An injury to a starting QB is usually taken as the death sentence for a program’s success that year. Just look at this season. Oklahoma’s John Mateer just had hand surgery and will be missing a lot of time. The instant this news was circulated throughout the nation, fans thought it was over for the Sooners. And that’s exactly what fans thought when Austin Simmons went down in Week 2 and a backup had to steer the ship. But it didn’t take long for that backup to make himself known in every Rebel household. Trinidad Chambliss just torched No. 4 LSU with 314 yards passing and 71 on the ground to push the Rebels to an undefeated 5-0.

Saying that Chambliss has successfully taken over Simmons would be an understatement. He has completed 64.4% of his passes for 1044 yards and 5 touchdowns. That’s not all, he also became the first SEC quarterback in 30 years to post three straight games with 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards when he demolished Brian Kelly’s Tigers in front of 67000 fans. But what happens when Chambliss continues to performs like he is, and Simmons also comes back fully healthy and ready to go? That’s the question that was asked of Lane Kiffin on Kirk Herbstreit’s podcast.

Kiffin basically pressed pause on the depth chart drama when cornered with this question. He told Joey Galloway, “Yeah, it’s a great problem to have. I don’t know that answer yet because we’re not there yet. We don’t play this week.” Read between the lines and you’ll clearly find Kiffin’s unwillingness to entertain this hypothetical. He does not want to play favorites when there is no need. Chambliss is performing, Simmons is recovering, that’s the reality of the locker room right now, and that’s the scenario Kiffin is comfortable with at the moment. 

Kiffin continued, “And Austin’s still getting back to 100% and he was playing great when he got hurt. Even came in when he was still hurt and played and threw a touchdown in Arkansas the other week. So, it’s a really good situation to have.” This is some classic coach speak. The decision comes into consideration when Austin gets back to 100% and even then, it’d come down to who the team needs in that instance. Statistically speaking, Chambliss is doing better than Simmons in all aspects. Before the injury, Simmons had 580 yards, 4 TDs, and an abysmal 4 interceptions in just 3 games with 60.6% completion. Whereas Chambliss is at 1044 yards, with 64.4%, 5 TDs, and just one interception.

But the big picture is, Ole Miss is one of those rare teams that has two quality quarterbacks. The Rebels didn’t blink after the injury and have been showing up with their A game. They’ll be requiring a lot more of Chambilss’ yardage for the packed schedule they’ve got ahead of themselves. They have major opponents coming up in Oklahoma, Georgia, Mississippi State, the Gators, and South Carolina. The only team that could pose a real problem to them is Georgia. The remaining can be won with the kind of play that the Rebels have already displayed. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve seen an upset almost every week. But it would be a lie to not mention that Ole Miss appears to be a genuine contender for the SEC Championship game.

Kiffin on Chambliss

Lane Kiffin could not hide his emotions when Trinidad Chambliss led Ole Miss to that 24-19 victory against the Tigers. He knew what Chambliss’ rise meant to the locker room and the future of Ole Miss this season without their starting QB. “He was pretty emotional afterwards,” Kiffin said about Chambliss. “We had a really cool hug, and he told me, ‘I love ya.’ He was just so appreciative of the opportunity. It’s just a really cool story.” Chambliss has been proving himself in a trial by fire every week now. He definitely deserves his flowers, especially after causing this upset.

Kiffin also talked about the underdog arc that made Chambliss’ story much more surreal. “I like good stories,” he said. “Here’s a little short kid from Division II going against Nussmeier and the Mighty Tigers at little Ole Miss. So, it was really cool. And for him to go out of bounds like he shouldn’t and then make a play to end it, that was awesome.”

All this was achieved when Ole Miss was not at their best. They had 14 flags, which cost them 109 yards. But even after these slip-ups, the defense stopped LSU to just 57 rushing yards and brought the victory home. Even after this, Kiffin refuses to slap the QB1 label on Chambliss, and that’s for a good reason. Let health, performance, and team needs dictate that decision, not a popularity contest.