The college football regular season is nearly halfway complete. It’s crazy to think about, but most teams are either halfway through or will reach the halfway point this upcoming weekend. Ole Miss is no different. After avoiding a catastrophic upset against bye week this past weekend, they take on Washington State this week. The matchup with the Cougars marks the halfway point of their schedule. And much like everyone else, there’s been good and bad for the Rebels this season. That being said, let’s look at Ole Miss’s midseason grades so far this year.
Ole Miss Midseason Grades
Offense
There’s been a lot of good so far on the offensive side of the ball for the Rebels. Starting running back Kewan Lacy has been a major relief for an offense that was horrific in the running game last year. Through five games, Lacy has 445 yards rushing. For comparison, Ole Miss only had two players all of last season who ran for more: Henry Parrish at 686, and quarterback Jaxson Dart at 671. Barring injury, Lacy is going to soar past both of those numbers by season’s end.
In terms of the receiving room, Tre Wallace, Deuce Alexander, and Cayden Lee have been huge. After losing a ton of production at the skill positions, landing Wallace and Alexander in the portal has been massive for Lane Kiffin and company. Then there’s the fact that the offensive line has gotten demonstrably better. With the O-line arguably being the weakest point for the Rebels over the years, having an adequate offensive line this year has been a much-needed sigh of relief.
Then there’s the quarterbacks. Starting the year, Austin Simmons was the guy, and he played well, apart from a few boneheaded turnovers. However, following an ankle injury, Trinidad Chambliss has taken over as the starter, and it’s now his job to lose, as he’s played tremendous football in his three starts. Having two adequate quarterbacks is a good spot to be in if you’re Ole Miss.
Overall, the numbers haven’t been quite as high-powered as years past for the Rebels’ offense. But that’s largely due to the balance they have this year. With that, this is arguably one of the best, if not the best, offenses Ole Miss has seen since Kiffin arrived in Oxford.
Ole Miss Offensive Grade: B+
Defense
The Rebel defense had massive shoes to fill coming into 2025. The 2024 Ole Miss defense ranked in the top 10 in most of the prominent defensive categories. Scoring-wise, they finished the year ranked second in the country. However, they lost a ridiculous amount of production from that unit. Expecting them to put up the same numbers this season would’ve been foolish.
That being said, they have played well, for the most part. In terms of passing defense, they’re still doing a pretty good job. They’re getting decent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, creating issues.
The biggest problem has been against the run. Run defense has been a problem, but it hasn’t cost them to this point. But part of that is likely due to the fact that they haven’t hit the toughest portion of their schedule yet. If they don’t do a better job of stopping the run, especially against the back half of their schedule, it could easily come back to bite them at an inopportune time.
Ole Miss Defensive Grade: B-
Special Teams
Let’s be honest. Special teams really haven’t been a major focus for Kiffin in his career. He doesn’t like punting, and he prefers touchdowns over field goals. But that has changed slightly this year. He’s been more conservative in a lot of his decisions so far in 2025. And that has ultimately helped out in terms of special teams.
Rebel punter Oscar Bird ranks 17th nationally in punting average, at 46.6 yards per punt. It is worth pointing out that he’s only had to punt 13 times this season. For Ole Miss fans, this is more than acceptable. He doesn’t get used much, and he does a pretty good job whenever he is called upon. That’s all you can ask for from a punter.
In terms of place kickers, Rebel place kicker Lucas Carneiro is doing exactly the same thing as Bird. Through five games, Carneiro is 17th in the nation in field goal percentage. For the season, he’s hit 11 of his 12 field goals, good for a 91.7% success rate. Having already attempted 12 field goals in five games is something Ole Miss followers aren’t used to. But if he’s hitting over 91% of them, it’s likely that you won’t find a complaint.
All in all, the Rebels’ special teams unit has been about as good as anyone could ask for. Not perfect, but certainly solid.
Ole Miss Special Teams Grade: A-
Overall
There’s no way around it. Ole Miss has looked better than many people would’ve expected to this point. They sit at 5-0, with three conference wins already under their belt. And they also have a win over a decent Group of 5 Tulane team. But they haven’t reached the toughest part of their schedule. The upcoming stretch is going to ultimately tell us more about this Rebel squad.
But to this point, the efficiency and balance on offense have been nothing short of a miracle for Kiffin and company. Especially after the catastrophe that last year’s rushing attack proved to be. On the defensive side, they look almost exactly like what a lot of people expected. Certainly not as good as last season’s unit, and they’re bending, but not breaking. If they can keep that up, the Ole Miss defense is going to continue to give them a chance in big football games.
All in all, there are plenty of improvements that still need to be made. But they look relatively minor, and like they should be fixable. For a team losing as much production as the Rebels did last season, that’s a tremendous start to the first half of the season.
Ole Miss Overall Grade: B+
Main Image: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
