No. 9 Mississippi and No. 13 Missouri meet in a high-stakes clash of familiar faces

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — No. 9 Mississippi and No. 13 Missouri each field statistical leaders that began their careers at the opposing school before achieving greater individual success through the transfer portal.

The reunion of four showcase performers — Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee and Chris Graves, Jr. of Missouri, and Kewan Lacy of Ole Miss — serves as a major story line for what is also a high-stakes game in the Southeastern Conference on Saturday afternoon.

The contest will affect Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC) and Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1) in the league standings, the AP Poll and the College Football Playoff picture.

“There’s going to be a lot made of them going back, but really it’s about our team playing well and the opportunity we’ve created,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “The thing is to not make it bigger than it is.”

The Missouri trio were one-time starters for Ole Miss, a fact that is not lost on coach Pete Golding, who said, “We know how good they are. They all started on a playoff team here. They’re really good players.”

Simmons, who passed for 1,026 yards and six touchdowns at Ole Miss in a reserve role, has thrived at Missouri as the starter. Lee is the leading receiver and Graves has played extensively in the secondary.

Simmons is 107 of 165 passing for 1,434 yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception. Lee has 42 receptions for 616 yards and five touchdowns. Graves has seven tackles and six pass break ups.

Simmons has been “a tremendous teammate” throughout his college career, Drinkwitz said, adding, “It says a lot about him as a person that it’s never been about him.”

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy, returning last week at Vanderbilt after being sidelined for two weeks with a shoulder injury, has been the leading rusher for two seasons after starting his career at Missouri.

Lacy rushed for 1,569 yards and 24 touchdowns last season as the Rebels reached the CFP semifinals. The early season injury has limited his appearances, but Lacy played extensively in the first half of a 52-17 win at Vanderbilt last week.

“His rehab continues,” Golding said, adding that Lacy’s return to the field “went as good as we could’ve hoped.”

“Kewan showed confidence and we’re a different offense when he is in there,” Golding said.

Fellow running backs Makhi Frazier and JT Lindsey have helped reduce the load on Lacy, who carried 306 times last season.

“We need Makhi to keep playing well and JT is definitely in the mix,” Golding said.

Lacy has rushed for five touchdowns and 230 yards while Frazier and Lindsey have combined for 239 yards rushing on 55 carries.

Contrasting offensive styles

Missouri has thrived in a patient style of ball-control offense, rushing for 181.7 yards per game.

With just three turnovers and an average of 35.8 points per game, the Tigers are among the nation’s best in both categories.

Jamal Roberts has emerged as a breakout performer in the SEC with a league-leading 828 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, highlighted by consecutive 200-plus yard performances in wins over Florida and Texas A&M.

Ole Miss deploys a faster tempo and averages 433.8 yards of total offense per game. Trinidad Chambliss has passed for 1,435 yards and rushed for 113 while accounting for 16 touchdowns.

Deuce Alexander, with 32 receptions for 503 yards and five touchdowns, is the big-play performer from a receiving corps that features eight players with at least seven catches each.

“The way they score points, I don’t think we can sit in a bunker for three quarters,” Drinkwitz said, adding the Mizzou’s ground game only becomes an advantage “if we are still in the game, late in the game.”

The winner will start to separate in the standings

While No. 1 Georgia is the lone SEC team without a loss, eight teams – including Missouri and Ole Miss – have one loss in league play. Three other teams have two losses.

“It’s that way every week, isn’t it?” Golding said of the league’s balance. “This is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ business and Missouri is really good.”

The Missouri-Ole Miss matchup is one of three games Saturday guaranteed to shrink the list of one-loss SEC teams. No. 6 Alabama at No. 14 Tennessee and No. 15 Kentucky at Oklahoma are the other two games that will drop one-loss teams further off the pace.

Roberts amusingly exhibits a short-term focus

Roberts was asked this week if he could recall the last time he had as many as 34 carries in a game.

The running back paused briefly while considering the question.

“Just this past Saturday,” Roberts finally answered as laughter erupted. “Outside of that, no I don’t.”

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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report.

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