Dan Orlovsky on Trinidad Chambliss in 2nd half: ‘About as good as it can get’
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Dan Orlovsky saw Trinidad Chambliss’s uneven 1st half performance on Sunday night.
Then the ESPN analyst witnessed what the Ole Miss star quarterback could pull off in the 2nd half. Chambliss didn’t throw a touchdown pass and had an interception in the first 30 minutes as the 9th-ranked Rebels struggled but still led 24th-ranked Louisville, 10-6, in both teams’ season opener in Nashville.
But then the 2nd half happened, and Chambliss happened. He showed off the talent that wowed so many last season when he led Ole Miss all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals. With the game on the line and Louisville not going away when it looked like the Rebels had things in hand, Chambliss helped Ole Miss cross the finish line in a 41-38 victory that launched the first full season of the Pete Golding era.
Chambliss’s stats by game’s end made that inconsistent 1st half a distant memory — he was 21 of 36 for 336 yards and 3 touchdowns, all of course coming in the 2nd half. And Chambliss didn’t throw an interception in that 2nd half, when Ole Miss piled up 31 points after being held to just those 10 points in the 1st half.
And Chambliss also showed that ability to dazzle with his legs, rushing for 60 yards and another touchdown.
“He can keep Ole Miss in every game even without Lane Kiffin,” Orlovsky said during an appearance on Get Up on Monday morning. “The second half was amazing. The first half did not look like the player we saw last year. In the second half, it was absolute fireworks. … Just the way he threw the ball in the second half was about as good as it can get.”
Orlovsky said he can believe in Ole Miss because he believes in Chambliss.
“For all the question marks about this team because of the departure of Lane Kiffin, this young man and that pass-catching group, they can keep Ole Miss in any single game against any opponent they’ll play,” Orlovsky said.
With Chambliss leading the way in 2026, Ole Miss has a shot to pile up the victories. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Rebels’ potential win total for this season:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
