Ole Miss scores 37.5 a game. Texas allows 17.8. Something has to give Saturday night in Austin.
By T-Rohn, Gridiron Gumbo · Posted Oct. 23, 2026
CONFIRMED: kickoff, TV, records, rankings (official game notes and schedules), stats (ESPN, pulled Oct. 22, 2026), Wesley, Simmons, Smothers, Lockett and Chatman out for Texas, and both availability lists (official SEC game-day availability report, posted 5:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24). REPORTED: Wesley’s injury type and timeline (OrangeBloods via Saturday Down South); Simmons’ ankle sprain (247Sports); betting line (DraftKings, as of 5:11 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed, matched against VegasInsider’s DraftKings column).
Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 8:12 a.m. CT: injury lists now follow the SEC’s Friday report, and the line is DraftKings as of 8:12 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 11:11 a.m. CT: the DraftKings total moved from 53.5 to 54.5 and Texas -3 is now priced -115 (was -112); see the line in the body below.
Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 5:11 p.m. CT: availability now follows the SEC’s game-day report (posted 5:00 p.m. CT). Ole Miss OL Terez Davis is a game-time decision, Texas DB Kobe Black is newly listed as a game-time decision, and Texas OL Jackson Christian, Texas RB Derrek Cooper and Ole Miss OL Brycen Sanders are not on the report, which means they are available. DraftKings re-checked at 5:11 p.m. CT: Texas -3 (-112), total 54.5 (Over -110 / Under -110), moneylines Texas -148 / Ole Miss +124.
The short version: Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1 SEC, through Week 7) comes to Austin averaging 37.5 points a game. Texas (4-2, 1-2 SEC) has the stingier defense but has dropped two straight.
A win keeps Ole Miss near the top of the SEC race. For Texas, it’s the best chance to steady a wobbling season.
When and where to watch
- Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) on ABC
- Expected kick: about 6:49 p.m. CT, per Texas’ game notes
- Site: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin
Getting to DKR on a Saturday night takes three things: patience, a full tank and a working knowledge of every MoPac exit since 2009.
Sources: Texas Athletics schedule, Ole Miss Athletics, ESPN Press Room. Expected 6:49 kick: Texas’ game notes.
ABC’s 6:30 window and an expected 6:49 kick give Austin 19 bonus minutes to argue about which brisket line is shortest.
Records and rankings (through Week 7)
| Ole Miss | Texas | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 5-1 | 4-2 |
| SEC | 3-1 | 1-2 |
| AP / Coaches | No. 7 / No. 7 | No. 19 / No. 18 |
Oxford brings the seersucker, Austin brings the breakfast tacos, and both towns bring a lawn chair to a parking spot they’ve held since Thursday.
Source: Texas game notes. Texas’ 4-2 record (six games played) was rechecked Oct. 23 against Texas’ official schedule and cumulative stats.
By the numbers
| Stat, through Week 7 (per game unless noted) | Ole Miss | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Total offense (yards) | 444.5 | 362.3 |
| Total defense (yards allowed) | 390.0 | 272.5 |
| Points scored | 37.5 | 30.2 |
| Points allowed | 23.8 | 17.8 |
| Turnover margin (season) | -1 | +1 |
Source: ESPN team statistics for Ole Miss and Texas, 2026 regular season through Week 7 (six games each). Pulled Oct. 22, 2026.
The quick read: Ole Miss gains about 80 more yards a game. Texas gives up about 120 fewer. Both are close to even in turnovers.
Ole Miss treats yardage like a buffet. Texas treats it like a reservation-only tasting menu with a dress code.
It’s the classic gumbo debate: one cook swears by more spice, the other swears by a slower simmer. Somebody’s grandmother is going to be right.
Who’s out (official, plus reports)
CONFIRMED by the SEC’s official game-day availability report, posted at 5:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 90 minutes before kickoff. The game-day report lists only Available, Game Time Decision or Out, and the SEC says a player not on the report is regarded as available. Out can also cover non-injury reasons.
- Texas, out: EDGE Colin Simmons, RB Hollywood Smothers, WR Kaliq Lockett, OL Jaydon Chatman and EDGE Richard Wesley. All five were also out on Friday’s report (posted 7:10 p.m. CT Oct. 23).
- Texas, game-time decision: DB Kobe Black, who is new on the report.
- Ole Miss, out (eight): WR Izaiah Hartrup, S Edwin Joseph, S MJ Preston, LB Ant Davis Jr., CB Pat Broomfield, WR Kervin Johnson Jr., S Nascar McCoy and OL Emanuel Faulkner, the same eight as Friday.
- Ole Miss, game-time decision: OL Terez Davis, the starting left tackle, who was questionable on Friday’s report.
- Available (not on the game-day report): Texas OL Jackson Christian (questionable Friday) and RB Derrek Cooper (probable Friday); Ole Miss OL Brycen Sanders, the starting center (probable Friday).
Wednesday’s first report, via 247Sports and Yahoo Sports, listed Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy as probable. Lacy is not listed on Thursday’s or Friday’s official report or on Saturday’s game-day report, which means he is available.
REPORTED: Simmons sprained an ankle in last week’s 27-24 loss to Florida, per 247Sports.
REPORTED: Wesley has a high ankle sprain, and there are concerns he could miss the rest of the regular season, per OrangeBloods’ Anwar Richardson, as relayed by Saturday Down South. Texas has not confirmed the injury or a timeline.
Under SEC policy, updates are due Thursday and Friday evenings and a final report no later than 90 minutes before kickoff. For this game, the SEC posted it at 5:00 p.m. CT.
Sarkisian on Manning
Asked about Arch Manning after back-to-back losses, Steve Sarkisian called his quarterback “edgy” and said Manning “has to fight back,” per Saturday Down South, citing reporter CJ Vogel.
Austin heard “edgy” and immediately opened a food truck called that.
3 keys to the game
- Who chases the quarterback? With Wesley and Simmons both out, Texas has to generate pressure from other edge rushers. Saturday Down South says Zina Umeozulu, Lance Jackson and Colton Vasek will handle most of the edge work.
- Yards vs. points. Ole Miss gains 444.5 yards and scores 37.5 points a game. Texas allows 272.5 yards and 17.8 points. Something gives. Our take: whoever turns drives into touchdowns, not field goals, wins the night.
- Close-game finishes. Texas lost to Florida by three last week. Clean late-game execution matters more than usual.
The SEC’s game-day report posted at 5:00 p.m. CT, and the lists above follow it.
What’s at stake in the SEC race
Ole Miss is 3-1 in the league, and a win in Austin keeps it in the thick of the race.
Texas is 1-2 and not out of it, but a third SEC loss would make the title path much harder. A home win over a top-10 team is the Horns’ best way to get the season back on track.
Rebels fans already have the Grove tent folded, the trip planned and the Atlanta hotel bookmarked in a tab they swear they’ll close.
For one fan base, Saturday is a statement. For the other, it’s a fire drill with a marching band.
The line
REPORTED: As of 5:11 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, DraftKings listed Texas -3 (-112), total 54.5 (Over -110 / Under -110), moneylines Texas -148 / Ole Miss +124 (ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed; the VegasInsider odds board showed the same DraftKings numbers when both were checked at 5:11 p.m. CT; at 11:11 a.m. CT DraftKings had Texas -3 (-115), total 54.5 (Over -105 / Under -115) and moneylines Texas -155 / Ole Miss +130, and at 8:12 a.m. CT it had Texas -3 (-112) and the total at 53.5, Over -115 / Under -105). Lines move. Check your book. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
A field goal, a total in the 50s and a late-October Austin forecast that still says “patio weather, probably.”
Bottom line: A 37.5-point offense meets a 17.8-point defense, and Texas may have to slow it down without Wesley, Simmons or Smothers. Bring a spoon. This one’s going to simmer.
Picks and lines are for entertainment. Read our picks disclaimer.
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