Ole Miss does not have the luxury of dwelling on last week’s win over Vanderbilt, no matter how clean it looked compared with the mess in Gainesville. The Rebels have already lived through both ends of that extreme this season, and the next test comes fast with Missouri coming to Oxford.
The biggest question is whether Ole Miss can stack one good performance on top of another. Against Florida, the offense was without Kewan Lacy.
Against Vanderbilt, Lacy was back on the field only in the second half because he was so dominant. That split tells the story of how much this team can change depending on who is available and who is producing.
Trinidad Chambliss still sits at the center of everything Ole Miss wants to do, and the Rebels need him just as much against Missouri. But they also need another player to rise alongside him.
Deuce Alexander is the obvious candidate. The wide receiver has already been Chambliss’ favorite target this year, and a strong showing under the lights at the Vaught against a ranked opponent could push his name into the national conversation in a serious way.
The comparison the source makes is a lofty one, placing him alongside Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Miami’s Malachi Toney.
Lacy could make a similar leap if he delivers the kind of game that reminds people what he can be. The source points to his tools and says he has the chance to put together the kind of campaign fans saw from him last year, if he can finally stay on track and hit a big stage performance against the Tigers.
Ole Miss will also need its offensive line to hold up against the most dangerous front it has seen so far. Pete Golding praised the unit’s growth this week, and the numbers back that up: the Rebels have allowed just five sacks this season.
Terez Davis has been one of the faces of that group, and he has earned the attention. He was described as “nasty” in an honorable, not disgraceful, tone, and the source calls him a freak athlete who moves in a way other linemen cannot.
Missouri’s pass rush is the biggest stress test yet. The Tigers have brought down quarterbacks 18 times this season, with Daeden Hopkins leading the way with seven. Chambliss can extend plays, but better protection would make life far easier for Ole Miss.
The defense has its own issues to clean up. After what Florida’s Jadan Baugh did to the Rebels, the tackling and discipline have to be sharper.
Vanderbilt showed improvement, but one good effort does not erase what happened in Gainesville. The challenge gets bigger now with a stronger Missouri offense and the shifty former Rebel Cayden Lee in the mix, which makes first contact and quick pursuit even more important.
There is also a new wrinkle in the secondary. Starting safety Edwin Joseph suffered an ankle injury late in the third quarter against Vanderbilt and needed surgery during the week before Missouri.
His absence matters, and Nick Cull is the first player in line to step in. Cull already leads Ole Miss with two interceptions this season, and this game could give him a chance to lock down the spot for now and maybe even build something lasting once Joseph returns.
And then there is the return of Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee to Oxford. The source makes it plain that their presence matters because they are not just familiar faces - they are good players, too. Simmons and Lee have been key pieces in Missouri’s rise to No. 13, and that adds another layer to the matchup.
Still, once kickoff arrives, Ole Miss has to treat all of that as background noise. The Rebels need to leave the reunions and the storylines behind and play the game in front of them.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Suddenly Faces A Secondary Test At The Worst Time
Ole Miss is suddenly having to adjust its secondary plans after Edwin Joseph Jr. had a tightrope procedure on his ankle following a high ankle sprain. The injury is expected to keep him out at least for the upcoming games against Missouri and Texas, a tough development for a defense that has leaned on him in key spots and now has to shuffle roles on short notice.
Pete Golding will turn to a group that includes Nick Cull, Sharif Denson, Joenel Aguero, Ladarian Clardy and Anthony Robinson III to help cover the load. The Rebels also need steadiness at boundary cornerback, where Antonio Kite, Jaylon Braxton and Jayln Crawford are among the options trying to keep the back end from becoming a larger problem at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious About Week 7
Week 7s SEC slate is packed with the kind of matchups that usually command a full days attention, and instead they all hit the screen at once. Auburn at Georgia, Alabama at Tennessee and Missouri at Ole Miss are all set to kick off simultaneously, which has already left fans and commentators grumbling about how hard it will be to keep up with the conferences biggest games at the same time.
From the Ole Miss side, the frustration is easy to understand because Missouris trip to Oxford was the one drawing the sharpest criticism. A game with that much conference weight feels like it should have been given a bigger national stage, but instead it landed on SEC Network, adding to the sense that the scheduling and TV decisions made this a needlessly messy weekend for viewers. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces An Early SEC Test It Cant Afford To Flunk
Ole Miss gets an early SEC measuring stick this week with Missouri coming to town for only the ninth meeting between the schools. The Rebels have had almost no history to lean on in this series, and the one prior win for Ole Miss came back in 1974. This matchup also arrives with familiar concerns still hovering over the defense, particularly against the run, which makes the margin for error feel awfully thin before conference play has even settled in.
Missouri brings enough offensive pieces to make the trip interesting, with Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee and Jamal Roberts all standing out statistically. For Ole Miss, the focus is as much about shoring up the defense as it is about getting enough from Kewan Lacys health to keep the offense balanced. The setup points to a competitive game, but for the Rebels it is also the kind of test that can expose whether the early-season progress is real or just surface level. [Read more 🡒]