Ole Miss has some personnel questions heading into Saturday night’s showdown at Texas, but one part of Wednesday’s SEC availability report stood out more than anything else.
Three starting offensive linemen appeared on it.
Starting left tackle Terez Davis and center Brycen Sanders were listed as questionable, while right guard Patrick Kutas was listed as probable.
The good news for Ole Miss is there’s no reason to believe any of the three are in serious danger of missing the game.
Kutas, especially, would be a surprise absence given his probable designation. Sanders returned to last week’s 31-3 win over Missouri after leaving with an injury, and while Davis didn’t come back, he remained on the sideline in uniform.
Still, it’s hard to ignore seeing three starters from the same position group show up on the report before a road trip to Austin.
The concern isn’t necessarily whether they’ll play. It’s the fact Ole Miss is entering one of its biggest games of the season with questions along the offensive front.
As for Kewan Lacy, his inclusion feels far less significant.
Lacy was listed as probable after briefly leaving last week’s game with a hamstring issue, but he still ran for 122 yards against Missouri. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if his name appears on most injury reports the rest of the season as Ole Miss manages the situation.
The bigger story remains the offensive line.
If the Rebels have all three starters available Saturday night, they’ll likely feel good about where they stand. But heading into a hostile road environment against a talented Texas defense, it’s a group worth monitoring.
Colin Simmons’ absence would be a big break for Ole Miss
While Ole Miss is watching the health of its offensive line, Texas appears likely to be without one of the nation’s premier pass rushers.
EDGE Colin Simmons was listed as doubtful after suffering an ankle sprain in last week’s loss to Florida. That designation aligns with reports earlier this week indicating Simmons is expected to miss multiple weeks.
Barring a surprising turnaround, it would be unexpected to see him on the field Saturday.
That’s significant for Ole Miss.
Simmons leads the nation with 10.5 sacks and has been the centerpiece of the Texas pass rush. The Longhorns also listed EDGE Richard Wesley as out, further impacting their depth up front.
Texas still has plenty of defensive talent, so this isn’t a matchup-changing development by itself.
But for an Ole Miss offensive line dealing with multiple injury concerns, potentially avoiding the nation’s leading sacker is about as favorable a piece of injury news as the Rebels could have received this week.
Student-Athlete Availability Report
Ole Miss
Out
- WR #12 Izaiah Hartrup
- S #14 Edwin Joseph
- S #19 MJ Preston
- LB #26 Ant Davis Jr.
- WR #27 Kervin Johnson Jr.
- S #46 Nascar McCoy
- OL #71 Emanuel Faulkner
Questionable
- CB #27 Pat Broomfield
- OL #55 Terez Davis
- OL #62 Brycen Sanders
Probable
- WR #3 Caleb Cunningham
- RB #5 Kewan Lacy
- S #20 Anthony Robinson III
- S #35 Craig Tutt
- RB #36 Ja’Michael Jones
- OL #75 Patrick Kutas
- TE #80 Hayden Bradley
Texas
Out
- EDG #99 Richard Wesley
Doubtful
- EDG #1 Colin Simmons
Questionable
- RB #2 Hollywood Smothers
- WR #7 Kaliq Lockett
- OL #75 Jaydon Chatman
