Oklahoma football entered Norman boasting one of the nation's top defenses. That aspect handed the Sooners the edge over Ole Miss on Saturday in this massive Southeastern Conference (SEC) showdown.
Except Lane Kiffin exploited OU's high-powered defense, leading into the 34-26 stunner on the road.
Kiffin even put aside potential distractions about his future to knock off a top 15 foe. But Kiffin putting on a masterclass in coaching wasn't the only reason why Ole Miss sent Sooner fans to the exits in distraught.
Here's where the blame lies in that eight-point defeat.
Ole Miss, not Oklahoma, delivered stout defense in the end
The Sooners fielded the nation's best defense for most of 2025. They're now outside of the top five following Saturday's loss.
Oklahoma only got forced to punt twice during the first half despite being down 22-10. The Sooners then exploded with a 16-3 advantage in the third quarter.
But the offense went stagnant in the final quarter — featuring just one touchdown the rest of the way.
John Mateer got stuffed twice behind the line of scrimmage during critical sequences in the game, including one off a sack. OU also had just one 20+ yard gain in the fourth. The Rebels turned up the dial when it mattered the most and held the Sooners scoreless in the fourth.
Ole Miss made John Mateer uncomfortable
Again, it was the Rebels bringing the better defense in the end. Especially in handling Mateer.
The dual-threat quarterback looked ineffective at times — completing 17-of-31 passes for 223 yards and tossing just one touchdown.
But Ole Miss clipped his legs on runs, as Mateer settled for just 17 yards on 13 carries — averaging a dismal 1.3 yards a carry.
The Rebels effectively employed a spy defender to bottle Mateer's mobility. Worse for Mateer is that he's struggled to surpass two yards a carry in his last two games.
Oklahoma defense looked off its game
Trinidad Chambliss went full Johnny Manziel inside War Memorial Stadium.
He joined the past Heisman Trophy winner in becoming only the fourth SEC QB to throw for 300 yards and rush for 50 in a single game. Chambliss shredded OU with 315 passing yards and matched Mateer in averaging 7.2 yards per passing play.
Except Chambliss looked like the more explosive passer and runner. Plus showed he comes with clutch genes for the fourth quarter.
After the Georgia game, the narrative about Trinidad Chambliss was that he limited the Ole Miss offense by being unable to complete the deep ball, and that he is not clutch in the 4th quarter.
It appears he took the criticism personally this past Saturday. pic.twitter.com/uBCRvJiR81
— Caleb Salers (@CalebSalersST) October 27, 2025
It wasn't just Chambliss who dominated OU. Wide receiver Winston Watkins went off with grabbing four receptions for 111 yards and averaged 27.8 yards per catch. Ole Miss even had two more WRs (Harrison Wallace III and Cayden Lee) surpass 60 receiving yards.
But the credit also lands on the table for the Ole Miss offensive line. Facing a cat-quick pass rush predicted to disrupt Ole Miss, the front five allowed just one sack against the Brent Venables-led defense.
