Ole Miss didn’t have to sweat much in its 52-17 win over Vanderbilt, but the injury picture coming out of the game still gave the Rebels a few things to pay attention to.
The biggest development was the return of Kewan Lacy, who missed the Florida game and had spent the last two weeks trying to get fully healthy.
Lacy played one half, looked sharp and then spent the rest of the afternoon watching from the sideline. With the game effectively over at halftime, Ole Miss didn’t need to push him.
“I think the way the game went helped a little bit, as far as from the management standpoint of it,” Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding said on Monday. “The offensive staff did a really good job managing him in the first half. Then based on where the game was, obviously, there was a decision made that we shouldn’t need him for the second half.”
Overall, Golding liked what he saw from the star running back.
“I think it was really good for his confidence to be able to get out there and not be an issue, to get some good experience back with the guys,” Golding said. “Obviously, you see how explosive he is when he is in there. Different type of offense.”
The next name on the list is safety Edwin Joseph, who left the Vanderbilt game with what Golding called an ankle sprain. Joseph had been playing well, breaking up a pass and taking on matchups with Vanderbilt’s best receivers.
“He got diagnosed yesterday with an ankle sprain,” Golding said. “We’re going to go get another opinion on that tomorrow and see, and we’ll manage that throughout the week. But I would say right now, from Saturday, he would be the only question mark that played in the game that could potentially maybe not play this week, based on how this appointment goes tomorrow.”
Joseph’s status will be one of the most watched items when the Student‑Athlete Availability Reports come out later this week. Ole Miss has already dealt with injuries in the secondary, and Joseph has been one of the steady pieces in that group.
Up front, the Rebels are still working to get offensive lineman Tommy Kinsler IV fully healthy.
Connor Howes has stepped in and handled the job well, giving Ole Miss a rare luxury. When Kinsler is ready, the Rebels will have six starting‑caliber offensive linemen to rotate.
Golding said the staff likes the depth they’re building.
“Tommy was a little more banged up than we thought,” Golding said. “We thought we were getting back healthy, and he kind of came out of pregame and wasn’t in a great spot. So Connor obviously took the nod and got all those snaps. Hopefully, with another week, we’ll have another guy that has starting experience that we can plug in there.”
So the picture is mixed but manageable.
Lacy is trending in the right direction. Joseph’s ankle will be the storyline to watch. Kinsler is getting closer.
And with Missouri on deck, Ole Miss enters the week knowing it has a few key pieces moving toward full strength at the right time.
