Ole Miss walked out of the LSU game with momentum, confidence and a long list of things that went right. But the injury report heading into Florida week is a reminder that the season never stops throwing curveballs.
The biggest question is at running back, where Kewan Lacy’s status will hang over the week.
After suffering an upper body injury in the second half of the 32-24 win against LSU, Lacy’s MRI brought good news, but not a full green light.
“He got an MRI yesterday morning, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought it was,” Golding said Monday. “He’s going through the rehab process right now, and we’ll monitor the reps throughout the week. It’ll be a game-time decision.”
That alone would be enough to make the staff nervous. But Makhi Frazier’s situation adds another layer. He was limited all last week after getting banged up in practice, which meant Ole Miss had to lean on the rest of the room.
“He (Frazier) got banged up last week during practice, so I had to minimize his reps throughout the week,” Golding said. “J.T. (Lindsey) had a lot of those banked reps, so he was the most ready to play.”
The silver lining is that Lindsey looked ready for the moment. He ran with confidence, showed burst and gave Ole Miss exactly what it needed after Lacy went down, including the game-changing two-point conversion.
“I thought they came in ready. Frank (Wilson) does a really good job with them, and those are guys who have had a lot of experience throughout camp,” Golding said. “I thought J.T. came in, was really explosive and did a really nice job. Those guys have done a good job.”
Ole Miss may need all of them in Gainesville. Lacy’s status won’t be known until Saturday, and Frazier’s workload will depend on how he responds during the week. The depth showed up against LSU, but Florida is a different challenge.
Ole Miss secondary injuries
The secondary, meanwhile, finally got some help. Sharif Denson and Antonio Kite returned, and their impact was immediate. Denson was one of the most active defenders on the field, tackling well in space and communicating at a level Ole Miss badly missed in the first two games.
“I thought Sharif did a really good job from a communication standpoint,” Goldings said. “I thought he tackled in space well. That was the big concern for me. I knew he understood it and had a lot of experience, but he hadn’t gotten a lot of live tackling reps against elite people after missing the first couple of games. I thought he did a really good job in space for the most part.”
Kite also gave Ole Miss a lift, even while still working back from injury.
“I thought Kite, coming off the injury, played really well,” Golding said. “He got a little banged up toward the end as well, but I felt like he came in there and gave us everything he had. I think we’re different with those two guys out there.”
The return of both helped stabilize a secondary that had been stretched thin.
But just when the secondary started to feel whole again, another setback arrived. Jalyn Crawford’s turf toe has lingered, and it’s the kind of injury that hits a cornerback harder than most positions.
“He was in a really good spot early in camp, and then the turf toe became a real thing,” Golding said. “That’s what it is, and it’s really tough at that position. If you can’t run and you play corner, you’re kind of a liability. I think it’s getting better. We’ll still monitor it through this week, and he’s going to practice tomorrow. We’ll take it day by day.”
So it’s a mixed picture.
Ole Miss got key pieces back, saw real improvement and played one of its best defensive games of the season. But the injuries at running back and corner keep the feeling from being entirely positive. It’s two steps forward, one step back.
The good news is that the steps forward were meaningful. The challenge now is making sure the steps back don’t define the week.
