Trinidad Chambliss heats up in the second quarter to give Ole Miss 17-7 halftime lead over LSU

Trinidad Chambliss recovered from a slow start to throw for 193 yards in the first half against LSU as Ole Miss held a 17-7 lead at halftime.

Chambliss, making his third consecutive start, struggled early with the fierce Tigers defense, but things began to open up in the second quarter and the Rebels scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to turn an early 7-3 deficit into a double-digit lead.

Lane Kiffin talked to ABC/ESPN's Molly McGrath at halftime and was very complementary of Chambliss, but added that the Rebels have to continue to play tough and run the ball better in the second half.

"Well, I think [Chambliss] was rattled early with everything, and then he calmed down and made some play around him. And really our defense has played really well. They have one fluke touchdown and that was their only score," Kiffin said. "So we're going to have to play really well in the second half, play really good defense and continue to run the ball for some balance. They've got some really good players."

Ole Miss has racked up 285 yards at the half, nearly 40 more yards than LSU's defense has given up all game coming into the Magnolia Bowl. Kewan Lacy has 49 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while Cayden Lee has 70 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches.

The lead could have been greater if the Rebels hadn't lost a fumble in the end zone when Lee coughed up the ball after hauling in a 32-yard pass from Chambliss that would have given Ole Miss a first-and-goal inside the LSU 5. 

The defense has been smothering

​In comparison, LSU has gained just 126 yards and been held to 24 yards rushing. Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is 9-of-15 for 102 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Kiffin told McGrath that the unit has done a good job of limiting the big plays.

"I think [LSU] had the one long play. Other than that, they haven't given up big plays. That was our theme; stay deep and make them earn it. And we've got to clean up our penalties too," Kiffin added.

The Rebels have given up just 2.6 yards per carry in the run game, but as Kiffin said, they will want to clean up the penalties. Ole Miss has been flagged 10 times for 69 yards in the first half.