Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (10/08/2026) — The Ole Miss Rebels beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 52-17 on Thursday night at FirstBank Stadium. The Rebels won the turnover battle 4-1 and turned those extra possessions into a 35-point road win in SEC play.
Trinidad Chambliss led Ole Miss with 213 passing yards and three touchdowns. Ole Miss had the ball for barely 26 minutes and still scored 52 points.
How It Happened
Vanderbilt moved the ball well. The Commodores gained 343 total yards, picked up 19 first downs, converted nine third downs and held the ball for 33:56. The Commodores ran more plays and held the ball longer, and their drives stayed alive into the late stages.
Ole Miss needed less time to do more. The Rebels gained 409 total yards in 26:04 of possession, with a near-even split of 213 passing yards and 196 rushing yards. That balance meant Vanderbilt could not focus on stopping one part of the Ole Miss offense. Ole Miss finished with 22 first downs and converted five third downs.
Chambliss went 20-of-30 through the air with a 66.7 completion percentage and accounted for all 213 of the Rebels' passing yards. The ground game added nearly 200 more yards and kept the offense on schedule.
Lucas Carneiro scored 10 points for Ole Miss and helped the Rebels add points throughout the night.
On the Vanderbilt side, Tyler Ebel led all players with 233 yards. Jamezell Lassiter scored a touchdown and Brock Taylor added five points. Vanderbilt threw for 240 yards on 21-of-37 passing and ran for 103 more.
Turning Point
The turnover margin decided the game. Vanderbilt gave the ball away four times and Ole Miss gave it away once.
The Commodores won time of possession by almost eight minutes and converted nine third downs. They should have been able to keep the Ole Miss offense off the field. The giveaways cancelled out those long drives and gave the Rebels possessions they did not have to earn. Ole Miss scored efficiently with a short field and extra chances.
The Ole Miss pass rush also made a difference. Blake Purchase had two sacks, which stopped Vanderbilt drives and pushed the Commodores into longer down-and-distance situations. Miles Capers answered with a sack for Vanderbilt, but Ole Miss made more disruptive plays on defense.
Star of the Game
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Chambliss ran the Ole Miss offense with efficiency and control. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 213 yards and accounted for three touchdowns. He gave Ole Miss just one turnover while Vanderbilt gave away four, and that difference is a big reason the game became a blowout.
Tyler Ebel's 233 yards were the top individual yardage total of the game. Blake Purchase deserves credit too: his two sacks led the Ole Miss defense.
What It Means
For Ole Miss: The Rebels showed again that they can score quickly. They put up 52 points with less than half the game's possession time, and they did it in a Thursday-night road game. The balanced run and pass production and the 4-1 turnover margin are a model for the rest of their SEC schedule. Combining an efficient offense with a defense that creates turnovers and sacks makes Ole Miss hard to beat in conference play.
For Vanderbilt: The Commodores have some positives to build on. They held the ball for nearly 34 minutes, converted nine third downs and moved the ball for 343 yards. Tyler Ebel's 233-yard night shows Vanderbilt has a player who can carry an offense. Taking care of the ball will be the priority. Four turnovers against an SEC opponent like Ole Miss gave away the advantages Vanderbilt built with its long drives. If the Commodores sustain drives the way they did Thursday and protect the football, they can compete with the conference's best.
