Playoff sting still fresh, Ole Miss braces for Louisville in the week’s lone ranked matchup

Playoff sting still fresh, Ole Miss.

Key points

• Ole Miss went 13-2 and finished fourth in the final Associated Press Top 25.
• Chambliss threw for 3, 937 yards and 22 touchdowns with only three interceptions after taking over as the starter last season.
• A little bit petty, a whole lot creative: Inside Tupelo's Petty Betty's Art Studio.
• They meet Sunday night at Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, in this week's only game featuring a pair of ranked teams.
• Chris Beard's Ole Miss team stuns Texas at SEC tourney, hurting the Longhorns' NCAA hopes.

Playoff sting still fresh, Ole Miss braces for Louisville in the week's lone ranked matchup. By: Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press – September 3, 2026. Pete Golding (Photo from Ole Miss Athletics).

Coach Pete Golding emphasizes the importance of Ole Miss taking Louisville seriously. He reminds the Rebels that the team that knocked them out of the playoffs lost to Louisville.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Coach Pete Golding has had a simple reminder for No. 9 Mississippi on why the Rebels need to take No. 24 Louisville particularly seriously.

"The last team that put us out of the playoffs got beat by the team we're about to play, " Golding remarked of losing to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals. "So like, if you're looking ahead to something else, man, there's there's something wrong with you."

Ole Miss went 13-2 and finished fourth in the final Associated Press Top 25. Golding has had a full offseason to prepare as head coach. Louisville finished 9-4, and coach Jeff Brohm retooled with 34 players through the transfer portal.

Meanwhile, the stakes are pretty clear playing a ranked Southeastern Conference opponent to open the season in only the second, neutral site game between these teams.

"They played outstanding last year, got a Heisman-contending quarterback back, a Heisman-contending running back back, and they're both really good, " Brohm remarked. "They've proven that against good competition last year, so this is a battle-tested team that played extremely well. We'll have our hands full."

Brohm isn't just being kind. Ole Miss has promoted both quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy for the Heisman Trophy with ads in Times Square in New York to the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Chambliss is back thanks to a legal fight to be eligible that reached the Mississippi Supreme Court. The decision in March followed Chambliss' decision to return to Ole Miss if given the chance to play a fourth season in six years in college. Not even the flashy Heisman campaign can distract Chambliss now.

"I'm concentrating on Louisville and making sure my teammates know that I'm doing everything to be the best player I can be, " he remarked. Defending the dangerous Rebels.

Chambliss threw for 3, 937 yards and 22 touchdowns with only three interceptions after taking over as the starter last season. He additionally ran for 527 yards and eight more scores. Chambliss supported the Rebels average 36.9 points a game and rank 10th nationally rolling up 489.7 yards per game.

Making the Ole Miss offense even more high-powered is what Lacy brings. He began every game and set program single-season records with 306 rushes for 1, 567 yards and 24 rushing TDs. Prepping for an unknown quarterback.

One of the players Brohm brought in through the portal was quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. He appeared in only 12 games at Ohio State where he threw for 250 yards and one touchdown.

"He was highly recruited and can run and pass, " remarked Ole Miss defensive back Sharif Denson, a transfer from Florida. "There's not a lot of tendencies on tape (availability) with him, but our coaches have studied the offenses of Coach Brohm and his staff, and what they've been successful doing." Louisville has its own counter to Lacy.

Cardinals RB Isaac Brown led the nation averaging 8.8 yards per carry last season as a sophomore. He additionally led all FBS players with six rushes of 50 yards or longer despite playing in only nine games last season.

Helping Ole Miss defend Brown is having to face another elite running back in practice in Lacy. Golding called Brown special and explosive: "I think he's one of the best backs we'll actually see all year." Will they or won't they?

Brohm remarked fifth-year defensive back Jabari Mack is due to play Sunday night after coming back. Louisville was working to see if linebacker Kalib Perry can become eligible in time to play. Both Mack and Perry are part of the Class of 2022 with four seasons in college. AP freelance reporter Chris Burrows contributed to this report. Regarding the Author(s). Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press. Culture Meredith Biesinger September 1, 2026.

Meanwhile, a little bit petty, a whole lot creative: Inside Tupelo's Petty Betty's Art Studio.

Notably, the Tupelo studio is cheerful, funky, and a little quirky, with the kind of creative energy that makes you start thinking maybe you, too, could create something fabulous out of a lump of clay. More From This Author. Sports Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press March 12, 2026.

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In short, playoff sting still fresh, Ole Miss braces for Louisville in the week's is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.