Marler Monday: Brian Kelly has another streak to snap

By Chris Marler

It took less than one year for Brian Kelly to beat Alabama. It took him three to get off the schneid in week one games. 

Now, it’s time for him to snap another streak – beating Ole Miss in Oxford. 

LSU travels to a familiar place on Saturday for what will be the 111th meeting between the Tigers and the Rebels. This year’s Magnolia Bowl has a little added juice to it, mainly because LSU hasn’t won in Oxford since 2019. 

Sure, they’ve dominated the series. The Tigers have won seven of the last ten meetings and hold a 64-42-4 series advantage. But if Brian Kelly wants to continue the climb towards a title in year four, this is the next mountain he needs to climb. 

This year’s game presents its own challenges. Gone are Jaxon Dart and most of the defense that finished third in the country in sacks a season ago with 52. However, as they showed Saturday against Tulane, this Ole Miss team is still very good. 

It starts with backup quarterback turned starter Trinidad Chambliss who has racked up 834 yards and five touchdowns in just two games. He’ll lead an offense that is averaging 44.8 points per game (12th in FBS) and 543.3 yards per game (9th in FBS). He’ll also be leading a team that’s 16-1 at home since 2023. 

Lane Kiffin did it again. 6-foot-nothing, 200 pounds (maybe), up from D-II and just an absolute stud. Trinidad Chambliss was a gem of a transfer find. pic.twitter.com/RziZzGs3wP

— Road to CFB (@roadtocfb) September 20, 2025

Heading into the season, I’m not sure anyone had Trinidad Chambliss being the best quarterback that LSU would face in the month of September on their bingo card. Regardless, that’s exactly where we are. LSU also wasn’t planning on going into this game without its starting running back Caden Durham. Regardless, that’s also exactly where we may be. 

“Caden Durham will be a day-to-day situation,” Kelly said at Monday’s press conference. “He was better than we thought. It doesn’t show the signs of a high ankle, so he’s anxious to give it a shot and play, but we’ll monitor him through the week.”

That’s a big blow for LSU considering that Ole Miss ranks last in the SEC in rush defense. 

That’s not the story here though. And it won’t be an excuse that anyone should expect Kelly to make if LSU were to lose on Saturday. The story for Saturday is whether or not Brian Kelly gets one more monkey off his back and keeps this top five Tiger team undefeated as it heads into October.