Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, left, dives for a first down while LSU defensive end Patrick Payton tackles him during the second half in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday. (AP photo)

OXFORD, Miss. — LSU senior Garrett Nussmeier stood with his back to a concrete support post near the visitor’s locker room at Mississippi’s Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, answering questions about why the Tigers’ offense has lacked the punch that was expected of it this season.

In an adjacent building that houses Ole Miss’ football headquarters, Trinidad Chambliss tried to explain how it feels to go from NCAA Division II football last season to gaining 385 yards from scrimmage in a victory over their fourth-ranked historical rivals from neighboring Louisiana.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment,” Chambliss said after a 24-19 victory over LSU on Saturday, thanking Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and his staff “for giving me the opportunity to come here, showcase my skill set, showcase what I can do. It’s been amazing, a dream come true. Just great.”

The win sent Ole Miss (5-0) to No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25, with the Rebels climbing nine spots and swapping spots in the poll with LSU.

Chambliss, who got his first Division I start three weeks ago in place of injured teammate Austin Simmons, finished with 314 yards and a touchdown passing to eclipse the 300-yard mark for the third game in a row. He also rushed for 71 yards, including a first-down scramble that helped the Rebels run out the clock on their final possession.

He sealed the game with a fourth-down completion to tight end Dae’Quan Wright, his second successful fourth-down pass of the game.

“Trinidad has done a really amazing job the way he’s handled the offense,” said receiver Cayden Lee, who caught Chambliss’ TD pass to give Ole miss a 17-7 lead just before halftime — moments after Chambliss’ earlier fourth-down conversion.

Chambliss said he did not have any Division I opportunities coming out of high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. So he went to nearby Ferris State of the GLIAC and wound up leading that program to a Division II national title, which got Kiffin’s attention.

“Ferris State really took a chance on me,” Chambliss said.

It paid off, and so has Ole Miss’ decision to bring in Chambliss this year.

“It’s just a really cool story,” Kiffin said of the 6-foot, 200-pound senior. “A little short kid from Division II going against Nussmeier and the mighty Tigers of LSU. It was awesome.”

Chambliss said he’s one of a number of players who don’t blossom into Division I-level players until after they’ve begun their college careers at small programs.

“At Ferris State, we had some dogs over there,” Chambliss said. “We had a lot of guys transfer up.”

The biggest differences in Division I, Chambliss said, is the size, speed and physicality of defensive linemen and linebackers, as well as the environment on game day. During the Rebels’ Walk of Champions past bustling tents filling a renowned, tree-shaded tailgate area called the Grove, some fans flew flags from Chambliss’ namesake Caribbean Island, Trinidad and Tobago.

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