And just like that, under Saturday night lights, Lane Kiffin proved once again why he’s one of the “offensive geniuses” of college football. As Ole Miss defeated Arkansas 41-35 in a drama-filled match-up. But the real twist? It’s the QB switch between Austin Simmons and former Ferris State star Trinidad Chambliss. Crazy, right? Sure, it seems like a tricky gamble, but it paid off as Chambliss displayed remarkable composure and “it factor,” leading the Rebels to touchdown drives on their first three possessions, putting the Arkansas defense off guard. But what pushed Kiffin to take such a bold step?

Ole Miss insider Michael Katz asked Kiffin about his decision to start Chambliss even when Simmons was available. “Just a lot went into it. Just taking a lot of information in and making that decision really late. I just thought schematically, there are a lot of things against them that we should run that were quarterback runs or where he had reads… I didn’t really want to play Austin in that situation to get him hurt worse by running him. Austin is going to be a great player, and he is. (He’s) done great things for us. And so, I just had to make a decision today to go with Trinidad,” Kiffin said. And no wonder Lane Kiffin’s decision turned their fate back and forth.

Chambliss took control of the offense right away, leading Ole Miss to touchdowns on their first three drives. In hindsight, Kiffin chose to be cautious with his QB1’s left ankle injury. Fortunately, the decision paid off. Trinidad threw for 353 yards, ran for 62, and scored three total touchdowns.

The box score won’t give you a true picture of how effective he was. Chambliss connected on explosive 62- and 64-yard passes to Cayden Lee and Dae’Quan Wright, then capped off the drives with short touchdown runs. Sure, Simmons threw a scoring pass to Trey Wallace, but it was Trinidad Chambliss who gave the Rebels a 31-28 halftime lead. Well, that’s just the start.

The second half required toughness over brilliance, and Chambliss showed a perfect balance of both. First, he connected with De’Zhaun Stribling for a six-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 38-28, and then relied on his running ability to keep the offense moving when it counted. Then came in the best part of the game; with less than two minutes remaining, Chambliss and Kywan Lacy sealed the victory by running down the clock and securing the Rebels’ third consecutive win. And just like that, Chambliss took his team to a perfect 2-0 SEC start.

What all went right for Lane Kiffin’s team?

Lane Kiffin’s team is off to a great start this season, but it’s not all their grind; it’s also Arkansas’s defense’s rookie mistakes that landed them this victory. That’s right. The Rebels scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and racked up 475 yards of offense, exploiting a Razorback defense riddled with penalties, blown coverages, missed tackles, and a nonexistent pass rush. And that’s what left Sam Pittman furious after the game. “Our defense couldn’t do anything in the first half and most of the game. We got problems there. We’ve got to get them fixed.”

The frustration makes sense. Despite Lane Kiffin’s team starting their first game with Trinidad Chambliss, he still dominated the Razorbacks in his first FBS start. Well, why wouldn’t he? Even with heavy blitzing, the Hogs only managed one sack, allowing Chambliss ample time to exploit their coverage. And LB Xavian Sorey Jr., too, got real on the struggles. “It’s very frustrating not to be able to get to the quarterback. The first-level guys, we always want to help out our third-level guys, like corners and safeties and stuff, because rush and coverage work together. We know not getting to the quarterback, we put stress on our (defensive backs).”

Despite their difficulties, Arkansas still had a shot. The defense managed a fourth-quarter stop, but a late fumble by Jalen Brown overpowered Taylen Green’s impressive 416-yard performance. So, now if Pittman’s team really wants to make an impact this season, they need to work efficiently on both sides of the ball. And for Ole Miss, keeping their momentum alive is all they need to do.