schedule offers little relief. Ole Miss travels to Florida on Saturday, facing a Gators team that scored 44 points at Auburn in Week 3 and rose to No. 17 in the re-rank under first-year coach Jon Sumrall. Road games at Vanderbilt and a meeting with unbeaten Missouri follow, with Texas and Georgia later on the slate.

Running back Kewan Lacy, who scored the game's first touchdown before leaving with a shoulder injury, had an MRI that showed the injury is not expected to be long term, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel. Lacy is uncertain for the Florida game and will be monitored this week. Backup JT Lindsey carried four times for 20 yards against LSU as the Rebels finished with just over 60 rushing yards. Asked about the win, Golding kept the focus forward: "I don't think anybody came here just to beat LSU."