No. 9 Ole Miss and Kewan Lacy head to Vanderbilt with Jared Curtis trying to return

No. 9 Ole Miss and Kewan Lacy head to.

Key points

• His Rebels (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) had an open date last week to regroup after their 52-28 loss to Florida.
• Lacy has rushed for 191 yards on 34 carries for four touchdowns after rushing for 1, 567 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.
• 9 Ole Miss and Kewan Lacy head to Vanderbilt with Jared Curtis trying to return.
• Vanderbilt hopes starting quarterback Jared Curtis is back Saturday when the Commodores put their 10-game home winning streak on the line against the Rebels.
• Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2) held out Curtis during a 38-14 loss at No.

No. 9 Ole Miss and Kewan Lacy head to Vanderbilt with Jared Curtis trying to return. By: Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press – October 8, 2026. (Photo from Magnolia Tribune and Brad Bridges/Epic Sports Photography).

Ole Miss had an open date last week to regroup after a loss at Florida. The Rebels have won five straight in this series.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The ninth-ranked Mississippi Rebels can't wait for Kewan Lacy's return, knowing how valuable the running back is to Trinidad Chambliss and the offense.

"We know we got our work cut out for us, but I think our guys are in a good spot, " Ole Miss coach Pete Golding remarked.

His Rebels (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) had an open date last week to regroup after their 52-28 loss to Florida. The extra time off should support Lacy return from the injured left shoulder that knocked him out of action during the win over LSU.

Golding remarked Lacy returned to practice Sunday. Golding intends to continue giving carries to JT Lindsey and Makhi Frazier. This person have run for 159 yards sharing 40 carries. How that rotation goes will be based on how healthy Lacy is.

"Even coming back, he's not going to take the toll of 40 to 50 snaps and all those things, " Golding remarked.

Lacy has rushed for 191 yards on 34 carries for four touchdowns after rushing for 1, 567 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. It put him among the potential Heisman Trophy candidates for 2026. Lacy additionally is a key pass blocker for Chambliss and an offense averaging 35.5 points a game.

Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2) held out Curtis during a 38-14 loss at No. 2 Georgia with an undisclosed injury suffered in a loss at Auburn. Coach Clark Lea remarked Curtis was gutted by the decision after throwing for 746 yards with four TDs. The freshman additionally has run for 133 yards and two more scores.

"I think he's further along than he was a week ago, which is really encouraging, " Lea remarked Wednesday. "So we've had some positive signs, but, we gotta continue to see how he responds, and make sure he's physically prepared to do the things we'll need him to do to win a game." If not Curtis, then Berlowitz again.

Blaze Berlowitz began his third game of the season with Curtis out at Georgia. After leading Vanderbilt to wins over Austin Peay and Delaware, the senior had moved to wide receiver with Curtis starting. Berlowitz threw for a career-high 190 yards at Georgia, and he has 358 yards passing and a TD.

"Depending who is in there, it's like preparing for two different offenses, " Golding remarked of preparing for both quarterbacks. Impressive Vanderbilt defense against the run.

Golding applied practices since the Florida loss to secure physical and work on mistakes in the run game knowing the next opponent features a defensive coach in Lea. Vanderbilt is giving up 128.2 yards rushing a game. Ole Miss ranks 119th nationally managing just 117.5 yards a game.

"They fly around, " Ole Miss tight end Luke Hasz remarked. "We've hurt our run game by missing one detail or one assignment but our mistakes are correctable."

Ole Miss has won nine of the last 11 in the series with the last five coming by a margin of 24.4 points a game. Vanderbilt's last win came in overtime in 2018. The Rebels need this with their schedule over the next month featuring Missouri, a trip to Texas, Auburn and Georgia.

AP freelance writer Chris Burrows contributed to this report from Oxford, Mississippi. Regarding the Author(s). Teresa M. Walker, Associated Press. Culture Meredith Biesinger October 6, 2026.

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In short, no. 9 Ole Miss and Kewan Lacy head to Vanderbilt with Jared is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.