Ole Miss has three games remaining to save its College Football Playoff hopes, but the Rebels will have to beat Oklahoma without some of their best players.
And there’s no guarantee that some of the other stars will be completely healthy, either.
If you need evidence of just how banged up Ole Miss is heading into Saturday’s game, look no further than the latest Student-Athlete Availability Report.
Running back Kewan Lacy, offensive lineman Patrick Kutas and linebacker Keaton Thomas are all OUT. That’s three players who have been among the most important pieces of this team throughout the season.
And they’re hardly the only big names on the report.
Defensive end Kam Franklin and safety Sharif Denson are questionable, while quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, receiver Deuce Alexander and defensive tackle Will Echoles are listed as probable.
That’s an awful lot of talent dealing with injuries at the worst possible time.
Even the oddsmakers appear to be taking notice. FanDuel Sportsbook has Ole Miss favored by just 1.5 points against a 5-4 Oklahoma team, despite the Rebels being ranked No. 19 in the CFP rankings.
Of course, injuries aren’t the only reason for that narrow spread. Oklahoma is coming off a victory against Florida, the same team that embarrassed Ole Miss earlier this season.
And the Rebels didn’t exactly inspire much confidence with their 42-7 loss to Georgia last Saturday.
But losing three starters certainly doesn’t make the challenge any easier.
Student-Athlete Availability Report
Ole Miss
Out
- RB #5 Kewan Lacy
- LB #11 Keaton Thomas
- WR #12 Izaiah Hartrup
- S #14 Edwin Joseph
- LB #26 Ant Davis Jr.
- WR #27 Kervin Johnson Jr.
- LB #30 JaMichael Garrett
- S #39 Gerald Lacy Jr.
- S #46 Nascar McCoy
- OL #57 Carius Curne
- OL #75 Patrick Kutas
Doubtful
- S #19 MJ Preston
Questionable
- DE #5 Kam Franklin
- S #7 Sharif Denson
Probable
- WR #1 Deuce Alexander
- QB #6 Trinidad Chambliss
- DT #52 Will Echoles
Oklahoma
Out
- LB #7 Taylor Heim
- DB #9 Dakoda Fields
- WR #11 Trell Harris
- TE #22 Trynae Washington
- OL #72 Fred Hinton
Doubtful
- OL #70 Ryan Fodje
Questionable
- RB #6 Tory Blaylock
- LB #18 Cole Sullivan
- LB #47 James Nesta
- OL #60 Caleb Nitta
Probable
- DB #24 Jacobe Johnson
- OL #55 Eddy Pierre-Louis
