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S. C. R. No. 526 *SS08/R1276.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2
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To: Rules
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Michel, Hopson, Kirby,
McMahan, Rhodes, Frazier, Barnett, Sparks,
Johnson, DeLano, DuPree, Wiggins, Suber,
Parks, Blackwell, DeBar, McLendon, Taylor,
Thomas, Boyd, Fillingane, Hickman, McCaughn,
Chassaniol, Seymour, Barrett, Harkins,
Blackmon, England
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 526
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE 1
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI OLE MISS REBELS FOOTBALL TEAM AND HEAD 2
COACH PETE GOLDING FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING 2025-2026 FOOTBALL SEASON 3
FINISHING WITH A SUGAR BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP, NO. 3 NATIONAL RANKING, 4
THE HIGHEST RANKED SEC TEAM IN THE FINAL POLLS AND WITH THE 5
HIGHEST RANKING SINCE 1962. 6
WHEREAS, The University of Mississippi Ole Miss Rebels 7
Football Team and Head Coach Pete Golding capped off one of the 8
most memorable seasons in program history by finishing No. 3 in 9
the final "Associated Press" Top 25 college football poll, and the 10
US LBM Coaches Poll, the team's highest final ranking since 1962. 11
With a 13-2 record, Ole Miss was the highest-ranked SEC team in 12
the final polls; and 13
WHEREAS, Ole Miss' No. 3 finish is a watershed moment for a 14
program that has steadily continued to rise, and on that, won two 15
college football playoff games under Head Coach Pete Golding; and 16
WHEREAS, prior to this year, the last time the Rebels landed 17
that high in the final AP rankings was 1962, when an undefeated 18
Ole Miss team finished third after a perfect 10-0 season and win 19
in the Sugar Bowl, a benchmark that stood untouched for more than 20
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six decades. In 1959 and 1960, the Rebels finished No. 2 in the 21
country with a 10-1 finish and 10-0-1 finish, respectively, and 22
won the Sugar Bowl both years as they did again in 2026; and 23
WHEREAS, the 2025 Ole Miss squad delivered one of the most 24
electric seasons in school history, finishing with a 13-2 overall 25
record, highlighted by marquee wins over top-10 opponents and a 26
trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals where they lost a 27
fourth-quarter thriller to Miami; and 28
WHEREAS, throughout the year, the Rebels consistently climbed 29
the national polls, rewarding a relentless mix of offensive 30
firepower and defensive grit; and 31
WHEREAS, at the heart of this season, for the team and for 32
Coach Golding, was a belief that Ole Miss could compete with 33
anyone, and the final AP ranking validated that confidence. The 34
No. 3 spot not only reflects the Rebels' body of work on the field 35
but also signals a new era of national relevance for a program 36
that has battled through ups and downs in the modern era of 37
college football. For Rebel fans, the finish represents both a 38
historic achievement and a launching pad. With some key players 39
expected to return; and 40
WHEREAS, the incredible run for the No. 3 Ole Miss came to an 41
end as No. 2 Miami topped the Rebels 31-27, in the Vrbo Fiesta 42
Bowl. Ole Miss would erase another half-time deficit, regaining 43
the lead at 27-24 with 3:18 to play, but Miami would respond with 44
a game-winning drive of their own spanning 75-yards over 16 plays, 45
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capped off by a Carson Beck three-yard rushing touchdown with 18 46
seconds remaining. Trinidad Chambliss gave everything he had 47
again for Ole Miss going 23-of-37 for 277 yards and one touchdown. 48
Chambliss finished his season with 3,937 yards passing and 30 49
total touchdowns. His favorite target on the night was De'Zhaun 50
Stribling who hauled in five catches for 77 yards. Cayden Lee 51
would also tally five receptions for 67 yards. Running back, 52
Kewan Lacy crossed the century mark on the ground for the seventh 53
time this season with 103 yards on 11 carries. Lacy's 73-yard 54
touchdown run marked his career-long, as he extended his 55
single-season school record with his 24th rushing touchdown on the 56
season. TJ Dottery paced the Rebel defense with a team high 11 57
tackles. He had one tackle for loss and nine of his tackles were 58
solo. In the secondary, Kapena Gushiken hauled in his first 59
interception as a Rebel and fourth of his career; and 60
WHEREAS, Trinidad Chambliss's last-gasp pass into the end 61
zone intended for De'Zhaun Stribling fell incomplete. Despite 62
several tugs of Stribling's jersey and significant contact from a 63
Miami defender, pass interference was not called. The State Farm 64
Stadium scoreboard at the Fiesta Bowl showed Miami with 31 points, 65
Ole Miss 27. The clock showed all zeroes. This magical 2025 Ole 66
Miss football season finally ended January 8, 2026, one victory 67
short of playing in the national championship game. This game 68
dripped drama; and 69
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WHEREAS, Coach Pete Golding said when asked about his team's 70
legacy, "I'll just remember how they embraced each other. That's 71
who they are. They just went to work and made sure everyone 72
around them went to work. I'll remember the smiles. It's the 73
memories. It's the laughs. It's the camaraderie and how they 74
grew together. They're going to be talking about this for a long, 75
long time. Some of it will be about what could have happened and 76
all that, but they've made memories in that locker room that will 77
last a lifetime"; and 78
WHEREAS, Ole Miss Football won the 2025-2026 Sugar Bowl, the 79
College Football Playoff quarterfinal, defeating Georgia 39-34 in 80
a thrilling game on January 1, 2026, with quarterback Trinidad 81
Chambliss and kicker Lucas Carneiro leading the way, securing 82
their spot in the semifinals. The Rebels advanced to play Miami 83
in the Fiesta Bowl, capping a historic season with a significant 84
win over the Bulldogs; and 85
WHEREAS, the Sugar Bowl Ole Miss Championship 2025-2026 86
Roster: Trinidad Chambliss, George Hamsley, Shawqi Itraish, AJ 87
Maddox, Austin Simmons, Maealiuaki Smith, Austin Acton, Logan 88
Diggs, Trey Hall, Kewan Lacy, Shekai Mills-Knight, Damien Taylor, 89
Macaleb Taylor, Domonique Thomas, Anthony Aguirre, Deuce 90
Alexander, Dillon Alfred, Levi Blount, Caleb Cunningham, Dylan 91
Davis, Izaiah Hartrup, Cayden Lee, Caleb Odom, Mac Owen, Ciaran 92
Pedulla, Joshua Pfeifer, Devin Price, Traylon Ray, Samari Reed, 93
De'Zhaun Stribling, Harrison Wallace, Winston Watkins, Hayden 94
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Bradley, Trace Bruckler, Jack Harper, Luke Hasz, Sean Judge, Wyatt 95
Smalley, Dae'Quan Wright, Terez Davis, Ethan Fields, Jude Foster, 96
Devin Harper, TJ Hedrick, Connor Howes, Cooper Johnson, Joe Koury, 97
Patrick Kutas, Percy Lewis, Trey Nightingale, John Wayne Oliver, 98
Diego Pounds, Brycen Sanders, Delano Townsend, Mason Waddle, PJ 99
Wilkins, Jayden Williams, Andrew Maddox, Corey Adams, Corey Amos, 100
Cam Clark, Paris Evans, Kam Franklin, Talib Graham, DeeJay Holmes, 101
Jr., Princewill Umanmielen, Da'Shawn Womack, Kamron Beavers, 102
Jamarious Brown, Lakendrick Clancy, Will Echoles, Zxavian Harris, 103
Caleb James, Tavion Prather, Jeffery Rush, Jon Seaton, Tyler 104
Banks, Ford Beeker, Cooper Cannon, Tahj Chambers, Raymond Collins, 105
TJ Dottery, Jarcoby Hopson, Andrew Jones, Suntarine Perkins, Mark 106
Trigg, Jr., Bryson Walters, Jaden Yates, John Ross Ashley, Cedrick 107
Beavers, Jaylon Braxton, Pat Broomfield, Dante Core, Maison Dunn, 108
Tavoy Feagin, Ricky Fletcher, Chris Graves, Jr., Antonio Kite, 109
Micah Stallworth, Isreal Solomon, JT Banks, Ladarian Clardy, Nick 110
Cull, Kapena Gushiken, Andy Jaffe, MJ Preston, Anthony Robinson, 111
Sage Ryan, Kegan Sherwood, Cortez Thomas, Wydett Williams, Jr., 112
Keon Young, Mike Baker, Jalen Ballard, Lucas Carneiro, Oscar Bird, 113
Caleb Blankenship, Carter Short, Kortlen Wilfawn, and Head Coach 114
Pete Golding. Assistant Coaches: John David Baker, Bryan Brown, 115
John Garrison, Randall Joyner, Joe Judge, Wes Neighbors III, Jake 116
Schoonover, Micheal Spurlock, and Patrick Toney; and 117
WHEREAS, those of us lucky enough to have witnessed it will 118
not forget the 2025-2026 Ole Miss Football Season and it is with 119
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ST: Congratulate Ole Miss Rebels Football Team
for outstanding 2025-2026 Sugar Bowl Season
finishing No. 3 in Final Football Rankings.
great pride that we recognize a Championship Team which has 120
brought honor to its University, its community and to the State of 121
Mississippi: 122
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 123
MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That 124
we do hereby commend and congratulate the University of 125
Mississippi Ole Miss Rebels Football Team and Head Coach Pete 126
Golding for their outstanding 2025-2026 football season finishing 127
with a No. 3 national ranking, the highest-ranked SEC team in the 128
final polls with the highest finish since 1962, and we extend to 129
Coach Golding and his staff our best wishes for future success. 130
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 131
Coach Pete Golding and Athletic Director Keith Carter for the 132
team, transmitted to University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn 133
Boyce and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher 134
Learning and made available to the Capitol Press Corps. 135