Saturday feels like a swing game for the Kentucky Wildcats. Even after the Wildcats’ Week 1 win over Toledo —a good Toledo team, at that —there are still many question marks and a lot of uncertainty surrounding head coach Mark Stoops and the Wildcats program. The Wildcats now play their first SEC game against the No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday afternoon.
This is an opportunity to bring momentum back to the Wildcats program after a tumultuous offseason. Beating a team like Ole Miss at home will
raise expectations for this season. The alternative? It will be more of the same in Lexington surrounding this program.
Let’s look at Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons and the other key Rebels players ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
Quarterback: #13 Austin Simmons — 6-4, 215 lbs. So. Miami
Simmons is in his first season as Ole Miss’s starting quarterback, after being redshirted in 2023 and playing in nine games as the backup quarterback in 2024.
Reclassifying from the 2025 class to the 2023 class, Simmons was a consensus four-star recruit by multiple outlets. Simmons also starred in baseball, throwing back-to-back no-hitters as a Freshman and hitting .365 as a Sophomore.
Simmons has already graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in multidisciplinary studies. He finished Saturday’s win over Georgia State, going 20/31 for 341 yards and three touchdowns.
Four Players to Watch on Ole Miss
1. #5: Running Back Kewan Lacy — 5-11, 210 lbs. So. Dallas; Missouri Transfer
A member of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award preseason watch list, Lacy rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries last Saturday.
Lacy played in six games for Missouri in 2024, after rushing for 1,513 yards on 221 carries with 19 touchdowns as a senior in high school.
2. #2: Wide Receiver Harrison Wallace III — 6-1, 200 lbs. R-Sr. Montgomery, Ala. Penn State Transfer
A member of the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list and a Senior Bowl Top-200, Wallace brings 39 games, 21 starts, and four years at Penn State to Oxford. He started all 15 games Penn State played in 2024, hauling in 46 receptions for 720 yards and four touchdowns.
Wallace caught five passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in Ole Miss’s win last week.
3. #51: Defensive Tackle Zxavian Harris — 6-8, 330 lbs. Sr. Canton, Miss.
SEC Coaches and Media named Harris to the Preseason All-SEC third team for good reason. Harris is a mountain of a man who has gotten more production with each of his three seasons. In 2024, Harris had 32 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Against Georgia State last week, Harris had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss with an interception, sack, two quarterback hits, and a blocked kick.
4. #16: Safety Wydett Williams Jr. — 6-2, 210 lbs. Sr. Lake Providence, La. ULM Transfer
Making the leap from Louisiana-Monroe to the SEC, Williams had 99 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack in 2024. Williams had five tackles and a tackle for loss with a pass breakup in Ole Miss’s season-opening win against Georgia State.
Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator: Lane Kiffin (6th Season, 14th Season overall; 45-18, 107-52 overall) – 50 years old
Say what you want about Lane Kiffin. He has built this Ole Miss program into a juggernaut, one that is firmly in the second tier of contenders in the SEC and knocking on the door of the first tier.
Ole Miss has three 10+-win seasons in their last four season with Kiffin as their head coach, including a win in the Peach Bowl in 2023. The Rebels’ 39 wins since 2021 are third in the SEC behind Georgia and Alabama.
Kiffin found success in Florida Atlantic with two 10+-win seasons and two Conference-USA titles. FAU had nine wins over the previous three seasons prior to Kiffin’s arrival. The Owls won 11 games in Kiffin’s first season as their head coach.
Prior to Florida Atlantic, Kiffin was the head coach at USC for three-plus seasons and the head coach at Tennessee in 2009. He was also the head coach for a season and four games with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2007 and 2008.
In addition to being a head coach, Kiffin has also been an offensive coordinator at Alabama and USC, winning three national championships and eight conference championships.
Lane is the son of legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who coordinated the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense to a Super Bowl XXXVII victory.
Offensive Coordinator: Joe Cox (2nd Season) – 38 years old
In his first season as Ole Miss’s offensive coordinator in 2024, the Rebels set program records with 6,845 yards, 7.3 yards per play, 4,561 passing yards, and 350.8 passing yards per game. The Rebels’ offensive success led to Jaxson Dart being a first-round draft pick by the New York Giants this past Spring.
Prior to Ole Miss, Cox was the tight ends coach at Alabama, Charlotte, and Colorado State, with a stint as the wide receivers coach at South Carolina in 2020.
As a player, Cox succeeded Matthew Stafford as Georgia’s starting quarterback and threw for 2,584 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2009.
Defensive Coordinators: Pete Golding (3rd Season) – 41 years old; Bryan Brown (2nd Season) – 41 years old
After serving as Alabama’s defensive coordinator for five seasons, Golding came to Ole Miss and helped the Rebels’ defense lead the country with 52 sacks and 120 tackles for loss while ranking second, allowing just 80.5 rushing yards per game. Walter Nolen was named a Consensus All-American and was a first-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals.
Brown came to Ole Miss prior to 2024 to coach the defensive backs, led by Trey Amos. Amos was drafted by the Washington Commanders in the second round of the NFL Draft. Prior to Ole Miss, Brown was the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati, Louisville, and Appalachian State. He played defensive back for Ole Miss from 2003 to 2006 and had a pick-six in his career.
Keys to the Game
1. Win the line of scrimmage
Ole Miss is strong in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They’re big upfront. If Kentucky wants any chance at winning this game, they have to win the line of scrimmage.
2. Help Zach Calzada out on offense
Someone needs to step up and make a play to help Calzada get into a sustained rhythm throughout the game. While he has to make improvements himself, the other offensive skill players have to step up and make more plays when their number is called.
3. Make the crowd a factor
It’s been a long time since Kroger Field had a really great atmosphere. Yes, the Wildcats hosted Georgia when they were No. 1 in the country last season, but this crowd needs to be different. While there are many questions surrounding the Wildcats, fans must know that winning this game could be a pivotal moment for this season and the short-term future of the program.
4. Prevent big plays
Ole Miss can strike, and they can strike quickly. Those are the plays that can take the crowd out of the game and swing huge momentum.
Score Prediction: Ole Miss 31 – Kentucky 24
This is a tough one to call. I think the Wildcats will be motivated for this game, which is why their offense should perform well. But Ole Miss is really good for a reason. They possess talent at a slightly higher level than the Wildcats, and they’re also seeking revenge for last season’s loss. Ole Miss wins a close one, and the conversation will be mixed around Lexington next week.
