Austin Simmons Injury Update: Ole Miss QB Shaken Up Late; He and Kiffin Say He’s Fine
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons gave Rebel Nation a scare on Saturday afternoon when he went down with a left leg injury late in the fourth quarter of the Rebels’ 30-23 win over Kentucky.
With just over six minutes remaining, Simmons was scrambling when his leg appeared to get rolled up on. The play came on third down, forcing Ole Miss to punt and bringing Trinidad Chambliss in at quarterback for the next series. Simmons returned on the final play of the game to kneel in victory formation.
Fortunately for the Rebels, both Lane Kiffin and Simmons had encouraging news after the win.
“He was fine to go back in. I wanted Trinidad just because we were gonna run some stuff where he was gonna pull the ball and luckily it worked out.”
Lane Kiffin on Austin Simmons’ injury
Simmons, a redshirt sophomore making his second start, finished the game 13-of-24 passing for 235 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He scored one 7-yard rushing touchdown and finished the game with 44 yards on the ground on 8 attempts.
Despite the turnover struggles, the Rebels are now 2-0 in games Simmons has started.
Afterward, Simmons downplayed any concerns.
“Oh, no, I’m fine, I’m good, I went back out there, you know, for the last play of the game, and I’m good.”
Austin Simmons
When asked what Kiffin said to him after the injury, Simmons explained the conversation.
“There’s just a minor little injury. Kiff came to me on the sideline. You know, he still had full confidence with me. I told him I’d be able to go back in after that. So just pretty much that. Then we got to the four minute drive and that was it.”
What’s Next?
Ole Miss now turns its attention to the SEC home opener. The Rebels will host Arkansas next Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
