OXFORD, Miss. — Robert Lane was told to have his helmet on, chin strap snapped, and to be ready to go.

Still, the redshirt freshman quarterback was caught off guard when he was told to go in on Ole Miss's third play of the game at South Carolina.

Lane was taken down for a 3-yard loss. But it's a play he'll likely remember for a long time — the first of his collegiate career.

"I was glad to get back out there," Lane said. "Football's fun. I enjoy it. It's been tough sitting on the sidelines and watching. But you've got to put in your time."

Because the Rebels had planned to surprise South Carolina with a three-quarterback rotation, with them going in at moment's notice, Lane didn't have time to be nervous about making his debut.

And it showed when he was on the field. He was as poised as a fifth-year senior, and enjoyed some success running the ball. Lane carried four times for 16 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run.

"He was very comfortable and very excited about playing," Ole Miss offensive coordinator John Latina said. "You want to see that in a player. You don't want to see nervousness. He certainly was excited about playing."

After he redshirted last year, it's been a long time coming for the Monroe, La. native whom many expected to be Eli Manning's successor.

Lane was a Parade All-American coming out of Neville High School, where he threw for 6,782 yards and 64 touchdowns, and ran for another 2,234 yards and 42 touchdowns.

But with junior Micheal Spurlock and sophomore Ethan Flatt ahead of him, Lane knew it was going take time before he got his shot at playing.

"When Eli was here, I don't think he played much until the end of his redshirt freshman year," Lane said. "Right now, I'm on that same pace. I'm not trying to be Eli. I'm trying to be Robert Lane and help this team win and do the best that I can do."

There was no mistaking Lane for Manning on Saturday. On his second snap, Lane lined up in the shotgun, took a bad snap from center Chris Spencer, and turned it into a 13-yard rush, giving the Rebels the ball at South Carolina's 5, setting up their first touchdown.

"The timing of the play was messed up a little bit," he said. "I had some great blocks by the offensive line and it parted like the Red Sea. The next thing I knew I was out of the gate.

"I really don't remember much because it was my first action. I was just running as fast and as hard as I could. The next thing I know, I was falling down on the turf."

Later in the first quarter, Lane was again impressive running the ball, scoring on an option play he used to run in high school.

"He ran over the corner," Latina said. "He put his shoulder down, and he's a very strong kid, and pushed himself into the end zone."

But Lane wants it to be known that, despite his success carrying the ball, and the fact that he was 0-for-2 on his pass attempts, he's far from just being a running quarterback.

His incompletions were on a shovel pass to Vashon Pearson, and a deep ball to Bill Flowers.

Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe was non-committal on whether he will use three quarterbacks in Saturday night's game against Tennessee. If he does, he knows Lane can't be used primarily as a runner.

"We know we can't continue to do that, or we'll become very predictable," Cutcliffe said. "They're going to have to master the whole system to let us do what we want to do when they're in there."

Lane feels like he now has something to build on.

"I've been wanting to get out there since I've been here," he said. "But there is a process that you have to go through. I wanted to help the team win and I knew I could help the team win. That's what happened Saturday.

"I've just got to roll from here. I'm sure there will be some bumps and bruises along the way. But hopefully, I can help the team win."