Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3: Rebels run for 257 yards and keep the Tigers out of the end zone

No. 9 Ole Miss won this game on the ground and on third down. The Rebels ran for 257 yards, converted 9 of 14 third downs and held No. 13 Missouri to a first-quarter field goal in a 31-3 win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.

Missouri moved the ball through the air but never finished a drive with a touchdown. The Tigers ran 20 times with Jamal Roberts for 39 yards, and that one-sided offense was easy to defend once Ole Miss got ahead.

How it was won

Missouri scored first. Blake Craig hit a 27-yard field goal at 8:16 of the first quarter for a 3-0 lead. It was the Tigers' only points of the day.

Ole Miss answered within three minutes. Trinidad Chambliss found Caleb Odom for a 10-yard touchdown at 5:42, and Lucas Carneiro's kick made it 7-3.

Chambliss added two more touchdown passes before halftime: 21 yards to Horatio Fields at 10:13 of the second quarter, then 17 yards to Caleb Cunningham with 2:13 left in the half. Ole Miss led 21-3 at the break.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Chambliss ran in from 5 yards at 12:44 of the fourth for a 28-3 lead, and Carneiro closed the scoring with a 38-yard field goal at 3:45.

Chambliss finished 20 of 36 for 241 yards and three touchdowns, plus the rushing score. The running game did the rest. Kewan Lacy ran 16 times for 122 yards and Makhi Frazier added 101 on 15 carries. Ole Miss outgained Missouri 498 to 378 and had 27 first downs to 17.

Missouri's yards came from Austin Simmons, who threw for 339 on 25 of 44 with no touchdowns and an interception. Donovan Olugbode caught 9 passes for 127 yards and Cayden Lee had 5 for 62. The Tigers were 6 of 17 on third down.

Each team turned it over once, and possession was close to even, with Ole Miss holding the ball for 31:06. The gap was in what each offense did with its snaps.

Against the number

Ole Miss closed as a 4-point favorite and won by 28, covering by 24 points. The moneyline favorite at -180 won outright, while Missouri at +150 never threatened after the first quarter.

The total closed at 57.5 and the teams combined for 34, a clear under. Missouri's lack of a touchdown did most of the work there; Ole Miss alone scored 31, and the second half produced just 10 points.

Full pricing history and the closing board are on the game page.

What's next

Ole Miss moves to 5-1 and goes on the road to face No. 7 Texas on Saturday, October 24, on ABC. The Rebels' only loss came at Florida, 52-28, and they have now scored 31 or more in five of six games, including wins over LSU and Missouri.

Missouri falls to 5-2. Both losses have come on the road in Mississippi, at Mississippi State and now at Ole Miss. The Tigers had won their previous two games against Florida and Texas A&M by a combined 72-23. Their next game is Saturday, October 31, at Arkansas, and the priority between now and then is a running game that can keep defenses from sitting on the pass.