After a needed bounceback against Vanderbilt, Ole Miss jumps right back into the SEC grind, and this one brings a very familiar twist. Missouri comes to Oxford ranked No. 13 in the country, its highest AP Poll spot since 2024, and the Rebels are staring down a dangerous team that has found its stride again.
The setting only sharpens the edge. Ole Miss has won 14 straight games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium dating back to late September 2024, but Missouri is not rolling in as a courtesy opponent. The Tigers have responded to their road loss at Mississippi State three weeks ago by hammering Florida and then taking care of Texas A&M, which makes this much more than a routine ranked game for the Rebels.
And then there’s the return of Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee, who will walk into Vaught-Hemingway for the first time wearing black and gold. Both spent three seasons in Oxford, with Simmons using one of those years as a redshirt, and both now get a crack at their old team. Neither player left behind any public bitterness, but there’s no question they’ll have plenty riding on this one.
Simmons, in particular, has turned himself into one of the SEC’s most productive quarterbacks this season. After a shaky start for Ole Miss last year and the ankle injury that cut that run short, there were real questions about what kind of player he’d become.
In Columbia, he’s answered them loudly. The Missouri quarterback has already been named SEC Offensive Player of the Week twice, and he’s thrown for nearly 1,500 yards with 14 touchdowns and just one interception.
Lee has been right there with him as the top receiving option. The former Rebel has posted 616 yards and five touchdowns through six games, quickly becoming the Tigers’ most dangerous weapon on the outside. What Ole Miss fans knew in flashes in Oxford is now showing up every week in Missouri: Lee’s talent was never the issue, and putting him at the center of an offense has unlocked a different version of him.
Missouri’s film from the last two weeks should also have Ole Miss paying attention. The Tigers watched Florida shred the Rebels for 52 points in Gainesville, then they went and flipped that script in a hurry. Jadan Baugh, who had gashed Ole Miss with 29 carries for 142 yards and three touchdowns, was bottled up by Missouri to the tune of 12 carries for 13 yards in a four-score loss for Florida.
That’s why this trip to The Vaught carries real weight for Ole Miss. Missouri has already shown it can recover from a tough loss and punish a team that recently exposed the Rebels, and with Simmons and Lee back in Oxford for the first time as opponents, Saturday brings a matchup loaded with layers.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Heads Into A Playoff-Shaping SEC Test With Extra Heat
Week 7 brings a big one to Columbia, with Missouri and Ole Miss meeting in a game that carries real weight for the SEC race and the College Football Playoff picture. Both teams have just one loss, and both are staring at a demanding stretch ahead, which only adds to the pressure on a matchup that already feels like more than a midseason test.
Austin Simmons brings an extra layer to it for Missouri after transferring from Ole Miss, and he has settled in nicely alongside running back Jamal Roberts. On the other side, Ole Miss arrives off a win over Vanderbilt with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss keeping the Rebels on track, setting up a meeting that has plenty of football stakes and a little added edge. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou May Have Found Its Third-Down Answer In SEC Play
For Missouri, the difference on offense in the win over Texas A&M came on the downs that usually decide whether drives survive or stall. Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee were central to the Tigers pivotal touchdown march, helping turn third-down snaps into momentum at a point in the game when Mizzou was putting distance between itself and the Aggies in a 27-6 victory.
Simmons and Lee have become the SECs most reliable third-down tandem this season, and that matters because Missouri has not been consistently explosive enough to live comfortably without extending possessions. The Tigers have converted 35 of 82 third-down attempts overall, and with conference play underway, their ability to keep finding answers in those spots may be the cleanest path to steady offensive production. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Took Another Shot At Ole Miss Territory
Lane Kiffin had Missouri and Ole Miss on the same sentence line this week, and it came with his usual mix of praise and provocation. Now at LSU, Kiffin was asked about former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons, who moved on to Missouri and is set to face his old school in an upcoming SEC game, and he offered a complimentary view of the quarterback he once coached in Oxford.
Kiffin also leaned into the tampering chatter that always seems to follow a transfer with this kind of matchup, brushing it off with a light touch rather than a heavy explanation. For Missouri, Simmons return to the other side of this rivalry gives the Tigers another layer to a game that already carries plenty of SEC weight, and it ensures Kiffins old territory will keep hearing his name a little longer. [Read more 🡒]