College Football Playoff hopes potentially hang in the balance No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 13 Missouri kick off on Saturday— a game that features the return of a quarterback who lost his starting spot a year ago, a wide receiver who followed his field general to the new school, and a home field advantage few programs can boast.
The highlight of Saturday’s game is that a win will bolster the Rebels’ or Tigers’ odds of making the 12-team playoff, while a loss could prove detrimental, as both teams face multiple conference challenges in the future. But there are other talking points worth addressing.
For Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 SEC), the battle presents an opportunity for head coach Pete Golding to present a dominant defensive showing against an offense that has clicked this season. For Missouri (5-1, 2-1 SEC), a victory would be poetic justice for Austin Simmons, who suffered an injury in a week two win at Kentucky when playing at Ole Miss last season and ultimately lost his job to Trinidad Chambliss.
The storylines continue. Cayden Lee, a surehanded wideout who Chambliss frequently targeted a season ago, waited until the last minute to hop into the transfer portal and follow Simmons to Missouri. Chris Graves, a productive defensive back at Ole Miss, also hopped in the portal to play for the Tigers and head coach Eliah Drinkwitz.
On the crowd front, Ole Miss fans have given the Rebels a major home-field advantage. Ole Miss is 24-1 in games played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium since 2023.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning into Saturday’s game:
Kickoff time
Ole Miss and Missouri will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
How to listen
Like all Rebel football games, Ole Miss and Missouri will air on participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
To find a station in your area, click here. You can also listen on the SuperTalk app, available on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
How to watch
Ole Miss and Missouri will air live on the SEC Network.
Injury report
Ole Miss will notably be without starting defensive back Edwin Joseph, who suffered an ankle injury late in Saturday’s 52-17 win at Vanderbilt. Missouri will be without All-American running back Ahmad Hardy, who was shot in his home state of Mississippi in the offseason and continues to go through the rehabilitation process before he returns to the field.
There were no surprises on the injury report for Ole Miss, but Missouri, on the other hand, had a few attention grabbers in the “questionable” category. For starters, Cayden Lee is listed as questionable, alongside other contributors like linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. and tight end Brett Norfleet, among others.
Game notes
- This is the ninth meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Missouri and just the third-ever meeting as SEC foes.
- The Tigers hold a 7-1 series lead, with the Rebels’ lone win occurring in 1974.
- This is the first time the two schools will meet in Oxford since 2013. The Tigers won the most recent matchup in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium 24-10.
- Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is completing over 70% of his passes this season as he treks a viable Heisman campaign. Chambliss has tossed for 1,435 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, while rushing for 113 yards and 5 touchdowns.
- Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy is back in action after missing the Florida game. He logged 39 yards and a touchdown versus Vanderbilt on Oct. 10.
- Ole Miss buckled down defensively against the Commodores after a rough outing in Gainesville. Linebacker Suntarine Perkins was an X-factor in Nashville, with a sack and a touchdown on a fumble recovery.
- Missouri’s defense has proven stout since its Sept. 26 loss at Mississippi State. The Tigers held a then-flashy Florida offense to just 17 points and Texas A&M to just 6 points in the last two weekends.
- Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons has managed to minimize turnovers in his new offense. The former Rebel has tossed for 1,434 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He threw 4 interceptions in a pair of starts last season.
- Simmons has targeted Cayden Lee with half of his passing attempts. The former Ole Miss standout has caught 42 passes for 616 yards and 5 touchdowns.
- No Ahmad Hardy, no problem — Missouri running back Jamal Roberts has been a force this season, with 828 total yards and 8 touchdowns.
- Ole Miss is currently a 5.5-point favorite over Missouri in the matchup.