The Oklahoma Sooners will see a lot of the Ole Miss Rebels over the next few years in the SEC, as the league has deemed the two teams annual rivals for the next four seasons, starting this year. Combine that with the Sooners and the Rebels already facing off in OU's first two SEC seasons, and the two programs with virtually no shared history are going to get very familiar with each other.
Oklahoma is 0-3 against Ole Miss, and the next chance to win comes this week, as the Sooners return home to Norman. OU got a cathartic road win over Florida last week, while Ole Miss was dominated at home by Georgia last week. Two teams with very different mindsets will meet on Owen Field on Saturday afternoon.
After the unexpected victory, the Sooners will lean
on some key players to try to win two games in a row for the first time since November of 2025. As always with OU, injury concerns will force certain players to step up and help the program make a bowl game with a win this week.
Here are four players to watch for the Sooners against the Rebels.
1. Rocky Beers, TE
With interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten at the controls, several pass-catchers saw an expanded role in OU's victory in "The Swamp." That included the tight ends, where Rocky Beers leads the way. With his position coach and one of the greatest TEs ever to play dialing up the offense, it's safe to assume Beers will be targeted a lot against the Rebels.
OU's passing game options are as healthy right now as they've been all season. Beers has been an important part of the passing attack all season long, and he's somebody that is clearly trusted to get open and make important catches at important moments. In a game where the offense will have to produce more than it did last week, Beers could play a huge role.
2. Lloyd Avant, RB
Oklahoma made more of a commitment to the running game against Florida, shortening the game by bleeding the clock and keeping the ball on the ground and out of harm's way. As well as it worked against the Gators, it's hard to see Witten going away from it to start this game. With fellow running back Tory Blaylock's status up in the air for Saturday, it could mean an increased workload for OU's top RB, Lloyd Avant.
The Sooners seem to have settled on a starting offensive line of Michael Fasusi, Noah Best, Jake Maikkula, Heath Ozaeta, and E'Marion Harris, and that group being healthy and working together is good news for any OU ball carrier. Avant continues to get the most opportunities of any Sooner running back, and if Blaylock can't play, he could get more totes or still split carries with Jonathan Hatton Jr.
3. The inside linebacker duo
Linebackers Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke are playing their penultimate games on Owen Field, and they are two of the most special players of the Brent Venables era in Norman. They struggled in the South Carolina loss, but played very well in the Florida win. Facing another dynamic dual-threat quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss this week, all eyes will be on how well the inside linebacker duo handles his playmaking.
Additionally, both of the next men up at inside LB, Cole Sullivan and James Nesta, are not guaranteed to play against Ole Miss, so Lewis and Heinecke may have to go the distance again this week against the Rebels. It's not ideal, but if any two players on OU's roster can handle it, it's these two.
4. Peyton Bowen, DB
Oklahoma's secondary has been banged up in recent weeks, but it's getting healthier, led by defensive back Peyton Bowen. He was limited in the Florida win, but he should be fully healthy this week, which is a massive boost for the Sooners. His younger brother, Eli Bowen, was back in the lineup against the Gators as well, and OU might have its full complement of starters in the secondary healthy for the first time in a long time this week.
Jacobe Johnson may also be back for the first time in weeks, which would give the Sooners more depth behind its starting cornerbacks. The Rebels have a strong passing attack that has become the strength of their offense without running back Kewan Lacy in the lineup, so Bowen, the veteran leader of the secondary, will be tasked with making sure his guys are in the right places against the wide-open Rebel attack.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 4 OU players to watch this week against Ole Miss
