Ole Miss led Vanderbilt 42-3 at halftime on the road and forced four turnovers in the win. The Rebels host Missouri on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on a 14-game home winning streak. Missouri blew out Florida and Texas A&M at home before losing at Mississippi State. Blake Purchase leads Ole Miss in sacks and tackles for loss.
Locked On Ole Miss host Steven Willis argued that Purchase has quietly been the transfer portal buy of the offseason, a defender leading the team in the categories that decide games while almost nobody says his name.
Former Ole Miss player Bill Flowers, the show’s guest, said Purchase is the kind of addition that works immediately. “You realize this person could be a great fit for your team and you just plug them in and it just absolutely increases the value of your defense,” Flowers said. He argued the fit matters more than the profile.
Willis said the offense threw to set up the run for the first time this season, and that the first-quarter lull of earlier games was gone. He credited the first-year play caller for controlling tempo in both directions, faster than a year ago but also willing to slow it down by design. Flowers said having Kewan Lacy back changed the math, and that an explosive offense is the clearest Ole Miss edge in a league trending toward pound-the-ground football.
Flowers said beating Missouri starts with pressure on its quarterback, who he argued will pick a defense apart if left to sit in the pocket, and with taking his favorite target away. He predicted Ole Miss 42, Missouri 28. Willis said the Rebels win if they play clean, with no needless penalties, sound tackling and no turnovers, and that consistency has been the problem all season.
Photo: Kewan Lacy, October 10, 2026, at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.
Adapted from the October 14, 2026 episode of Locked On Ole Miss, hosted by Steven Willis, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Watch the full episode.