Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding ruled out Rebels running back Kewan Lacy on Monday for a Week 9 matchup with Auburn in Oxford, Mississippi, this Halloween.
Lacy suffered the injury during a 34-27 loss to Texas in Austin this past Saturday evening. Before the injury, Lacy was averaging 2.2 yards per carry and produced just 42 yards of offense against the Longhorns.
Lacy missed the Florida game in Week 4, a matchup Ole Miss lost 52-28 in Gainesville, with a different injury to the same shoulder.
After the Texas game, Golding sounded concerned about Lacy making it to the field against the Tigers because it was a previously problematic shoulder.
"I've not got an update on that... Obviously, I was on the field with him. He was in a lot of pain. Same shoulder, so hopefully we’ll get updates soon," Golding said postgame about Lacy's injury.
Golding didn't sound overly optimistic then, and now we see why.
Who is Ole Miss's starting running back against Auburn?
Without Lacy, Michigan State transfer Makhi Frazier will step into the workhorse role for the Rebels against Auburn.
Frazier had 47 rushing yards on six carries and 16 receiving yards on five catches against the Longhorns. For the year, Frazier is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, with 301 yards on the ground total.
Golding explained in the spring why having an experienced running back transfer like Frazier would come in handy for the offense.
"We wanted some (running backs) with some experience, which we brought in," Golding said. "You feel like regardless whether you are going the one, two, three or four up there, it's like 'Man, this kid's got a chance.' You don't see that drop-off that I've felt like we have before."
Golding's emergency preparedness paid off against a Tigers defense that is particularly susceptible to the run, as Tennessee's DeSean Bishop and Florida's Jadan Baugh can attest to. The pair had 382 rushing yards in the two AU losses.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt and running back Dilin Jones both got their licks in this past Saturday during a 38-17 blowout win for the Bayou Bengals at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Leavitt had 54 rushing yards on eight carries with a touchdown, while Jones had 92 yards on the ground and a touchdown run.
Golding isn't taking Auburn lightly, and with Lacy down, he has extra incentive to treat Saturday as a make-or-break game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google