Following the much-needed bounceback win over Vanderbilt, the Ole Miss Rebels find themselves back in the deep well that is the SEC slate. The Missouri Tigers arrive in Oxford ranked 13th in the nation, their highest AP Poll ranking since 2024.
While the Rebels eclipse their opponent in rank and have won 14 consecutive games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium dating back to late September 2024, the Tigers provide a new challenge for Ole Miss in this already storyline-riddled season.
Missouri is on a roll since their loss on the road to Mississippi State three weeks ago, responding to their one-score loss by trouncing the Florida Gators and handily defeating Texas A&M. Routing a Florida team a week after picking apart the Rebels in Gainesville, Missouri is more than a formidable opponent for Ole Miss.
Homecoming
When Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee enter Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in black and gold, it'll be each of the former Rebel stars' first time standing on the opposite sideline. Each played three seasons in Oxford (one redshirt season for Simmons); the two Missouri stars will return playing with chips on their shoulders.
While neither Simmons nor Lee expressed negative feelings upon their departures from Oxford, the duo will have no love lost for the Rebels when they step on the field this Saturday.
Simmons has become a dominant force amongst all SEC quarterbacks this season. After starting out shaky for the Rebels last year before going down with an ankle injury, doubt arose over the potential that many expected to see flourish in the then-sophomore. Simmons has all but erased that doubt since arriving in Columbia, Mo.
Honored twice this season so far as the SEC Offensive Player of the Week, Simmons has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns while only adding one interception. A change of scenery can always be good, and for Simmons, it has been transformational.
Cayden Lee has been instrumental in Simmons' rise to the top of the collegiate quarterback conversation, remaining Simmons' go-to target as he was in Oxford. While it hurt to see Lee go, it came as no shock to Rebels fans that he would want to follow the quarterback he seemed to meld minds with.
Accounting for 616 yards and five touchdowns through six games, Lee has established himself as the Tigers' main receiving threat in his short time in Columbia. The talent was always there when Lee wore the Rebels' red and blue, but giving Lee the keys to an offense has unleashed a totally new player.
What the Rebels Couldn't Do, The Tigers Did Easily
The Tigers must have watched the Rebels' ugly efforts in Gainesville attentively in their preparations for the Gators, as all that Ole Miss did wrong seemed to go right for Missouri.
It's been reiterated countless times since the 52-28 thrashing the Gators put down on Ole Miss how dominant the Florida run game could be. Jadan Baugh did whatever he wanted against the Rebels' front seven, taking 29 carries for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
Then Missouri crushed Baugh. 12 carries, 13 yards and a four-score loss after what looked like the beginning of what seemed to be a very competitive Heisman campaign. Seeing what the Tigers did to the Gators just a week after getting dismantled themselves, the Rebels have reason to be fearful ahead of this ranked matchup in The Vaught.
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