Ole Miss may have to shuffle its offensive line again Saturday, and the timing makes this one feel a little bigger than a routine adjustment.
Sixth-year guard Troy Everett is expected to step in for fifth-year offensive lineman Patrick Kutas, who left the Georgia game with an injury and will be out this weekend. That puts Everett in line for a start at guard when No.
19 Ole Miss (6-3, 4-3 SEC) visits Oklahoma (5-4, 3-3), a place that already holds some familiarity for the Rebels. It will be the second straight season Ole Miss has played at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and the Rebels won last year’s meeting 34-26.
For Everett, the matchup carries a homecoming feel. He spent four seasons at Oklahoma, starting 12 games over three seasons at center and guard, before transferring to Ole Miss in 2022. Now he could be back on the Sooners’ field in a different uniform, filling a spot for a line that needs steadiness.
Ole Miss offensive line coach John Sanders said Everett’s experience is part of what makes him such a useful piece.
“I thought Everett played really good. I mean, we call him ‘Unc’ - short for uncle - according to Rebels senior center Brycen Sanders, has played in eight games this season for Ole Miss. A likely first start against his former teammates could prove pivotal for a Rebels offense in need of getting its groove back.”
“I thought Everett played really good. I mean, we call him ‘Unc’ - short for uncle - according to Rebels senior center Brycen Sanders, has played in eight games this season for Ole Miss. A likely first start against his former teammates could prove pivotal for a Rebels offense in need of getting its groove back.”
“He’s very smart. It’s like having another center next to me.
… He’s a great player. And he’s a great person as well.
And he’s got a lot of experience to be able to help us,” Sanders said.
Ole Miss will also be facing a defense that has been stingy in the red zone. Oklahoma has allowed just 55 yards on the ground to top-ranked Georgia, rushed for just 11 yards and surrendered five sacks while giving up five sacks to Georgia, and the Sooners’ defense is similar to Georgia’s, giving up just 17.2 points per game while ranked 19th nationally in sacks and 18th nationally in sack defense, respectively. The Rebels have surrendered less than 350 yards of total offense in six games this season, which includes last week’s 248-yard performance by Florida.
Sanders said the Sooners will be a strong test because of what they do well.
“They’re going to see what Georgia did successfully, and they’re going to copy that. We’re going to see a lot of the same stuff that Georgia ran.
We’re going to see that Saturday,” Sanders said. “So, we just have to watch tape, figure out what went wrong, what went good and just fix that in practice this week.”
Ole Miss plays Oklahoma on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Lost A Huge Piece Of Its Playoff Push
Ole Miss has been navigating its stretch run without one of the most important pieces of its offense, and now the Rebels know they will have to finish the season without Kewan Lacy. The running back will not return after injuring his left shoulder against LSU and then aggravating it again later against Texas, a setback that has already kept him out of the lineup for subsequent games.
Lacys absence leaves a real void in a backfield that has leaned on him for production and stability, especially with the stakes rising in the playoff chase. In his place, Ole Miss has turned to junior running back Makhi Frazier, but losing a player with Lacys college rsum changes the feel of the offense at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Caught In The CFP Fight Fans Knew Was Coming
The latest College Football Playoff rankings have stirred up the kind of debate Ole Miss fans know all too well, with the SEC again at the center of the conversation. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti took to social media with a cryptic post and a string of emojis after the Hoosiers fell from No. 4 to No. 9 without playing, and the reaction quickly spread beyond Bloomington as other Big Ten voices joined in to question the committees logic.
Bret Bielema and Kirk Ferentz also voiced frustration with what they see as a system that continues to lean toward SEC teams, while CFP chairman Hunter Yurachek offered the committees explanation for Alabamas placement. For Ole Miss, the noise is familiar, because every ranking shuffle seems to sharpen the same old argument about who gets the benefit of the doubt when the playoff picture starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces A Bigger Problem Than Oklahoma This Week
Saturdays trip to Norman already looked like a meaningful one for the No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels, but the stakes feel even sharper now. After a recent loss and a slide in the rankings, Ole Miss heads into Memorial Stadium with more than just Oklahoma on its mind, because the Rebels are trying to steady themselves while dealing with a growing injury list that has already cost them Kewan Lacy for the season.
Oklahoma has its own injury questions, but the Sooners appear to be in a better spot overall, which only adds to the pressure on Ole Miss to find answers quickly. For a team trying to reset its trajectory, this matchup has the feel of a possible turning point, and the Rebels could use a clean performance in a tough road setting to keep the season from drifting further off course. [Read more 🡒]