Kewan Lacy doesn’t sound interested in making Saturday’s matchup with LSU any bigger than it already is.
That’s not easy, considering No. 8 Ole Miss is set to host No.
7 LSU in Oxford and former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is returning to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the first time since his abrupt departure. The noise around that storyline will be loud.
Lacy, though, is choosing a much simpler approach: keep the focus inside the building and leave the rest alone.
“We don’t need to block it out. Since PG became our head coach he’s preached, ‘It’s all about us,'" Lacy told ESPN's Marty Smith.
"We have the talent to achieve everything we want to achieve. We have the right mindset to focus on us, and on the fine details.
The details are what’s going to lead us to victory, not any exterior noise.”
That message fits the way Lacy has grown into one of the biggest names on the Ole Miss roster. He arrived in Oxford as a relatively unknown player, then put together a massive season last year with 306 carries for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns, plus 29 catches for 177 yards. His production helped fuel Ole Miss’ run to the College Football Playoff Semifinals, and it also put him firmly in the conversation as one of the top backs in the country.
Kiffin’s offense deserves a share of the credit for that breakout, whether Lacy says it out loud or not. But now the spotlight has shifted, and Lacy is back in the middle of it again.
He entered this season with some extra attention already attached to his name, with many viewing him as a Doak Walker Award contender and even a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. He also hasn’t had a completely clean start, dealing with a thigh injury in the opener against Louisville. Even so, he has still managed 30 carries for 148 yards and three touchdowns through the first two games.
If Ole Miss is going to get the kind of statement win that turns heads nationally, Lacy is likely to be a major reason why. And if he’s looking for a Heisman-level moment, Saturday in Oxford against LSU is the kind of stage that can deliver one.
In Other News...
LSU Fans Were Shaken By A Frightening Scene Above Saturday's Game
Saturdays Ole Miss-LSU game had enough drama on the field, but one of the most talked-about moments came high above the stadium. An ESPN camera drone capturing aerial shots for the broadcast had a close call when a helicopter flew very near it, and the footage quickly spread across social media as fans tried to make sense of what they had just seen.
The scene understandably rattled viewers, including a helicopter pilot who weighed in after watching the clip. No collision occurred, and the game carried on without further incident, but the moment served as a reminder of just how much is moving around a big-time college football broadcast long before anyone starts talking about the final score. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Will Have Plenty To Say About This ESPN Sideline Moment
Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge were both on the sideline for ESPN during the LSU-Ole Miss matchup, with Rowe handling injury updates and Rutledge delivering live field reports as the broadcast kept moving through a high-profile SEC night. A short clip of the handoff between the two reporters quickly made the rounds on social media, giving fans another off-field moment to dissect from a game that already had plenty of attention on it.
Rowe also ended the night on a more familiar note, conducting a postgame interview after Ole Miss beat LSU. The moment came with added context because Rowe has already been part of one of the more unusual sideline storylines of the season, when a false AI-generated video involving Texas coach Steve Sarkisian triggered public apologies from Arch Manning and Sarkisian. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A Kewan Lacy Problem Again
Kewan Lacys season has become defined as much by what he cannot finish as by what he can give Ole Miss when he is on the field. The running back has already had to leave games against Louisville and LSU because of health concerns, and his latest exit came after he landed hard on his right shoulder against the Tigers and needed to be evaluated for a possible AC joint injury, stinger or clavicle issue.
For a Rebels offense that has wanted Lacy in the mix, the bigger question now is how long that uncertainty lasts. Ole Miss has been forced to lean on other backs while waiting for clarity, and with Lacys availability still unsettled, the room suddenly looks a lot thinner than the Rebels probably expected at this point in the season. [Read more 🡒]