Cam Newton says QB Trinidad Chambliss can lead No. 6 Ole Miss to national title

Ole Miss did what it was expected to do in its commanding 41-10 first-round win over No. 11 Tulane, but the real test came in Thursday night's Sugar Bowl against a Georgia team that handed the Rebels their only loss of the season, 43-35, on Oct. 18.

Chambliss transferred to Ole Miss after winning the 2024 national championship at Division II Ferris State, and his impact has been felt since he became the full-time starter in Week 3.

After completing 79.3% of his passes against Tulane, Chambliss was 30-of-46 for a season-high 362 yards with two TDs and zero interceptions in the Sugar Bowl win. Even when the game looked bleak facing a 21-12 halftime deficit, Chambliss brought the Rebels back and extended their lead to 34-24 with 9:02 left after a 13-yard TD pass to wide receiver Harrison Wallace Jr.

Even after the Bulldogs appeared to have all the momentum and tied the game at 34, Chambliss put the Rebels in field-goal range after a 40-yard dime to wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, ensuring Georgia could not complete a fourth-quarter comeback against them this time around.

Even though Ole Miss' defense has improved, it is still 39th in the country in points allowed (21.9 PPG), a far cry from its semifinal opponent Miami (13.8 PPG) and the other two semifinal teams, No. 5 Oregon (15.3 PPG) and No. 1 Indiana (11.1 PPG), all three of whom rank inside the top 10.

Still, the Rebels held Georgia to just 3-of-13 on third down and made key plays when they needed to. However, Ole Miss ranks ninth in offense (36.8 PPG) and has Chambliss on its sideline. That may be all it needs to win the national title and kick off the post-Kiffin era in style.