Ole Miss spent the bye week trying to reset after the Florida loss, and the biggest question was whether Kewan Lacy would be ready for Vanderbilt.
Pete Golding didn’t make any promises, but he offered the clearest update yet on where things stand.
He said Lacy spent the entire bye week doing nothing but rest and rehab, which is exactly what Ole Miss needed him to do.
“Obviously, last week he rested all week and did rehab,” Golding said at his Monday press conference. “It was good for that first solid week to not try to practice and just focus on that.”
That reset seems to have worked. Lacy returned to practice at the start of this week, even if it wasn’t full contact.
“He practiced last night, came back, did individual and did some team sessions,” Golding said. “Obviously, a lot of that was non-contact last night, but I fully anticipate having him this week.”
That’s the line Ole Miss fans have been waiting for. Lacy averaged 63.7 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry before missing the Florida game, and the Rebels felt his absence.
The run game wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the same.
Trinidad Chambliss scored twice but finished with 44 yards. Makhi Frazier ran hard for 42. JT Lindsey had 31. It was a committee effort without the committee’s best player.
Golding didn’t pretend otherwise.
“Especially at the start of the game, I think it looks a little different if we keep our footing,” Golding said. “That was pretty consistent across multiple positions. A lot of it was cutting off the inside foot, and some of that was on us, but there was slipping, too.”
He pointed out that Lindsey slipped on a couple early runs that could have changed the tone of the game. He also made it clear that the rotation depends on Lacy’s health.
“That’s going to be a constant rotation based on how No. 5 is and how healthy he is,” Golding explained. “Even coming back, he isn’t going to take the toll of 40 to 50 snaps and all those things.”
And that’s the real takeaway.
Lacy doesn’t have to carry the ball 25 times to change Ole Miss’ offense. He just has to be available.
Vanderbilt ranks 11th in the SEC in run defense, allowing 128.2 yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry. Georgia just pushed the Commodores around without much trouble.
Ole Miss doesn’t need a perfect rushing performance Saturday.
It just needs its best running back back in the mix.
Golding’s update suggests that’s finally about to happen.
