Notes and Notables from Ole Miss’ 30-23 win over Kentucky
LEXINGTON, KY. — Ole Miss beat Kentucky, 30-23, in Lexington Saturday afternoon, moving the Rebels to 2-0 overall, 1-0 SEC.
Here are some notes and notables from the game, courtesy of Ole Miss Football.
Series Information
• This was the 47th all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Kentucky.
• Ole Miss now leads the series 31-15-1 on the field (30-15-1 after vacated wins).
• In Lexington, the series now stands at 12-11-1 in favor of Ole Miss.
Captains
• Zxavian Harris (DT), Harrison Wallace III (WR), Dae’Quan Wright (TE).
Starters
• DE Princewill Umanmielen and S Wydett Williams Jr. each made their first starts at Ole Miss.
• CB Chris Graves Jr. made his first start of the season, the second of his career and first since starting at No. 1 Georgia in 2023.
• OL Jayden Williams leads all Rebels in active career starts at Ole Miss, earning the 21st of his Rebel career today at right tackle.
Debuts
• LB Andrew Jones made his Ole Miss debut today.
General Notes
• Today’s attendance was 58,346.
• Ole Miss is now 169-94-7 (.639) all-time during the month of September (after vacated wins).
Offensive notes and notables
• RB Kewan Lacy led the Rebels on the ground, rushing 28 times for 138 yards and one touchdown … In his debut vs. Georgia State last week, Lacy had108 yards and three scores on 16 carries.
• Lacy is the first Rebel rusher to break 100 yards twice to start a season since Scottie Phillips started his Ole Miss career in 2018 with 204 against Texas Tech and 107 vs. Southern Illinois.
• Lacy is one of four Ole Miss rushers in available records (since at least 1970) to score four rushing touchdowns across the first two games of a season … Others to do so are: Henry Parrish Jr. in 2024 (four vs. Middle Tennessee); Scottie Phillips in 2018 (two vs. Texas Tech, two vs. Southern Illinois); Deuce McAllister in 2000 (two vs. Tulane, two vs. Auburn), Artie Moore in 1996 (three vs. Idaho State, one vs. VMI) and Arthur Humphrey in 1984 (two vs. Memphis, two vs. Arkansas).
• WR Harrison Wallace III hauled in four catches for 117 yards (including a career-long 55-yard reception), his second 100-yard outing in as many games as a Rebel … Wallace is the only newcomer receiver in available records (since at least 1977) to break 100 yards in the first two games of their debut season.
• WR Deuce Alexander was one yard shy of his career high, tallying 68 yards today on four catches … Alexander also rushed twice for 11 yards.
• QB Austin Simmons went 13-of-24 for 235 yards passing in his first SEC road start, while also adding a career-high 44 rushing yards and his first rushing score.
• QB Trinidad Chambliss came on in brief relief of Simmons following an injury, rushing three times for 13 yards.
• RB Damien Taylor scored his first TD for Ole Miss, the 10th of his career … Taylor finished with four carries for 10 yards.
• TE Trace Bruckler made his first catch as a Rebel in the third quarter, ending the day with two catches for 29 yards.
Defensive notes and notables
• LB TJ Dottery helped lead Ole Miss in tackles for the second consecutive week … Dottery tied for the team lead with six total tackles alongside LB Jaden Yates and DT Zxavian Harris.
• Harris recorded his second sack of the season, already a season career-high … Harris now owns 4.5 total sacks in his career.
• DE Princewill Umanmielen recorded his first sack as a Rebel, giving him 2.5 on his overall career, and ended the day with 2.0 TFL and four total tackles.
• DT Will Echoles recorded his first career solo sack in the first quarter … Echoles ended the day with three total tackles.
• Ole Miss tallied six pass breakups, the most by a Rebel defense since batting away 12 at LSU in 2024 … S Wydett Williams Jr. led Ole Miss with two PBUs in addition to one solo tackle.
• DE Kam Franklin had two of Ole Miss’ three QB hurries today alongside five total tackles.
Special teams notes and notables
• K Lucas Carneiro went 3-of-4 on field goals, with a long of 43 in the second quarter that marked his 30th made field goal … Carneiro now owns 32 makes in his career.
• Carneiro is now 9-of-10 in his career from 40-49 yards and 15-of-17 from at least 40 yards out … A first quarter miss from 51 yards was the first miss from 50 yards in his career, entering today a perfect 6-of-6.
• P Oscar Bird punted four times for 163 yards, averaging 40.8 yards per attempt with a long of 51.
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
