Ole Miss‘s night vs. Vanderbilt was big, not only because they went to their favorite away place, Nashville, and steamrolled the Commodores in a 52-17 game. No, more importantly, they got a glimpse of the 2025 Kewan Lacy the Rebels have been missing all season.
Lacy’s shoulder injury held him down all offseason, and you could see the anxiety of re-injury creeping up on him at times in multiple plays through the first three weeks.
Then, vs. LSU, it happened again. Lacy re-aggravated his shoulder in Week 3 — the same one that he had to get surgery on in the offseason. It was getting concerning for Ole Miss at this point, whether they would actually get to see Lacy back in action the way everyone was expecting the entire offseason.
Lacy was questionable the entire week, and even hours before Saturday’s showdown in Nashville, Lacy wasn’t a sure-shot.
But he still did the pre-game drills, still suited up. And then came his performance in Week 5, which took everyone back to seeing his 2025 self again.
The carefulness of playing after an extended period of injury was there, but the outline of the fierce Lacy had already taken shape. And he started proving it with an immediate spark in the first half.
Against Vanderbilt, the Ole Miss offense was much less predictable than they were vs. the Gators last week, leading to much better success. Trinidad Chambliss set the tone early, capping off a fast start with a 10-yard touchdown run.
Once Chambliss marched the Rebels down to the two-yard line on the next drive, Kewan Lacy punched in a two-yard rushing touchdown to cap off the early dominance.
Since he was coming off an issue, Ole Miss put Lacy on a pitch count to ease him back into action. He made the absolute most of his limited workload, posting 39 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on just 7 carries (averaging 5.6 yards per carry).
39 yards might not seem that big of a number on the stat sheet of the player who set Ole Miss single-season records with 1,567 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.
But his presence, and John David Baker’s minor tweaks, made the Rebels’ offense much less hesitant than it was last week. The exact type of offense that has worked out in their favor multiple times in the past.
Yes, it was Pete Golding’s first big win vs. Vanderbilt. It also kept Ole Miss’s 4-0 streak intact in the last 5 years against the Comodores, but seeing Lacy run without hesitation was everything Pete Golding needed to see.
The numbers will come as he builds back his workload, but the swagger in this Rebels offense? That’s already officially back.
Pankti Parmar Pankti Parmar is a Heavy Contributor. Specializing in college football and the NFL, her reporting work includes extensive coverage for The Sporting News, FanSided’s Ole Hotty Toddy, Fly War Eagle, and Glory Colorado, Notre Dame On SI, Roundtable Sports, Pro Football and Sports Network, and more. More about Pankti Parmar
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