A go-ahead run, a first SEC start, and a road win that mattered
With Kentucky having clawed back to 20-20 late in the third, Austin Simmons didn’t blink. The redshirt sophomore quarterback pulled the ball, found a crease, and powered in from seven yards out to put Ole Miss back on top. It was his first career rushing touchdown, and it arrived in his first SEC start—on the road, in a tight game, with momentum hanging in the balance.
That score turned out to be the pivot point in Ole Miss’ 30-23 win in Lexington. The sequence showed exactly why the Rebels have leaned into Simmons’ blend of patience and mobility. He didn’t force a throw when Kentucky closed down passing lanes. He trusted his read, trusted his legs, and finished the drive himself.
The possession that delivered the lead was crafted with poise. Simmons opened it by hitting tight end Trace Bruckler for 23 yards—their first connection of the night and a timely one. Then came a 14-yard scramble as Simmons escaped pressure and reset the chains. Kewan Lacy followed with a 15-yard burst, and the quarterback capped it with the seven-yard keeper. Methodical, balanced, and decisive.
Simmons’ full line won’t win a beauty contest—13-of-24 for 235 yards, two interceptions, plus eight rushes for 44 yards—but the context matters. He answered right after a momentum swing, turned a dead-even game into a seven-point lead, and settled down late after early mistakes. In only his second career start, he moved to 2-0 as a starter and 1-0 in league play, which is exactly the result Ole Miss needed in a conference where road breaks are rare.
Composure after turnovers, an injury scare, and the closing stretch
The two picks could have rattled a young quarterback. They didn’t. The staff trimmed the risk profile in the second half, mixed in high-percentage throws to the tight end, and leaned on designed keepers and scramble lanes when Kentucky’s coverage sat on vertical shots. Simmons’ best work came in these controlled spaces—get the ball out, punish soft edges, live for the next play.
The late-game twist came with about as much drama as you’d expect in an SEC opener. Simmons appeared to have his leg rolled up on during a scramble in the fourth quarter. He came out briefly, and Trinidad Chambliss stepped in to steady the series. Simmons later returned for the final kneel-down, and both he and head coach Lane Kiffin downplayed the severity afterward. The message: discomfort, not disaster.
Meanwhile, the Rebels found the breathing room every road team craves. Lacy’s 33-yard run in the closing stretch flipped field position and set up a 36-yard field goal by Carneiro, stretching the lead to 30-20. That kick forced Kentucky to chase the game instead of dictating terms. The Wildcats kept it within one score at 30-23, but Ole Miss managed the clock and the margins from there.
The bigger picture is about how Ole Miss won, not just that they did. The defensive group bought time after giveaways and got Simmons the ball back without the scoreboard flipping. Special teams handled the critical kick in a tight spot. The offense avoided panic when the game turned choppy. That’s the template you want to carry into the teeth of the conference schedule.
For Simmons, the night will be remembered for that third-quarter drive and the way he bounced back after each mistake. The chemistry with Bruckler—seeded by that 23-yard hit—matters, because a security blanket over the middle is the best friend of a young quarterback on the road. So does the clear trust in Lacy when the Rebels needed to twist the knife and chew clock. And so does the quarterback run game, which kept Kentucky’s front from teeing off late.
There’s still polish to add. The turnover decisions need tightening, and the deep ball timing will come with reps. But the pieces—arm talent, pocket toughness, functional speed—are in place. Most quarterbacks earn their first SEC road start on the back foot, playing not to lose. Simmons played to answer. That’s how a seven-point lead appears right when you need it, and how an SEC opener turns into a win instead of a lesson.
Call it a snapshot of a team still forming its identity around a young quarterback who can steer the game in more than one way. In Lexington, that was enough.
