Three days, three running backs, three fates.
Among all the splendor of a top-15 SEC matchup, there are plenty of connections between No. 13 Mizzou and No. 9 Ole Miss. Most thoughts will dart immediately to the likes of Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee and Chris Graves Jr. — former Rebels who now rep black and gold. But another connection can be found in the backfields.
Jamal Roberts versus Kewan Lacy, with 2025 All-American Ahmad Hardy watching from the sidelines. Intertwined fates have led them all to
this monumental game.
In Greek mythology, the Three Fates controlled the thread of life. Clotho spun it, Lachesis measured its length and Atropos cut it. For the three running backs whose careers have crossed paths through opportunity, departure and injury, the mythos offers a fitting lens for Saturday’s matchup in Oxford.
Roberts is the spinner, forging his own path as Mizzou’s featured back. Lacy is the measurer, weighing what his next chapter could look like after his freshman season with the Tigers. Hardy is the cutter, whose season was interrupted before he had the opportunity to defend his All-American season.
The Spinner: Jamal Roberts
Roberts has taken the opportunity presented by Hardy’s absence and spun it into the SEC’s most productive start for a running back.
Through six games, Roberts has recorded 828 rushing yards on 147 carries and eight touchdowns. His four runs of at least 54 yards demonstrate the home-run ability that has helped him become Mizzou’s primary offensive weapon.
Over the past two games, Roberts has rushed for 433 yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries, recording consecutive 200-yard performances against Florida and Texas A&M. His 222-yard effort against the Aggies helped the Tigers secure a 27-6 victory. Roberts became the first Mizzou player to rush for more than 200 yards in consecutive games and just the third SEC running back in the past two decades to accomplish the feat, joining Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette.
The production has come with a substantial workload. Roberts has handled roughly 85% of Mizzou’s running back snaps, whether that’s because of undeniable talent or a lack of depth. While his explosiveness has helped the Tigers generate big plays, Hardy’s absence has also placed more responsibility on Roberts to carry the offense consistently.
His growing involvement in the passing game — six catches for 37 yards over the past two games — gives Mizzou another way to unlock his potential.
Roberts’ emergence has kept the Tigers’ offense humming. Against Ole Miss, he will have another opportunity to show how far he’s grown.
The Measurer: Kewan Lacy
Lacy’s path took him from Columbia to Oxford, where he developed into one of the SEC’s biggest success stories.
After recording 104 yards on 23 carries as a freshman at Mizzou, Lacy transferred to Ole Miss, where he rushed for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns on 306 carries last season. He also caught 29 passes for 177 yards, establishing himself as a central part of the Rebels’ offense.
His departure was not driven by bad blood between the two programs. Instead, Lacy saw an opportunity at Ole Miss that he believed could give him a better chance to develop and contribute.
Now, the former Tiger returns to a matchup against his old team with his own season interrupted by injury.
Lacy suffered a shoulder injury in Ole Miss’ Sept. 19 win against LSU, missing the Rebels’ subsequent game against Florida. He returned against Vanderbilt last week, carrying the ball seven times for 39 yards and a touchdown in a limited role. Ole Miss coach Pete Golding called getting Lacy back on the field in any capacity for that game a “best-case scenario.”
His return adds another dimension to the Rebels’ offense, although his workload remains a question entering Saturday. Lacy has recorded 230 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 46 carries this season.
Against Mizzou, Lacy will have to measure how much he can contribute as he works back toward his previous form, against the program where his college career began.
The Cutter: Ahmad Hardy
Hardy’s thread has taken the most tragic turn.
After transferring from Louisiana-Monroe, Hardy established himself as one of the country’s premier running backs in 2025. He rushed for a school-record 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns on 256 carries, earning consensus All-American honors and becoming a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.
His effectiveness came from more than explosive runs. Hardy consistently moved the chains, allowing Mizzou to sustain drives while keeping defenses from focusing on the passing game. Last season, his presence also allowed the Tigers to divide carries between two starting-caliber backs, with Roberts contributing in a complementary role.
This season, Roberts has supplied the explosive plays, but Hardy’s absence has left Mizzou without the same proven combination of consistency and depth.
Hardy has not returned to practice following an injury he sustained from a shooting in May. Coach Eli Drinkwitz has maintained that the running back must complete a two-week ramp-up period before being considered for game action. As of Oct. 13, Hardy had not begun that process, making his return up in the air with a bye week coming up.
In his first official statement since the incident back in August, Hardy expressed his determination to return.
“Whenever that time comes, I’ll be out there,” Hardy said.
For now, Hardy’s role is to watch as Roberts carries the workload they once shared.
The Three Fates of Greek mythology may have controlled the threads of life, but these three running backs are still writing their young football stories. On Saturday, their paths will cross again — and each will be focused on a different page.
