Ole Miss expects a boost up front this weekend.
Pete Golding said Monday that Terez Davis should be back against Auburn after the starting right tackle was unable to go in the Rebels’ 34-27 loss to Texas. Davis was listed as a game-time decision, but he never made it onto the field after leaving late with an injury.
Golding said Ole Miss could have pushed Davis into action against Texas, but the staff chose not to take that risk.
"Terez was a game-time decision," Golding admitted. [We] didn’t feel like it was in his best interest and our best interest moving forward. [We] probably could have done it, but we didn’t know what it [would] look like afterward, and it could have made things worse.
The Rebels are now anticipating a return this weekend.
"We feel like, you know, throughout this week that we’ll get [Davis] back for this weekend.
Ole Miss managed to survive without him in one area. The offensive line didn’t allow a sack against Texas, though that didn’t mean the night was smooth. Trinidad Chambliss was still forced to dodge pressure and get rid of the ball under duress several times.
The run game felt the absence more clearly. The Rebels finished with 113 rushing yards at 3.8 yards per carry, and Golding pointed to inconsistency in their ability to move bodies and open lanes.
"We weren’t really consistent in the run game, being able to move guys and create some holes," Golding said. "There were times that it looked really good and we created a couple [of] explosives, and there were times that we didn’t."
Terez Davis brings more than size to the job. At 6'4 and 310 pounds, he also moves well enough to help in both phases. When he’s out there, he gives Ole Miss a different look on the edge.
Tommy Kinsler IV filled in at right tackle after Conner Howes shifted over to replace Davis, but the 6'6", 350-pound Kinsler does not bring the same mobility. That showed up in the rushing attack, and Ole Miss is hoping Davis’s return changes that against Auburn.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Won A Huge In-State Recruiting Battle
Ole Miss landed a major in-state recruiting win when Mitchell Turner, one of Mississippis top prospects and a four-star defensive lineman, announced he is officially committed to the Rebels and has closed his recruitment. Turner had drawn plenty of interest and kept looking at his options, including a visit to Alabama, but he ultimately settled back on the program closest to home, giving Ole Miss a significant addition on the defensive front.
For a Rebels staff trying to keep elite local talent from drifting elsewhere, this kind of commitment carries extra weight. Turners standing as a nationally ranked prospect only raises the stakes, and his upcoming appearance in the 2026 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game will give everyone another look at what Ole Miss is adding as it continues to build around the states best players. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Landed In A Postseason Picture Fans Will Debate
With the postseason picture still taking shape, ESPNs latest bowl projections have started to map out where the SECs top teams could land if the season ended right now. Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach updated their matchups across the conference, and the list includes the familiar heavyweights along with the rest of the leagues crowded middle, all of it tied to current rankings and how teams have performed to this point.
For Ole Miss fans, the interest is less about the certainty of any one destination and more about the range of possibilities still in play. Projections this early are always fluid, especially with so many SEC teams still sorting themselves out, but they do offer a useful snapshot of how the Rebels fit into a postseason race that could keep shifting right up to the end of the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Klatt Just Framed LSUs Real Playoff Pressure Point
Joel Klatts latest projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket gives the SEC another familiar kind of spotlight, with Georgia penciled in as the conference champion and Texas, Ole Miss, and LSU all landing as at-large teams. For Ole Miss, the inclusion is the encouraging part, a sign that the Rebels are being viewed not just as a good SEC outfit but as a legitimate playoff-caliber team in a crowded field.
The LSU angle is what makes the bracket worth a second look, though, because Klatt has the Tigers finishing 9-3 and still getting in, even as Alabama and Kentucky are left out despite their strong playoff odds on ESPN's Football Power Index. For Ole Miss, that kind of projection only sharpens the stakes in the SEC race, where every week carries weight and the margin for error can disappear fast. [Read more 🡒]