No. 4 Ole Miss Survives Late Scare to Edge Washington State 24–21

No. 4 Ole Miss narrowly escaped what could have been the biggest upset of the season, holding off Washington State 24–21 on Saturday after surviving a frantic hook-and-lateral attempt in the game’s final play.

The Cougars had a chance to pull off the shocker of the year when a pass interference call with just three seconds left placed the ball at their own 36-yard line. But the desperation throw and series of laterals fell well short of the end zone.

Entering the matchup as a 33.5-point underdog, Washington State nearly rewrote the 2025 college football narrative. A victory would have been the largest upset of the season — nine points greater than UCLA’s stunning Week 6 win over Penn State.

The Cougars didn’t just hang around late; they led for much of the first half. Washington State held a 7-3 advantage early and was still up 14-10 midway through the third quarter as Ole Miss’ offense sputtered.

Finally, the Rebels found rhythm, scoring two consecutive touchdowns to build a 10-point cushion with 6:51 left. Yet the Cougars refused to fade, cutting the deficit to three with 2:43 to play and forcing an Ole Miss punt with just over a minute remaining.

The close call came just days after head coach Lane Kiffin used social media to motivate his heavily favored team, reposting a pundit who predicted Washington State might pull off an upset. With a trip to No. 10 Georgia looming in Week 8, Saturday’s game had all the makings of a trap — and it nearly became one.

After the game, Kiffin described the result as a “survive-and-advance” win over a Cougars team that had previously lost by 49 points to North Texas and by 35 to Washington.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the Rebels with a 20-of-29 performance for 253 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Kewan Lacy carried the load with 24 rushes for 142 yards. Chambliss again started in place of Austin Simmons, who remains sidelined with the ankle injury he sustained in the team’s Week 2 victory over Kentucky.