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Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding delivered a discouraging update on the status of All-SEC running back Kewan Lacy, who dislocated his shoulder in the Rebels' game against Texas two weeks ago. According to the Clarion-Ledger, Lacy is unlikely to play when No. 12 Ole Miss (6-2, 4-2 SEC) hosts No. 2 Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC) in Oxford this weekend.
Lacy sat out the Rebels' 45-15 victory over Auburn on Oct. 31 and remains in the recovery and rehabilitation phase. "It's a work in progress," Golding said. "We're not expecting to have him this week. This isn't something that's going to happen overnight. He's still working hard at it. Hopefully we'll know sooner than later, but not expecting him this week."
With Lacy sidelined, Makhi Frazier has served as the No. 2 running back this season, but the Rebels employed a running-back-by-committee approach against Auburn. Shekai Mills-Knight led the team with 71 rushing yards on 16 carries, while JT Lindsey added three carries.
Lacy initially injured the same shoulder in last year's College Football Playoff win over Tulane. He underwent offseason surgery after remaining active during Ole Miss's run to the CFP semifinal, and he later re-injured the shoulder in the Rebels' victory over LSU, which caused him to miss the Florida game.
So far this season, Lacy has accumulated 421 yards and five touchdowns on 88 touches. He is building on a breakout sophomore campaign in which he registered 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns on 306 carries. In two career games against Georgia, Lacy recorded 31 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in a regular-season loss, and 98 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in Ole Miss's Sugar Bowl win.
Key Analysis
Lacy's absence would be a significant blow to Ole Miss's offense, as he has been a productive and dynamic playmaker. His history against Georgia, including two touchdowns in each of their previous meetings, underscores his importance in this crucial SEC matchup. The Rebels will need to rely on their depth at running back to compensate for his likely absence.
Georgia fans will be monitoring Lacy's status closely, with the SEC availability report scheduled for release on Wednesday night.
Originally reported by yahoo.