Pregame Prep: Things to Know Before the Game
Kickoff: Sunday, September 6th at 7:30 p.m. ET
TV / Radio: ABC / 93.9 The Ville
Uniforms: Louisville (all white w/bird logo); Ole Miss TBA as of Friday afternoon
Last Time These Two Met:
Ole Miss and Louisville have only met one time previously, coming in the season opener in 2021. The Rebels jumped to an early 26-0 halftime lead, and never looked back as they defeated the Cardinals 43-24. Matt Corral led the Rebels with 381 passing yards and a touchdown, with Ole Miss piling up 569 total yards and forcing two turnovers.
Notable Numbers:
- Louisville has won all four games it has played in Nissan Stadium. The Cardinals won a neutral site game against Middle Tennessee State in 2006, defeated Western Kentucky in 2019, and won two Music City Bowl games against Texas A&M (2015) and Ole Miss’ bitter rival, Mississippi State (2019).
- Jeff Brohm is 4-4 against AP Top 25 opponents entering his fourth season at Louisville.
- Isaac and Keyjuan Brown both return to form one of college football’s best tandems at running back. Isaac Brown rushed for 884 yards and seven touchdowns with 8.8 yards per carry last season, while Keyjuan Brown had 704 yards and six touchdowns on 7.3 yards per carry.
First Down: Meet the 2026 Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels enter 2026 fresh off a deep run in the College Football Playoff last year, narrowly coming up short against Miami (FL) in the semifinals. This run happened, in spite of head coach Lane Kiffin having a dramatic — and controversial — exit to take the head coaching job at LSU.
Pete Golding, who was Kiffin’s defensive coordinator, stayed on and was named head coach of the Rebels after Kiffin’s departure. Golding now enters his first full season as a head coach at the collegiate level, looking to take the Rebels back to the College Football Playoff and giving them their first SEC title since 1963.
Second Down: The Ole Miss Offense
When Kiffin departed for LSU, Ole Miss wasted no time with hiring East Carolina’s John David Baker as the new offensive coordinator for their CFP run. Baker led the Pirates offense to a top-20 FBS ranking in total offense last season. After a CFP run that saw the Rebels average 37 points and 456 yards per game in three games (Tulane, Georgia, and Miami), Baker was retained as the permanent OC.
Baker does have continuity on the roster, and it starts with their dynamic backfield, which has a very good argument for being the best in college football this season. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss returns after emerging as one of college football’s most fascinating storylines last season. He transferred to Ole Miss after winning a national championship at Division II Ferris State in 2024, was named the starter after Austin Simmons was sidelined with an injury, and never looked back. Chambliss completed 66% of his passes and had just three interceptions last season, while scoring 30 total touchdowns.
With Chambliss, Ole Miss has a quarterback that can sling passes with high velocity. Chambliss is a dual-threat guy that can buy time to deliver on-point throws, and while he hasn’t had a lot of chances to go on designed runs, he has the ability to do so.
Completing the other half of the Ole Miss backfield is running back Kewan Lacy, fresh off a record-breaking season for the Rebels. Lacy is a tough, durable runner that can fight through contact and wear defenses out down the stretch. Between Lacy and Chambliss, Ole Miss has plenty of options with their run game, and it’ll make play action / RPO’s tough to defend.
The Rebels head into 2026 needing to replace their top two wide receivers from last year (Harrison Wallace and De’Zhaun Stribling), as well as tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who rejoined Kiffin at LSU after having a brief foray in training camp with the Cleveland Browns. Deuce Alexander does return, he averaged 15.6 yards per catch last year and should be a deep play option for Baker and Chambliss. Former five-star recruit Caleb Cunningham could be due for a bigger role after playing in only three games last season; he’s a dynamic athlete that can high point the ball and create issues with his route-running. If he can emerge as a breakout talent in 2026, Ole Miss has a tremendous chance to win the SEC with their offense.
Transfers Johntay Cook II and Darrell Gill arrive after being Syracuse’s top two receivers from last year; Gill led the Orange in receiving touchdowns last year (five) in spite of a Syracuse passing game that struggled immensely after starter Steve Angeli suffered a season-ending injury, and has averaged 16.2 yards per catch in his collegiate career. Horatio Fields (Wake Forest) and Isaiah Spencer (Virginia Tech) are among other notable transfers that will bolster depth at wide receiver. Look for returnee Caleb Odom (19 rec., 197 yards, two TDs) to man the tight end spot.
Players to Watch:
- QB Trinidad Chambliss (66% completion, 3,937 passing yards, 30 total TDs & three INTs)
- RB Kewan Lacy (1,567 rushing yards, 24 TDs)
- WR Deuce Alexander (44 receptions, 684 yards, two TDs)
Third Down: The Ole Miss Defense
A familiar face will be on the Ole Miss sideline, as Bryan Brown — Louisville’s defensive coordinator during the Scott Satterfield era (2019-22) — was hired as defensive coordinator in the offseason.
Like his offensive counterpart in Baker, Brown’s defense will be led by two players that may be the best in the SEC at their respective positions; defensive tackle Will Echoles, and linebacker Suntarine Perkins.
Echoles headlines an Ole Miss defensive line that is loaded with talent. He is a tank at 6’3″ and 310 lbs., stuffs runs at a high level, and had five batted passes last year. He’s likely going to be a day two or even a first round draft pick next spring, and will be key towards containing Louisville’s high-powered rushing attack. Kam Franklin (69 tackles, nine TFLs, five sacks) also returns and should be the key pass rusher for Ole Miss this season. Transfers Jehiem Oates (Colorado) and Michai Boireau (Florida) have tremendous size at defensive tackle, with both guys pushing 335+ pounds.
Suntarine Perkins returns as one of the best linebackers in college football, and he can do essentially everything in Ole Miss’s defense. He can rush the passer and drop back in coverage at plus level, he will be everywhere and make plays.
Ole Miss added two stout linebackers in the portal with Keaton Thomas (Baylor) and Luke Ferrelli (California). Thomas earned All-Big XII Second Team honors in 2025, leading the Bears with 105 tackles and seven TFLs. He has NFL size at 240 lbs. and is another well-rounded player. Luke Ferrelli arrives at Ole Miss after a very brief stay at Clemson (and subsequent tampering accusations from Dabo Swinney), adding another playmaker at linebacker. Between Perkins, Thomas, and Ferrelli, Ole Miss could have one of the best linebacker groups in college football this season.
In the secondary, Ole Miss has multiple players returning, including Antonio Kite at cornerback (34 tackles, five PBUs) and Jaylon Braxton (24 tackles, INT). Jalyn Crawford (15 tackles, INT) arrives after making 18 career starts at Auburn in the last two seasons. Three transfers — Joenel Aguero (Georgia), Sharif Denson (Florida), and Edwin Joseph (Florida State) — arrive to form a likely three-man tandem at safety.
Players to Watch:
- DT Will Echoles (11.5 TFLs, five sacks, five PBUs)
- LB Suntarine Perkins (81 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, three forced fumbles, six PBUs, four sacks)
- LB Keaton Thomas (105 tackles, seven TFLs, INT)
Fourth Down: Keys to the Game
- Can Louisville establish the run game early and often?
It’s no secret that Louisville’s running back group is among the best in college football this season. But it’s also no secret that the linebacker group at Ole Miss is among the best in the sport; add in Ole Miss’s defensive line, and it will be a strength v. strength matchup that many NFL scouts will be watching on Sunday.
With Anwar O’Neal likely due to miss the season opener, Lance Robinson moves over to left tackle, with Evan Wibberley likely starting at center. Louisville may have to establish the run early and often to give themselves the best chance at pulling off the win, but it will be a tough matchup against Ole Miss’s front seven. If Louisville can do that, that should open opportunities for Lincoln Kienholz to get into a rhythm as a passer, and push the ball downfield — something that Jeff Brohm has been vocal about wanting to do this offseason.
- How will Louisville’s defense attack Trinidad Chambliss?
Mark Ivey has made a reputation as an aggressive, high-energy coach, and it’s translated on the field with his players. As the new defensive coordinator, Louisville will face a tremendous task with containing Trinidad Chambliss, who is a unique dual-threat quarterback in that he uses his legs to buy time on his passes.
Thus, the main question for Louisville will be, “How much are the Cardinals going to blitz and bring pressure to Chambliss?” Ole Miss will be replacing both starting tackles from last year’s squad, which on paper, should bode well for Louisville’s talented edge rusher group. If Louisville can win the catchups on the edge, it’s a good first step for keeping the Ole Miss offense at bay for most of the game. Louisville’s secondary will also have to force turnovers, something that Chambliss was able to limit to a high degree last season (only three interceptions last season).
