When Ole Miss walks into Austin on Saturday night, the Rebels won’t just be facing a ranked Texas team. They’ll be stepping into a game that could swing hard on a handful of matchups, a few mistakes, and whether the Longhorns can finally get something clean and convincing from their offense.
No. 7 Ole Miss comes in after handling Missouri in Oxford, while No.
19 Texas is trying to stop the skid and salvage a season that has already gone sideways. If Steve Sarkisian has any hope of steadying things, the Longhorns need a strong showing at home.
For the Rebels, this is a chance for Trinidad Chambliss and company to push Texas further toward the edge.
Chambliss has put himself in the Heisman conversation, and for good reason. But he has not been perfect.
The arm strength is obvious, and so is the confidence - sometimes too much of it. At times, that aggression has helped him survive throws that should have been picked off.
Texas’ defense will not make those kinds of errors easy to get away with. Even without Colin Simmons, the Longhorns still bring one of the SEC’s most punishing defensive fronts, and getting Chambliss off the field quickly will matter.
The Rebels also have Kewan Lacy to lean on, and that could be the cleanest path to control. Lacy finally delivered the breakout game Ole Miss had been waiting for, carrying 16 times for 122 yards in limited action.
Even with some injury concern last time out, he looked like the tailback from his huge 2025 season. Texas is physical up front and usually does a decent job against the run, but it has also been gashed by chunk plays lately.
With an offense that has struggled to produce, one big Lacy run could hit Texas like a hammer.
Texas, meanwhile, has been leaning too hard on its defense all year because the offense has not answered the call. That is part of what makes this matchup so dangerous for the Longhorns.
Ole Miss does not need a flawless night to win this one. If the Rebels can land three scores and keep Texas from finding rhythm, that may be enough - especially with Simmons out.
There are also questions on the perimeter. Ole Miss corner Antonio Kite had a rough outing against Missouri, and Donovan Olugbode got loose far too often.
The Rebels escaped with just three points allowed, but that kind of slip could be costly in Austin. Texas does have legitimate receiving talent in Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, but talent only matters if the quarterback can feed them.
Whether KJ Lacey takes over at any point for Arch Manning remains to be seen, and so far the Longhorns’ receiver room has been overshadowed by poor quarterback play.
For Ole Miss, the secondary has to hold up. Joenel Aguero turned in his best game of the season last time out, and Sharif Denson has looked strong since his first snaps in Oxford. If that group can keep Texas from finding cheap yards downfield, the Rebels will like their chances.
Both teams are chasing the same thing for different reasons. Texas is one loss from being cut out of Playoff contention.
Ole Miss still has Georgia on the schedule. Neither side can afford to blink.
That’s what gives this game its edge. Texas needs a jolt.
Ole Miss wants a statement. And with Pete Golding’s team going up against another ranked opponent, a win in Austin would land like a thunderclap.
In Other News...
Texas Escaped Ole Miss But A Bigger Arch Manning Concern Remains
Texas kept finding trouble early and resilience late, turning another shaky outing into a 34-27 win over Ole Miss after once again coughing up a double-digit lead. For the third straight game, the Longhorns watched an advantage slip away, only to answer in the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive that steadied things just enough to leave Austin with a victory.
Arch Manning did enough to keep Texas in front, throwing for 171 yards and scoring twice on the ground, including the go-ahead run. Even with the win, the broader concern lingers for Texas: the offense still has to prove it can sustain control for four quarters, and Ole Miss nearly forced the issue at the end before an interception in the end zone preserved the result. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Coach Is Still Explaining The Choices Texas Made Hurt
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding spent the aftermath of the Texas game doing what coaches often have to do after a close loss: explaining the calls that looked bold in the moment and costly in hindsight. A late 58-yard field goal attempt was his choice because he believed the game was still within reach, even with the risk attached, and the kick was blocked before Texas answered with a field goal of its own to widen the gap.
Golding also revisited an earlier fourth-down decision late in the second quarter, saying he regretted passing up a short field goal there instead of chasing the conversion. For Texas, those two moments helped shape a win that never really let Ole Miss off the hook, while Golding is left weighing whether the aggressive approach helped his team or handed the Longhorns extra breathing room. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Kept Its CFP Hopes Alive But Exposed A Bigger Problem
Texas kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 34-27 win over Ole Miss, but the game also laid bare how much cleaning up remains. The Longhorns had to fight through turnovers, penalties and injuries to key players Cam Coleman and Trevor Goosby, then lean on a defense that picked off Trinidad Chambliss three times to survive a volatile night.
Raleek Brown gave Texas the kind of ground production it needed with 157 rushing yards, and Arch Manning helped steady things by accounting for both a passing touchdown and a rushing score. Even with the win in hand, the bigger picture lingers for Texas: this was the sort of performance that can keep a postseason path open while also reminding everyone how fragile it still looks. [Read more 🡒]