Most of the time coaches don’t reveal a player’s injury status until they absolutely have to.
In the SEC, that’s usually around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night the week of a game. Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding bucked that trend and revealed an important injury update Monday morning.
“Kewan (Lacy) dislocated a shoulder in the game, so it wasn’t exactly what it was before,” Golding said at his weekly press conference. “It was different. So, with the combination of both of those (injuries), he’s not going to play this week.”
Ole Miss will be without its leading rusher Saturday against Auburn. Golding said there’s “no chance” the Rebels will try to play Lacy this week.
It was the same shoulder Lacy had already injured, although Golding said this was a different problem. Further evaluation will determine what comes next.
Lacy has rushed for 388 yards and five touchdowns on 78 carries this season. Replacing that production won’t be a one-man job.
Makhi Frazier looks like the obvious choice to start. He leads the remaining running backs with 301 yards on 51 carries and had 47 yards on just six attempts against Texas, including a 34-yard run. He also rushed for 101 yards against Missouri.
But Golding made it clear the Rebels aren’t planning to lean on Frazier alone.
“Makhi’s come in and played well,” Golding said. “I think with Kewan being out this week, Shekai (Mills-Knight) is going to have a real opportunity this week as well.”
Shekai Mills-Knight has 42 yards and a touchdown on four carries this season. JT Lindsey has been used more frequently, totaling 86 yards on 25 carries, while Joshua Dye has 25 yards on four attempts. Dye also caught an 11-yard pass against Texas.
The others haven’t seen many carries, but they’ll have chances to earn more.
Will Echoles
Echoles’ exit against Texas looked concerning, especially considering what happened to the defense while he was gone.
The defensive lineman left in the third quarter for an IV to treat dehydration. He returned, but the defense missed him as Texas eventually retook the lead.
Golding said the issue wasn’t a new injury. It was how many snaps Echoles had played before needing treatment.
“I just kind of felt like we got in a rhythm in that third quarter and didn’t want to get out of it,” Golding said.
Golding wants more consistent rotations up front, even when the defense is playing well. But Echoles isn’t expected to miss any time.
Edwin Joseph
There’s considerably less optimism about Joseph’s availability.
The defensive back has missed two consecutive games while recovering from ankle surgery, and Golding didn’t sound confident about getting him back against Auburn.
“Don’t feel great about it this week, to be honest with you,” Golding said. “I’m not saying he’s not, but right now I would say I wouldn’t feel good about it.”
Joseph is rehabbing daily, but recovery is taking longer than expected. Another absence looks likely.
Terez Davis
Davis dressed for the Texas game and was on the sideline but never played. That was a deliberate decision, not an indication that he was ready for a normal workload.
Golding said the left tackle was a game-time decision and might have been able to play, but the staff didn’t want to risk making his injury worse.
The makeshift offensive line did not allow a sack against Texas, although Golding wasn’t entirely satisfied with its run blocking. The Rebels also had to reshuffle the group when center Brycen Sanders briefly left the game, something that’s now happened in consecutive weeks.
Considering how well Davis has played this season, getting him back would be welcome news for an offensive line that could use some stability.
Golding sounded optimistic on that front, saying he expects Davis to return against Auburn.
