Notes and Notables from Ole Miss’ 63-7 win over Georgia State

OXFORD, Miss. — (Release) Ole Miss soundly defeated Georgia State, 63-7, Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway. Here are some notes and notables from the game.

SERIES INFORMATION

• This was the first all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Georgia State.

CAPTAINS

• TJ Dottery (LB), Cayden Lee (WR), Suntarine Perkins (LB).

STARTERS

• QB Austin Simmons made his first career start at quarterback as a Rebel.
• A total of 15 Rebels, including Simmons, made their first career starts at Ole Miss: S TJ Banks, S Nick Cull, CB Ricky Fletcher, DE Kam Franklin, DT Will Echoles, CB Antonio Kite, OL Patrick Kutas, RB Kewan Lacy, S Sage Ryan, OL Brycen Sanders, WR De’Zhaun Stribling, WR Harrison Wallace III, OL PJ Wilkins and LB Jaden Yates.
• Of those 15, eight made their first overall career starts: Banks, Cull, Echoles, Franklin, Kite, Sanders and Simmons.

GENERAL NOTES

• Ole Miss is now 97-29-5 (.760) in season openers and have taken 24 of the last 29 on the field.

• Ole Miss is now 71-17 (.807) versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.

• Under head coach Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss is now 20-2 against non-conference opponents.

• Ole Miss is now 306-116-8 (.721) all-time at Vaught-Hemingway before vacated wins (284-113-8 after).

• Kiffin (45-18) has passed David Cutcliffe (1998-2004; 44-29) for sole possession of third all-time in Ole Miss history in coaching victories.

• Ole Miss is now 28-3 in its last 31 home games and 14-1 at home since the start of the 2023 season.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• The Rebels’ 63 points stands tied for 12th in program single-game history … Ole Miss has now scored 40 or more in three consecutive season openers dating back to 2023.

• Ole Miss is now the first team in SEC history to score 60-plus points in three straight season-openers.

• Ole Miss ended with 695 yards of total offense, the eighth-most in program history.

• Head coach Lane Kiffin now owns 28 games with at least 600 yards at Ole Miss, including eight of the top-10 single-game offensive performances all-time … Prior to his arrival, Ole Miss had only 16 games with 600 or more yards.

• Ole Miss ended with exactly 400 yards passing, the ninth game with at least 400 in the Kiffin era.

• Ole Miss rushed for 295 yards on the ground, the most by a Rebel offense since carving LSU for 317 on Sept. 30, 2023.

• QB Austin Simmons ended his first start 20-of-31 passing for 341 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 17 yards … Simmons entered 2025 with 282 yards and two touchdowns passing in his career, and started off 3-of-3 for 52 yards and a score on his opening drive.

• Simmons connected with eight different Rebel receivers, all at least twice, led by a career-high 130 yards from WR Harrison Wallace III on five catches and one touchdown.

• TE Dae’Quan Wright had four catches for 78 yards and the opening-drive score, including a career-long 38-yard catch for the touchdown … Tonight, Wright passed 1,000 career receiving yards, currently standing at 1,046.

• RB Kewan Lacy ended with 108 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, the first three scores of his career in his first-ever start.

• Four different receivers caught a pass for a touchdown: Wallace lll, Wright, TE Caleb Odom and WR Izaiah Hartrup – the first scores in a Rebel uniform for Odom and Hartrup.

• QB Trinidad Chambliss (4-of-6, 59 yards, 1 TD) converted a two-point conversion during the second quarter … The last two-point conversion Ole Miss had was in the 2023 Peach Bowl against Penn State.

• RB Logan Diggs ended with an Ole Miss career-high 91 yards and a score on seven carries … Diggs missed most of 2024 with an injury.

• Freshman WR Winston Watkins hauled in a 28 yard reception for his first career catch.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• Ole Miss stifled Georgia State to 260 total yards and just 69 passing yards, the fewest allowed by a Rebel defense through the air since ULM to 66 passing yards in 2023.

• This marks the 11th game holding opponents to fewer than 300 yards since the arrival of defensive coordinator Pete Golding in 2023.

• DT Zxavian Harris recorded five tackles, one sack, two QB hurries and the first interception of his career … Harris is the first Ole Miss defensive lineman to record an interception since Jamarious Brown at LSU in 2024.

• LB TJ Dottery led the Rebels in tackles with nine total tackles alongside a half TFL and one PBU.

• Five of Ole Miss’ top-seven tacklers tonight are newcomers: LB Jaden Yates (8), DE Da’Shawn Womack (6), S Wydett Williams Jr. (5), LB Tahj Chambers (5) and CB Antonio Kite (3).

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• K Lucas Carneiro was 2-for-2 on field goals, with his first being a 42-yard try … Carneiro is now 8-of-9 from 40-49 yards out in his career.

• K Mike Baker added two PATs in reserve duty, giving him three in his career.

• P Oscar Bird made his Ole Miss debut, averaging 44.5 yards on two attempts, including one pinned inside the 20 with a long of 54.