Ole Miss Survives LSU, Kentucky Stuns Texas A&M and Mississippi State Rallies
Three standalone reactions, three different lessons from the SEC’s Week 3 upsets and comebacks.
Week 3 produced three of the most revealing results of the young season. Ole Miss survived a furious LSU comeback in Oxford, Kentucky answered its own early-season questions by winning at Texas A&M, and Mississippi State erased a 16-point deficit to stun South Carolina.
The games were different, but the common thread was finishing. Each result turned on the team that handled the decisive stretch better.
Ole Miss vs. LSU: Chambliss takes over in Oxford
Ole Miss won 32–24 after building a 17–0 lead, watching LSU tie the game at 24–24 and then finding the answer at winning time. Trinidad Chambliss completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, then led the defining fourth-quarter drive himself.
That 13-play, 75-yard possession lasted more than five minutes and ended with Chambliss scoring on a 14-yard run. LSU had all the momentum, but Ole Miss made the final response.
Kentucky vs. Texas A&M: The Wildcats answer the question
Kentucky won 31–21 at Kyle Field, turning a 7–7 halftime game into a 21–0 third quarter. Kenny Minche finished 14 of 18 for 252 yards and two touchdowns, while the Wildcats’ defense stopped Texas A&M on fourth down three times and intercepted Marcel Reed twice.
The result was also a major model miss. Texas A&M had been roughly a 96 percent favorite and was projected to win by about 30 points. Kentucky did not merely keep the game close. The Wildcats controlled the middle of it.
Mississippi State vs. South Carolina: The breakout becomes real
Mississippi State fell behind 0–16, but the Bulldogs then outscored South Carolina 41–7 on the way to a 41–34 road win. Kamario Taylor completed 18 of 26 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns, and Fluff Bothwell added 115 rushing yards.
The comeback answered the preseason concern around this team: could Mississippi State survive a bad quarter? It did more than survive. The Bulldogs reset, played with confidence and finished as the better team.
What Week 3 changed
Ole Miss showed it can finish a heavyweight game. Kentucky showed that Texas A&M’s ceiling does not make it invulnerable. Mississippi State showed that its early progress is not limited to easy opponents.
In the SEC, a preseason projection can identify a baseline, but the season changes when a team proves it can handle the moment the projection did not anticipate.
Watch all three Week 3 reaction videos above, then follow SEC Recap for more model-driven SEC football analysis.