STARKVILLE, Miss. — If Friday was his final day on Ole Miss’ sidelines, then Lane Kiffin went out in an Egg Bowl that had a little bit of everything.
In a day that featured a locker-room break-in, a second-quarter fight, one coach starting a brand new quarterback and the other less than 24 hours away from one of the biggest decisions of his career, No. 7 Ole Miss downed Mississippi State 38-19 Friday at Davis Wade Stadium. Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC) tied a school record — set by Kiffin’s 2023 team — with its 11th win, winning 11 in the regular season for the first time, and prevented the Bulldogs (5-7, 1-7) from gaining bowl eligibility.
And the Rebels, who entered Friday at No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings, are now likely Playoff-bound for the first time in program history.
The only question is who will be coaching them in that Playoff.
A candidate for the head-coaching vacancy at LSU, Kiffin is expected to make a decision about his future Saturday. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement last week that the two have had “many pointed and positive conversations” about Kiffin’s future with the Rebels, but ever since he emerged as the biggest name on the coaching carousel about four weeks ago, Kiffin has remained mum about his plans. Florida, once seen as a possible destination for Kiffin, is moving on to other candidates, The Athletic reported Friday morning, a sign Kiffin may be choosing between staying in Oxford with Ole Miss or taking the LSU job in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin told ESPN postgame he has yet to make a decision.
“I’ve got a lot of praying to do to figure that out tomorrow,” he said.
What’s next for Ole Miss?
Aside from Kiffin’s decision … the Rebels need both Texas A&M and Alabama to lose to make an unlikely appearance in the SEC Championship Game next week. With Friday’s win, the Rebels should firmly be in the 12-team Playoff as an at-large bid. Now it’s just a matter of seeding, and whether Kiffin or an interim coach leads them the rest of the way.
A second-quarter fight
There’s no love lost between the Rebels and Bulldogs, in-state rivals who have met 122 times. Friday was certainly no exception. Late in the second quarter, after Mississippi State recovered what was initially ruled as a fumble on a pass attempt from Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, tempers flared and a fight broke out with punches thrown and some ensuing shoving. Benches looked like they were about to clear before coaches and authorities broke up the fight, which resulted in offsetting penalties and no ejections.
Chambliss’ fumble was reviewed and ultimately ruled an incomplete pass. This all came after Kiffin also told ESPN’s Marty McGee pregame that Mississippi State supporters broke into the Ole Miss locker room overnight and stole Chambliss’ jersey around 3 a.m.
BENCHES CLEARED AT THE EGG BOWL 😱
Ole Miss and Mississippi State got into it 😳 pic.twitter.com/WSJItpWAN1
— ESPN (@espn) November 28, 2025
Chambliss shines
When Chambliss got his first start of the season in Week 3, it was only after original starter Austin Simmons sustained an ankle injury in Week 2 against Kentucky. But even after Simmons healed, the Rebels continued to roll with Chambliss because of the spark and consistency he provided. On Friday, Chambliss put the exclamation point on what had already been a stellar regular season.
The Division II Ferris State transfer finished the afternoon 23-of-34 passing for 359 yards and four touchdowns, including an early fourth-quarter dagger with about 14 minutes to play that all but sealed the game for the Rebels. Chambliss was rolling from the jump, when on third-and-5 of Ole Miss’ first drive, he delivered a 34-yard strike over the middle that helped set up a 31-yard touchdown run from Kewan Lacy. Chambliss then delivered a 24-yard strike to Harrison Wallace II on Ole Miss’ second drive and engineered a flawless two-minute drive going into halftime that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to De’Zhaun Stribling to give the Rebels a 21-10 lead at the break.
He shone with both the deep ball and intermediate passes, looking every bit the part of the leader of the nation’s No. 3 offense. He also rushed eight times for 26 yards.
MSU pulls a surprise at QB
Friday’s outcome aside, it’s time to buy stock in Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor.
Taylor, a true freshman from Macon, Miss., made the first start of his career Friday when coach Jeff Lebby made a surprise switch and benched incumbent Blake Shapen. Taylor, the nation’s No. 119 prospect and No. 11 quarterback in the Class of 2025, looked confident and poised and was just as explosive for the Bulldogs as he was when he starred in high school.
On the Bulldogs’ first drive of the day, he went 3-of-3 passing for 59 yards and rushed twice for 29 yards and a score. He finished the day 15-of-31 passing for 178 yards and rushed 20 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
