The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, but tomorrow night in Austin, the floodlights at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will shine even brighter.When the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels face off with the No. 19 Texas Longhorns, all eyes will be on the Lone Star State.
The Longhorns desperately need something to go right for them, and if Steve Sarkisian has any desire to right the ship this season, Texas will need to crush the Rebels at home. As for Ole Miss, coming off a dominant victory over Missouri in Oxford, Trinidad Chambliss and Co. can force Sarkisian's hand and force Texas to wave the white flag for 2026.
Two teams that have had their worlds flipped upside down by the Florida Gators, Ole Miss and Texas, are poised to meet tomorrow night in a showdown for the ages, and with Pete Golding's squad shooting for the moon, a win in Austin will put the Rebels comfortably amongst the stars.
Will Trinidad Chambliss End Accuracy Concerns?
Trinidad Chambliss, barring whatever they're feeding Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, would be the sole frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy with all he has done this year to date, so why are there any worries about his abilities in the Ole Miss backfield?
Nobody is perfect, and even Chambliss, the quarterback who has spearheaded Ole Miss' rise to the national headlines, has his flaws. Seen in the Rebels playoff run last year, Chambliss' arm talent blends too often with arm arrogance, as his immense strength often saves him from inaccuracies and should-have-been interecepted passes.
This Texas defense is not one to be reckoned with. Even without Colin Simmons, the Longhorns possess one of the most brutal defensive units in the SEC. Getting off the field quickly will be key for Texas if they want to succeed. Missing some open targets both in Nashville against Vanderbilt and against Missouri, Chambliss will need to tighten up a bit in Austin.
Can The Kewan Lacy Show Continue?
There is nowhere in the world better to be than Oxford, Mississippi when Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy are stood in the backfield together. Even while having some slight injury risks last time out, Lacy finally had the breakout game of 2026 that Rebels fans were waiting for.
Taking 16 carries for 122 yards in limited action, Lacy finally returned to the calibre displayed in his monstrous 2025 season, showing signs that even with injury, the tailback Ole Miss fans have gotten to know is back.
The Longhorns front seven stops the run well and is immensely physical, though recently have allowed many chunk runs that have demoralized the whole team. With an offense incapable of getting anything going, one big run from Lacy could be all it takes to floor Texas.
No Simmons, No Party?
Colin Simmons is a force to be reckoned with, and it is rather comforting to know that the Longhorns star defender will be relegated to cheerleading when the Rebels march into Austin.
Texas has relied far too much on its defense in 2026 as its offense has looked bleak when needed to come up with anything. It feels that Ole Miss could win this game with 3 scores, and without Simmons, Texas job only gets harder.
The Ole Miss Secondary
Antonio Kite had a week to forget last weekend at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Allowing Donovan Olugbode of Missouri to do whatever he wanted all day long, the Rebels were lucky not to get hit for anything too severe over the top on the way to holding the Tigers to just three points.
Texas has some legitimate star power in its receiving corps in Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo; The only question is, can the man in the backfield even get them the ball? Whether KJ Lacey takes over at any point tomorrow for Arch Manning is still to be seen, but so far this year, the immense talent in the receivers room for Texas has gone overlooked due to horrid quarterback play.
With Joenel Aguero playing his game of the season last time out and Sharif Denson looking strong since his first snaps in Oxford, the Ole Miss secondary will be key for the Rebels' chances in Austin.
Keeping Everything in Perspective
A game full of storylines, Ole Miss and Texas both need a win tomorrow badly. With the Longhorns one loss away from being cut from Playoff contention and Ole Miss still playing Georgia ahead, neither side can take a loss tomorrow.
While Texas is certainly in a tougher spot on paper, Ole Miss needs to take its opponents by the horns to secure as comfortable of a position as one can get in the SEC.
Pete Golding has been baptized by fire since coming into the head coaching role in Oxford, and with another ranked opponent in Texas looming, Golding and his men can make a massive statement tomorrow night.
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