Locked On Ole Miss - Daily podcast on Ole Miss Rebels Football, Basketball & Baseball

The story out of Missouri was that Ole Miss finally found a run game. That's only half of it. NFL veteran and Ole Miss legend Todd Wade says the pass protection has been clean all season; what changed is the line finishing blocks and the staff scheming numbers. The rushing totals in SEC play: 63, 128, 196, 257. And the defense held Missouri to 39 rushing yards.

Texas tomorrow. Eight days to Auburn.

Steven Willis talks with Todd Wade about what changed up front, how the defense shut down Missouri, the special-teams matchup in Austin, Kewan La...

Everyone has Texas as the more talented team and the favorite. That's the wrong frame. Ole Miss's worst day this season, 28 points at Florida, is more than Texas has scored against any Power Four team: 24, 20, 24 and 24. The Rebels average 37.5 points and 444 yards, and ran for 453 yards in their last two games. Texas has to play its best game. Ole Miss has to play its normal one.

Texas tomorrow. Eight days to Auburn.

Steven Willis makes the case for why Ole Miss wins in Austin, lays out three keys and the players to...

SEC chaos reigns as upsets and unpredictability shake up the football season. Can Alabama rebound against Texas A&M after back-to-back losses? Will Tennessee avoid an emotional letdown at South Carolina, or are more surprises ahead?

The SEC Squad breaks down pivotal matchups across the conference, from LSU’s high-stakes clash at Auburn to Kentucky’s “Steinasty” momentum versus Vanderbilt. The crew highlights quarterback controversies—Arch Manning’s potential benching at Texas and Sam Leavitt’s consistency for LSU—plus injury updates on Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell that could impact Oklahoma-Mississippi State. Key analysis includes defensive improvements und...

The easy read on Texas is a team in free fall: two straight losses, Colin Simmons reportedly out, Arch Manning's job in question. That's the wrong line. Texas led Oklahoma 17-7 at halftime and Florida 17-3 late in the first half, and lost both by three. Locked On Longhorns' Brad Kellner says Texas plays 15 to 20 minutes of elite football every week. Saturday comes down to the other 40.

Two days to Texas. Nine to Auburn.

Steven Willis crosses over with Brad Kellner of Locked On Longhorns: what Colin Simmons' absence changes, Kewan La...

Everyone's Texas conversation this week is about who isn't playing: Colin Simmons, reportedly out, and 55% of the Longhorns' sacks with him. That's the wrong line. Ole Miss legend Bill Flowers says the player who decides Saturday is Kewan Lacy, who ran for 122 yards on 16 carries against Missouri in a 257-yard rushing day, "as much of a difference maker as Trinidad." Bill's real worry isn't the Texas defense. It's a wounded Texas team.

Three days to Texas. Ten to Auburn.

Steven Willis brings in Ole Miss legend Bill Flowers to break down th...

Colin Simmons has 55% of Texas's sacks. Trinidad Chambliss has been sacked five times all season. If the reports are right and Simmons misses Saturday, that's the biggest gift on the board for Ole Miss. But don't let the No. 19 next to Texas fool you: this team was No. 1 in the country 11 days ago.

Three days to Texas. Ten to Auburn.

Steven Willis goes through the Texas game notes on Colin Simmons vs. the rest of the Longhorns' defense, explains why Will Echoles is so hard to block (with Patrick Kutas and Ma...

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Everybody is saying Texas is falling apart. That's the wrong read. Pete Golding said Arch Manning "should be the top pick in the draft," called Steve Sarkisian "one of the best play callers in the country," and blamed two 27-24 losses on "bad luck." The real break for Ole Miss is Colin Simmons, whose 10.5 sacks lead the FBS, reportedly missing Saturday.

Four days to Texas. Eleven to Auburn.

Steven Willis breaks down what a Texas defense without Colin Simmons means against the best pass protection in the SEC, then goes through Pe...

Everyone in Austin is talking about Colin Simmons, the FBS sack leader, reportedly missing Saturday. That's the wrong storyline. Ole Miss has scored on all 24 of its red zone trips this season, 21 of them touchdowns, and leads the SEC in fewest sacks allowed at 0.83 a game. Ole Miss built its edge before anybody in Austin got hurt.

Five days to Texas. Twelve to Auburn.

Steven Willis brings in Ole Miss legend John Fourcade, the quarterback Trinidad Chambliss just passed on the school's career passing list, to ask whether John David Baker's of...

Everybody wants to know where Ole Miss lands in the polls after 31-3. That's the wrong question. Missouri ran for 39 yards, Ole Miss won by 28 on a day Trinidad Chambliss went 20 of 36, and FanDuel still has the Rebels as a 3.5-point underdog at a Texas team that has lost two straight. The market sees a good team, not a great one.

Five days to Texas. Twelve to Auburn.

Steven Willis breaks down the three things we learned from Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3, then answers the question Saturday's chaos created: with five of th...

Auburn stunned Georgia for the biggest win the Tigers have had in recent memory on the football field. BYU changed its program forever with a win over Notre Dame--and the chaos wasn't contained to those 2 games.

On this episode of Locked On College Football Live, Spencer McLaughlin is joined by a panel of Locked On experts to react to the biggest stories of the weekend. Are the Vols' a serious threat to win it all after their big win over Alabama?

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Ole Miss didn't just beat Missouri. It embarrassed a ranked team in Oxford: 31-3, 257 rushing yards to 39, and no Missouri touchdowns. Then five of the top seven teams in the country lost on the same Saturday. So here's the question for Sunday: is Ole Miss a top 5 team?

Final: Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3. Ole Miss is 5-1, 3-1 SEC. Next: at Texas, Saturday, Oct. 24, 6:30 PM CT on ABC.

Steven Willis is live with the Sunday Reaction: the case for Ole Miss in the top 5, the case against, and two full segments built on YOUR comments. Drop yours...

Ole Miss didn't just beat Missouri. It ended the argument. A top-15 team with a former Ole Miss quarterback and a week of revenge talk walked into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and scored three points. Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3, and right now there's no team in the SEC playing better football.

Final: Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3. Next Saturday: at Texas.

Steven Willis goes live with the instant reaction: how Pete Golding's defense shut down Missouri, Trinidad Chambliss on Homecoming, why Ole Miss is the best team in the SEC, and what Austin looks like now that Texas has lost two...

The 24-team playoff isn't the story today. A second loss is. Ole Miss and Missouri walk into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium one loss apiece, and under this year's 12-team format whoever leaves with two still has Georgia on the schedule. Next year's playoff rewards teams that win days like this one. This year's playoff might not forgive losing it.

Today: Missouri at Ole Miss, the 99th Homecoming. Kickoff 3:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM CT on SEC Network. Next week: Texas.

Steven Willis goes live with Mike Huesmann for the last word before kickoff: the injury report, the final availability report...

Most game-day previews treat Ole Miss-Missouri as the only game that matters today. That's the wrong line. The SEC slate around it shapes Ole Miss's playoff path, including Texas-Florida with Ole Miss's next opponent. In Oxford, Ole Miss has won 14 straight at home and is 38-3 there since 2021, per the Ole Miss game notes, and Missouri gave up 31 points in its last road game, at Mississippi State.

Today, Missouri. Seven days to Texas.

Steven Willis brings in Locked On Bets to handicap the biggest games of the day: Mississippi State-LSU, Texas-Florida, Ke...

Every take on a 24-team College Football Playoff says it kills the regular season. That's the wrong line. The CFP is nearing a deal to double to 24 teams in 2027, per ESPN's reporting, with five automatic bids, 19 at-large spots and the first two rounds on campus. For fans who watched bowl season die, Steven Willis says it's "the first time in a very long time that the fans got something," and for Ole Miss it makes the playoff the floor, not the goal.

Tomorrow, Missouri. Eight days to Texas.

Steven Willis and th...

Every take on a 24-team College Football Playoff says it kills the regular season. That's the wrong line. The CFP is nearing a deal to double to 24 teams in 2027, per ESPN's reporting, with five automatic bids, 19 at-large spots and the first two rounds on campus. For fans who watched bowl season die, Steven Willis says it's "the first time in a very long time that the fans got something," and for Ole Miss it makes the playoff the floor, not the goal.

Tomorrow, Missouri. Eight days to Texas.

Steven Willis and th...

Most of Missouri week has been about three former Rebels coming home. That's the wrong line. Ole Miss legend Todd Wade, who played on the offensive line, calls this "the game of the year for Ole Miss," and says it gets decided up front: Ole Miss allows one sack a game, best in the SEC, against a Missouri defense with 15 sacks, per the Ole Miss game notes.

Tomorrow, Missouri. Eight days to Texas.

Steven Willis and Ole Miss legend Todd Wade break down how Ole Miss fixed itself against Vanderbilt, the 1999 te...

Every Missouri preview says Ole Miss has to run the ball to win Saturday. That's the wrong line. Missouri allows 78.3 rushing yards a game and 2.4 a carry, per the Ole Miss game notes, so nobody runs on Missouri first. Trinidad Chambliss throws for 287 yards a game, Ole Miss has outscored opponents 109-33 in first halves, and an early lead is the one thing that takes Jamal Roberts out of the game.

Tomorrow, Missouri. Eight days to Texas.

Steven Willis makes the case for why Ole Miss beats No. 13 Missouri: three reasons, th...

SEC playoff hopes hang in the balance as Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, and Ole Miss face elimination showdowns. Can Josh Heupel’s Tennessee defense stifle Alabama’s high-powered offense, or will DeSean Bishop and Keelon Russell lead the Crimson Tide to a comeback following their emotional loss to Georgia? Meanwhile, Missouri aims to prove they’re a true dark horse against Ole Miss, with Austin Simmons and Jamal Roberts primed to exploit the Rebels’ struggling defense.

The SEQ Squad breaks down key matchups, quarterback controversies, and injury impacts across the SEC. From Kentucky’s gritty rise and Florida’s quarterback...

Missouri week got stuck in a 2:30 p.m. SEC Network window, and most of the talk has been about who knows whose playbook. That's the wrong line. Locked On Mizzou says Missouri's real problem is Trinidad Chambliss, whom it ranks among the top two quarterbacks in the country, and its plan is to make Ole Miss one-dimensional by holding Kewan Lacy to 50 rushing yards or fewer. Ole Miss has scored touchdowns on 18 of 20 red zone trips, per the Ole Miss game notes, so settling for field goals is not something this offense does.

Two days t...

The Missouri week question everyone keeps asking is whether three former Rebels know too much about Ole Miss. That's the wrong line. Ole Miss legend Bill Flowers says Saturday comes down to whether Pete Golding's defense can get Austin Simmons off his spot, and Simmons has 14 touchdown passes against one interception this season, per the Ole Miss game notes. Ole Miss forced four takeaways at Vanderbilt after only two in its first four games, and that is the defense Bill says has to show up again.

Three days to Missouri. Ten to Texas.

Every Missouri week story has been about three former Rebels coming home. That's the wrong line. Eli Drinkwitz said his real edge is Pete Golding's own defense ("we kind of know what they do"), while Ole Miss players say a team that just scored 52 still hasn't played a full game, with zero points in the third quarter at Vanderbilt. And the leading pass rusher on Golding's defense was the 43rd edge rusher in the portal, per On3.

Three days to Missouri. Ten to Texas.

Steven Willis takes you inside both sidelines of...

Most coaches spend the Monday after a 52-17 win taking a victory lap on four takeaways. That's the wrong read on Pete Golding's press conference. He downgraded his own turnovers ("we're a step late right now"), named three former Rebels on Missouri's roster, and said two of them left because an appeal had not been decided. Now No. 13 Missouri brings a back who just ran for 222 yards to Oxford.

Four days to Missouri. Eleven to Texas.

Steven Willis goes through Pete Golding's Missouri week press conference one "He Said What?" moment at...

Everybody's going to look at Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17 and say Vanderbilt won the second half. That's the wrong read. It was 42-3 at halftime, Vanderbilt ran for 103 yards two weeks after Florida ran for 302, and both lines of scrimmage were a mauling by the middle of the first quarter. Ole Miss legend John Fourcade says the real test is Saturday, against a Missouri back who just ran for 222 yards.

Five days to Missouri. Twelve to Texas.

Steven Willis brings in Ole Miss legend John Fourcade to break down the Vanderbilt rout: wh...

Every take on Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17 has been about the scoreboard. That's the wrong number. Ole Miss missed 14 tackles in three straight games and six at Vanderbilt, and a pass rush that produced six pressures at Florida produced 19 with three sacks in Nashville. Pete Golding says there was not one new call in the game plan.

Five days to Missouri. Twelve to Texas.

Steven Willis breaks down what the Vanderbilt win taught us: why Ole Miss is a different team when it is aggressive on both sides of the ball, how Bl...

Lane Kiffin lost for the second time in his first season at LSU after his team fell apart late at Kentucky. Is the first season going to be a failure for Ole Miss' former coach?

On this 'Locked On College Football Live' a panelist of Locked On hosts react to the biggest games of the weekend. UCLA's upset at Oregon puts them right into the College Football Playoff mix.

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The easy take is that 52-17 settles it. It doesn't. Ole Miss led Vanderbilt 42-3 at halftime, then lost the second half 14-10, and Vandy ran for 72 of its 103 yards after the break. The first half proved the defense can fix Gainesville. The second half is the question Missouri will ask on Saturday in Oxford.

Final: Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17. Ole Miss is 4-1, 2-1 SEC. Next: Missouri in Oxford, Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET.

Steven Willis is live with the Sunday reaction: the grades from Nashville, two full segments built on YOUR comments, and the first...

Everyone will say Vanderbilt was a tune-up. That's the wrong read. Two weeks ago this defense gave up 302 rushing yards and 52 points in Gainesville, and today Ole Miss scored 52 and won by 35 on the road in the SEC. That's not a tune-up. That's a team answering the question it has heard for 14 days, right before No. 14 Missouri and its 222-yard running back come to Oxford.

Final: Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17. Next: No. 14 Missouri in Oxford, Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET.

Steven Willis goes live minutes after the final whistle with the instant overreaction: what changed on defense...

Everyone is watching the radar. That's the wrong worry. Rain doesn't decide football games; a defense that missed 62 tackles for 482 yards does, and today in Nashville is its first chance to answer for Gainesville. The weather that can change this game is the wind, up to 45 mph in gusts under a Wind Advisory, and a lightning delay nobody wants.

Today: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Kickoff 3:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM CT on ESPN.

Steven Willis goes live with Mike Huesmann and Corey Burton of Locked On Vandy for the last word before kickoff: the storm, Jared Curtis's return...

Two straight weeks, an SEC team has lost the week after its biggest game: Ole Miss at Florida, then Florida at Missouri. So everyone is nervous about Ole Miss in Nashville. That's the wrong spot. Ole Miss is the rested team, coming off a bye, and Vanderbilt has scored 29 points in its last two games. Kevin Rogers of Locked On Bets and Steven Willis both point to LSU at Kentucky as today's letdown game.

Today: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, ESPN.

Steven Willis and Kevin Rogers of Locked On...

Vanderbilt is starting its five-star freshman, and the easy read is that Jared Curtis makes Saturday harder for Ole Miss. That's the wrong read. Steven Willis says Curtis is the better matchup for Pete Golding, because a defense that gave up 302 rushing yards at Florida has more to fear from Blaze Berlowitz's misdirection option game than from a freshman in the pocket.

Tomorrow: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, ESPN.

Steven Willis and Michael Katz of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal on the Curtis start, what the Adidas mo...

Everyone is calling Saturday a trap game. That's the wrong frame. Pete Golding has faced exactly one unranked team as a head coach and beat Charlotte 41-9, and Ole Miss spent its open date hitting people while Vanderbilt came home from a 38-14 beating in Athens. The trap is real only if Ole Miss forgets who its quarterback is.

Tomorrow: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, Nashville.

Steven Willis lays out the three reasons Ole Miss beats Vanderbilt, the three keys and the players to watch, what Vegas sa...

Georgia Bulldogs aim to break Alabama Crimson Tide’s regular season dominance as Kirby Smart hunts for his elusive Tuscaloosa victory. Can Keelon Russell replicate Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson’s legendary quarterback performances against the nation’s top-rated secondary, or will Gunner Stockton and a reshuffled Georgia backfield deliver clutch plays in a matchup loaded with playoff implications?

The SEC Squad previews SEC Week 6’s biggest battles, from the weather-threatened Georgia-Alabama showdown to Texas vs. Oklahoma at the Red River rivalry. Key debates spotlight injury updates (Chauncey Bowens, Josh Ford, Nate Frazier), Mizzou’s surge behind Jamal Roberts, a...

Everyone is asking what Adidas will do to the Ole Miss uniforms. That's the wrong question. Ask why Adidas paid a reported $20 million-plus a year in the first place. Steven Willis's answer: the powder blue. It has been the hottest color in college football for years, almost nobody else has it, and without it, he says, Ole Miss isn't commanding this deal.

Two days to Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, ESPN.

Steven Willis and Tom Vanderford go through the Adidas deal, the uniform Ole Miss should build wi...

If Saturday turns into a rain game, the temptation is to hand the ball off and hide the quarterback. That's the wrong lesson. In Gainesville, Steven counted four straight handoffs in a 52-28 loss, and against LSU it ran for 63 yards and still won because Trinidad Chambliss threw for 363. Locked On Vandy's Corey Burton says Vandy's plan is to hit Chambliss; Ole Miss's should be to keep the ball in his hands.

Two days to Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, ESPN.

Steven Willis and Corey Burton of Lo...

Everyone is talking about the Adidas money. That's the wrong headline. Ole Miss took the bigger check and kept the pen: control of its colors, marks and uniforms. And the NIL funding inside the deal may matter more than either.

Three days to Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, Nashville.

Steven Willis breaks down Ole Miss leaving Nike after 27 years for a seven-year Adidas deal: what's official, what's only reported, why "pursued aggressively" tells you who chased whom, what changes in 2027, his one uniform ask, and the NIL qu...

Everyone is arguing about the poll: Ole Miss No. 9, the Florida team that beat them No. 16. That's the wrong fight. The AP Top 25 is not part of how the Playoff picks its field, and the real pattern is the seven-day hangover that hit Ole Miss after LSU, hit Florida after Ole Miss and now sits on Vanderbilt's sideline.

Three days to Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, Nashville.

Steven Willis shows why the cycle that cost Ole Miss in Gainesville now works in its favor, what Pete Golding sa...

Everyone wants to talk about how Ole Miss lost by 24 in Gainesville. That's the wrong question. The open date answered it: a practice with zero defensive calls, the whole team watching the Florida tape together, and a full-pads, live Sunday. The question now is whether that shows up Saturday against a Vanderbilt team that is 0-2 in the league and coming home sore.

Four days to Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Saturday, 2:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM ET, Nashville.

Steven Willis, Daylan Flowers and Tyler Komis go live on the Rebel Squad to break down how Ole Miss bounces...

Every version of this story stops one sentence too early: Kewan Lacy is back. That's the wrong line. Golding's first answer Monday was yes — rehab all last week, practiced Sunday, mostly non-contact, "fully anticipate having him this week" — and then he kept going: "Even coming back, he's not gonna take the toll of 40 to 50 snaps." Anticipate is not cleared, and available is not whole. The man on a pitch count has a rushing touchdown in 12 straight games played, the longest at Ole Miss since 1956.

Four days to Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. First road trip since Gaine...