Mizzou’s trip to Ole Miss in Week 7 comes with a familiar face waiting on the other sideline.
When the No. 13 Tigers head to Oxford to face the No.
9 Rebels, they’ll also run into former Missouri running back Kewan Lacy, who spent his freshman season in Columbia in 2024 before transferring. Since then, Lacy has turned into one of the country’s most productive backs, piling up 1,744 total yards and 24 touchdowns on a nation-leading 335 touches last season.
That history still means something inside the Missouri locker room, especially for Jamal Roberts. The Tigers’ leading rusher said Tuesday that he and Lacy remain in contact and that their relationship goes back to Lacy’s first days with the program.
“When he first got here, I took him under my wing, just like I do anybody in the running backs room,” Roberts said, per Missouri beat reporter Nathalie Jones. “Just showing him the way when he got here as a freshman… Very talented kid.
I love the guy, and we still talk to this day… He likes to compete a lot. So, there’s going to be a lot of competing on the field this Saturday with him and me.”
Roberts was a redshirt freshman in 2024, the same season Lacy arrived at Missouri. The two split work in the backfield behind upperclassmen Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll, learning the college game while sharing carries as rotational pieces.
Now the roles look very different. Roberts and Lacy have both climbed into the upper tier of SEC running backs, with Roberts currently leading the conference in rushing yards and Lacy still serving as a dangerous weapon for Ole Miss. This weekend, that connection turns into a matchup.
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Ole Miss Has One Week 7 Game SEC Fans Can't Ignore
Week 7 is packed with ranked matchups across the country, and the schedule offers plenty for SEC fans to monitor even before the conference slate fully hits its stride. Indiana at Ohio State and Notre Dame against BYU headline a busy stretch of games from Tuesday through Saturday, giving viewers a steady run of top-25 intrigue on multiple networks and streaming platforms.
For Ole Miss, the appeal is simple: a crowded national weekend means one result can ripple into the conversation around the Rebels, even if they are not on every screen themselves. With broadcast windows spread across the week and major games drawing plenty of attention, SEC fans will have reason to keep one eye on the rest of the sport while waiting to see how the wider picture shapes up. [Read more 🡒]
Ahmad Hardys Status Keeps A Dangerous Future Ole Miss Matchup In Focus
Missouris backfield is still waiting on Ahmad Hardy, and that matters well beyond Columbia because his return would immediately shape the way Ole Miss has to think about a looming matchup. Eli Drinkwitz said Hardy has not yet started the two-week ramp-up period or gotten back on the practice field, which keeps the situation squarely in the public eye for a Tigers team that has leaned on him as one of its most important offensive pieces.
For Ole Miss, the uncertainty is part of the challenge. A healthy Hardy changes the texture of Missouris offense and the way the Rebels would have to prepare for it, while Drinkwitz also made clear he wants to cut through the online speculation around Hardys status. He said he will announce it publicly when the running back resumes practice, leaving the timeline open for now and keeping one of the matchups biggest variables unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Former Ole Miss Standouts Keep Giving Fans A Reason To Notice
Week 5 offered another reminder of how deep the Ole Miss NFL pipeline has become, with 20 former Rebels appearing in games around the league. A handful of those alumni had especially notable Sundays, including Jared Ivey turning in the kind of breakthrough moment that tends to stick with a young pass rusher, while Tavius Robinson kept finding ways to be around the ball with multiple tackles and a forced fumble.
The list also featured several first-time starters, a sign that more former Rebels are earning larger roles as the season settles in, even if others were inactive or on bye. It was the kind of weekly snapshot that gives Ole Miss fans plenty to monitor, because the production is spreading across the roster and the next update could bring another familiar name into the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]