In the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels ' 31-3 victory over the No. 22 Missouri Tigers , Ole Miss wide receiver Caleb Cunningham had a breakout game .
Cunningham caught three passes for 61 yards and the first touchdown of his career against Missouri. He got just one catch in his true freshman 2025 season, but has gotten more snaps and targets this season.
If Cunningham can emerge as a consistent threat for the Rebels, his presence will do more than provide another pass catcher for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss; it'll help the rest of the team's receiving corps.
Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Caleb Cunningham runs with the ball after a made catch against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
This season, Ole Miss has had an obvious best pass catcher in wide receiver Deuce Alexander. He leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
No one else is particularly close in any of the three categories. Alexander's caught 35 passes for 523 yards and five touchdowns. Tight end Caleb Odom is second in receptions with 21, wide receiver Traylon Ray is second in yards with 276 and Odom is tied with wide receiver Horatio Fields for second in touchdowns, both with two.
Ray, Odom and Fields have all produced at similar rates, all having between 19 and 21 catches, 234-276 receiving yards and 1 or 2 touchdowns. However, none have broken away as the Rebels' main second target.
Coming off a breakout performance where he was the Rebels' best pass catcher, Cunningham is joining the conversation as the second target with his 13 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown.
If he can continue his breakout effort and emerge as a proper No. 2 wide receiver, the offense will improve in more ways than just getting production from Cunningham.
With Alexander being so far ahead of the other receivers this season, he's been getting most of the defensive attention, culminating in his least productive game of the season. Though it's worth noting that there were multiple times Chambliss targeted Alexander on near-miss incompletions.
If Cunningham, Ray, Odom or Fields can step up and continue to draw attention away from Alexander, it could make room for even more targets his way. As talented as Alexander is, targets can very quickly turn into points.
Cunningham is the only one on that list guaranteed to return to college football next season. That makes him the ideal candidate to take over as Chambliss' second-favorite target before upgrading to the team's main target next season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/olemiss as Caleb Cunningham's Breakout Makes Ole Miss Even Harder to Defend .
