A 33.5-point favorite facing an unranked opponent, No. 4 Ole Miss found itself in an unexpected battle against Washington State, narrowly escaping with a 24-21 victory. This nail-biting win, while keeping their unbeaten record intact, exposes critical vulnerabilities and ignites questions about the Rebels’ focus and national championship aspirations ahead of a pivotal Week 8 clash.
The electric atmosphere of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, typically serves as a rallying cry for the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels. However, on a recent Saturday morning, it became the setting for a heart-stopping scare against the unranked Washington State Cougars. What was widely predicted as a comfortable win for the Rebels, with an initial spread of 32.5 points, turned into a precarious 24-21 escape that reverberated through the college football landscape.
Washington State entered the matchup as a massive underdog, with some projections having Ole Miss as high as a 34.3-point favorite, according to the ESPN SP+ model. The consensus across major sports publications, including SI.com, was that the Rebels would roll. But the Cougars, despite acknowledging the daunting task, had other plans. Washington State head coach Jimmy Rogers wryly noted the challenge of replicating the Rebels’ home environment, emphasizing his team’s underdog status.
The Underestimated Cougars: A Program in Transition
The Washington State Cougars are currently navigating a challenging period in college football, particularly regarding conference realignments. This game itself was a result of their efforts to “cobble together a lineup of games” in their final year away from a traditional conference landscape. Despite their 3-2 record coming into the game, previous blow-out losses to North Texas (by 49 points) and Washington (by 35 points) suggested a significant talent disparity, reinforcing the widespread expectation of an easy Ole Miss victory.
However, the Cougars defied expectations, leading 7-3 for much of the first half and holding a 14-10 advantage into the third quarter. Their resilience nearly culminated in what Yahoo Sports would have hailed as the biggest upset of the 2025 season, surpassing UCLA’s shocking win over Penn State in Week 6.
Rebel Performance Review: Offensive Stutters and Key Contributions
For much of the game, the high-flying Ole Miss offense, which boasts a 16th-ranked scoring average of 36.5 points per game, struggled to find its rhythm. While the Rebels eventually scored two consecutive touchdowns to establish a 10-point lead in the final quarter, Washington State quickly narrowed the gap, forcing Ole Miss to punt with just over a minute left on the clock. The game’s final moments saw the Cougars attempt a desperate hook-and-lateral play from their own 36-yard line, a testament to how close they came to pulling off the unthinkable.
Key offensive players for the Rebels in this tight contest included:
- Trinidad Chambliss (QB): Finished 20-of-29 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns. His continued strong play since taking over for the injured Austin Simmons has been a significant storyline, even putting him in Heisman Trophy conversations, as noted by SI.com.
- Kewan Lacy (RB): Carried the ball 24 times for 142 crucial yards, providing the ground support needed to move the chains.
Despite the win, the offensive struggles and turnovers (two in the previous game against LSU, as per Article 5) indicate areas for improvement for a team with national championship aspirations. The defense under coordinator Pete Golding has been praised by Coach Kiffin for “hitting its stride” and making adjustments after earlier challenges, but the close score against an inferior opponent will undoubtedly prompt further scrutiny.
Lane Kiffin’s Calculated Risk and the \”Trap Game\” Reality
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is known for his unconventional and often social media-driven motivational tactics. Ahead of the Washington State game, he quote-tweeted a sports personality who suggested the Cougars had a chance to win outright, a clear attempt to guard against complacency in what was a classic “trap game” scenario. The Rebels were coming off a bye week and a statement victory over LSU, with a monumental clash against No. 10 Georgia looming in Week 8. Such situations often lead highly-ranked teams to overlook lesser opponents.
After the narrow victory, Kiffin characterized the win as “survive-and-advance,” an honest assessment of a game that could have derailed their season. This mindset is crucial for teams competing at the highest level, where every game, regardless of the opponent’s perceived strength, demands full attention and execution.
Implications for National Championship Hopes
The win against Washington State, while messy, keeps Ole Miss’s perfect 5-0 record intact and their national championship hopes alive. As a top-four team, every performance is scrutinized, and a loss to an unranked opponent would have been devastating for their College Football Playoff aspirations. The Rebels’ schedule has historically included challenging matchups, with their 2023 season featuring tough losses to Alabama and Georgia, but also significant wins against ranked SEC opponents.
The immediate challenge is Week 8’s trip to No. 10 Georgia. This game will be a true litmus test for Ole Miss. The scare against Washington State may serve as a wake-up call, potentially sharpening their focus for their biggest game of the season. However, it also provides opposing coaches with fresh tape highlighting areas where Ole Miss can be exploited.
The Fan Perspective: Relief Mixed with Concern
For the passionate Ole Miss fanbase, the Washington State game was an emotional rollercoaster. The cheers of an anticipated rout quickly turned to anxious murmurs as the Cougars kept pace. The eventual 24-21 victory brought immense relief, but also ignited discussions across fan communities about the team’s preparedness and mental fortitude.
Fans are left to ponder whether this near-upset was an anomaly or an early warning sign for a team aiming for the program’s first national title. The “survive and advance” mantra will resonate, but the memory of the narrow escape will undoubtedly fuel debate and heightened anticipation for the crucial games that lie ahead.
