Ole Miss left Saturday with more than a win over Missouri. The Rebels also walked away with a pretty clear snapshot of who boosted their stock and who left room for concern in a top-15 showdown at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The biggest reason the afternoon felt so complete was the defense, and Joenel Aguero was right in the middle of it. With Edwin Joseph sidelined by injury, Ole Miss needed someone to steady the secondary, and Aguero answered with a performance that made Joseph’s absence far less noticeable.
He was active, disruptive and consistently around the ball, finishing with 5 total tackles and a pass deflection. For a back end that has raised questions all season, that kind of outing matters.
There was also a tough individual day on that side of the ball for Antonio Kite, even if the larger defensive effort covered some of it up. Missouri was able to find moments through the air, and Kite had a hard time consistently handling Donovan Olugbode in coverage.
That said, the Rebels did enough as a unit to keep those issues from turning into something bigger. The warning still stands, though.
With Texas and Cam Coleman looming next week, Ole Miss will need sharper coverage from Kite if it wants to keep building on this defensive momentum.
Up front, the Rebels made Missouri’s vaunted front seven look far less intimidating than advertised. Terez Davis and Patrick Kutas were especially solid, helping Ole Miss hold its ground at the line of scrimmage and giving the offense space to breathe.
The result was a dominant rushing day: both Kewan Lacy and Makhi Frazier went over 100 yards, and Ole Miss finished with 257 rushing yards. Against a defense like Missouri’s, that says plenty about the state of the offensive line.
Lacy, in particular, showed why his injury history doesn’t change how he should be viewed. He suffered another injury Saturday and missed a significant chunk of the first half, but still broke through for more than 120 rushing yards.
He also delivered a highlight-reel hurdle early in the game and came back to make an impact. The injury concerns are real, but so is the explosiveness.
When he’s on the field, he changes the game.
The passing game had its own mix of highs and lows. Deuce Alexander had a quieter, uneven afternoon, finishing with 20 yards on three receptions.
He looked uncharacteristically uncertain at times, including one lapse where the ball slipped through his hands in a key moment. That kind of game is worth noting, but it doesn’t erase what he has shown across the season.
His talent is obvious, and he still remains an important piece of the offense.
On the other side of the coin, Caleb Cunningham kept pushing his rise forward. The redshirt freshman led Ole Miss with 61 receiving yards and a touchdown, giving the Rebels the kind of breakout showing he had been hinting at early in the 2026 season.
Against a strong Missouri defense, he looked every bit like a player whose role is only going to grow. If this is the direction he’s headed, Ole Miss has another dangerous young weapon on its hands.
Saturday was a statement on the field, but it also offered a useful read on the roster. Aguero helped steady the secondary, Cunningham flashed big-time playmaking, Lacy kept producing despite the injuries, and the offensive line did its job against one of the SEC’s more demanding fronts. Ole Miss got a lot out of this one.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A Kewan Lacy Concern Fans Feared
Kewan Lacys status was already something Ole Miss fans had been tracking closely before the trip to Missouri, and Friday night added another layer of concern. The running back went down with a lower-body injury in the first half on Oct. 17, was evaluated on the field and wound up missing most of the second quarter before returning after halftime.
For a Rebels offense that has already had to manage Lacy through a shoulder issue earlier this season, it was another reminder of how fragile the backfield can be. He had already sat out the previous game against Florida, so even though he came back in the second half, his availability moving forward is now something Ole Miss will have to monitor carefully. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Sent A Serious SEC Message Against Missouri
Ole Miss keeps stacking up the kind of wins that get attention in the SEC, and Saturdays 21-3 result over Missouri felt like another clear step forward. At Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the Rebels controlled the game on both sides of the ball, backing up their recent momentum with a performance built on physical defense and an offense that found plenty of balance.
Missouri never got comfortable, with Ole Miss holding the Tigers to just 38 rushing yards while Kewan Lacy and Makhi Frazier helped fuel a ground game that piled up 223 yards. Trinidad Chambliss did the rest through the air and on the ground, throwing three touchdown passes and adding a score himself, leaving the Rebels with a statement win and a second straight victory to build on. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Gets Texas At A Moment The Longhorns Desperately Needed Stability
Texas arrives in Oxford trying to steady itself after a rough stretch that has turned a promising SEC debut into a much shakier proposition. Floridas 27-24 win sent the No. 7 Longhorns to back-to-back conference losses, and the latest defeat came with Arch Manning enduring another uneven outing, capped by a critical late fumble that helped swing the game away.
For Ole Miss, the timing could hardly be more interesting. The Rebels are getting Texas at a moment when the Longhorns are searching for answers and staring at a remaining schedule packed with ranked opponents, a combination that has put their playoff path in real jeopardy. It is the kind of crossroads game that can say plenty about both teams, even before the seasons biggest questions are answered. [Read more 🡒]