Ole Miss hosts Georgia on Saturday night without Kewan Lacy, who Pete Golding said is not expected to play. Without him the Rebels ran for 224 yards and four touchdowns against Auburn behind Shekai Mills-Knight, Makhi Frazier and Trinidad Chambliss, and held the Tigers to 63 yards on 27 carries. Georgia held Florida to 54 rushing yards Saturday.
Locked On Ole Miss host Steven Willis argued that the season rushing average attached to this defense no longer describes it. Over the last 12 quarters, he said, Ole Miss has been elite against the run rather than good, with one fourth-quarter breakdown. Georgia, he said, is a different animal in how it lines up and runs downhill.
Golding contrasted last season’s two Georgia games. In the Athens loss, he said, the defense did not communicate, missed tackles and never got Georgia off rhythm. In the 39-34 Sugar Bowl win, Ole Miss won early downs, got Georgia behind the chains and forced turnovers. His line for the week: if you cannot stop the run against these guys, it is a long night.
Joenel Aguero started at safety for Georgia last season before transferring to Ole Miss, and the Rebels’ play caller faces an opponent a second time for the first time here. Willis called third down the flaw to fix after Auburn extended first-half drives. Luke Ferrelli was a game-time decision and did not finish; Golding said Tah’j Butler is improving weekly.
Georgia has 26 sacks after 20 all of last season; Ole Miss leads the SEC in fewest allowed and has not given one up in 137 pass-blocking snaps. Golding said he will not watch the first College Football Playoff rankings, because Ole Miss controls its own Saturdays. Willis’s reading is that this game decides whether the final three matter.
Photo: Makhi Frazier, October 31, 2026, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images.
Adapted from the November 3, 2026 episode of Locked On Ole Miss, hosted by Steven Willis, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Watch the full episode.