Episode 4- Built to Run: The Present & Future of the Ole Miss Backfield

In this episode of Saturday Means More, Adam and Trey take a deep dive into the Ole Miss running back room. They break down the 2025 rushing production, evaluate what the Rebels bring back for 2026, and analyze how incoming talent—led by highly touted recruit Kewan Lacey—could reshape the ground game. From statistics to film traits to SEC impact, this episode explores whether the Rebels have the backfield depth and physicality needed to close games and compete for championships.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Welcome back to Saturday Means More. Yes, sir. So as as we do every week, this is uh episode four. We are at episode four now. Come on. Uh this is Adam Dungey. Trey Waterloo. All right. We're coming to you another week. Of course, we're a week late, so we we're gonna put out two today. Come on. So we're gonna try to try to. This is episode four. Um so like I said, welcome back. Uh where uh where we talk about old miss football mostly. Uh we we'll we'll add we'll add a little bit more, uh SEC, different kind of things, but uh mainly this Saturday means more is about Ole Miss Football. And we're off season right now, but we're we're uh gonna keep it going every week.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Right, and there's always a lot happening, especially with the past success of the Ole Miss Rebels. Absolutely. There's plenty to talk about.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

All right, so go ahead. What that's what what are we gonna talk about? You started off, I'll talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Well, I think I I think the main thing that we're trying to dive into as fans um and and really get underneath the the success of 2025. If we if we look at the success success of 2025, and we've mentioned this in in previous shows, you know, are we gonna be dominant enough when the time comes to get not only into the playoffs but make a a playoff push?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

That's right. So what we're gonna do on this episode, uh, as we uh alluded to, so we're gonna talk a little bit about 2025, the the impact it showed. We're gonna talk about 2026, what our what our upcoming year and uh uh room looks like our running back room looks like.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

All right, so you want to you want to mainly focus on running backs.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Yeah, we're gonna we're gonna talk about running backs on this episode. Okay. So that's that's what we're gonna talk about. So we'll talk about 2025. That's right. We'll talk about what we've got coming up in 2026, and I want to break down a little bit more of Kiwan. Sure. You know, we we we had him last year, what what how he just exploded, and he's coming back. Yeah, and so um uh I I do not want to discredit. We're gonna talk about all these running backs that we had last year, the running backs we've got coming up this year, but we've got Kiwan, and I think he's gonna be the leader in that room, and so I want to break it a little bit down. So that'll be our three segments. We'll talk about 2025, our upcoming 2026, and then uh we'll finish out with Kewan uh and what's going on, and uh and that'll be our episode this this season.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

What a great episode.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Okay, so we're back, and we're diving into the 2025 uh running back room. Uh it's the key on Keywan Lacey show. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

We we had some good running backs, but I mean Kewan came out. I I wish I could remember the the breakout game in the in the early of the season, but it was after it really was after uh Trinidad took over. And he became the target for Trinidad. Right. And so uh obviously we had uh Diggs who had a few few yards, but uh I'm just gonna tell you it between Diggs mainly, I mean between Diggs and then and then Lacey mainly.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

I mean it's just and and and while that's that's something to talk about and it's so important the the contributions that Kewan Lacey gave us, I think as we dive deep into this, um what to really get over that hump, we need some depth. That's right. That's right. So if you look at number one, I think these are some some very interesting statistics. Uh first downs, rushing first downs in the 2025 season, we had 149.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

149.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

149 rushing first downs. Average yards per game a hundred and seventy-six point three rushing yards per game.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

And I'm just telling you, if you see net uh positive 150 yards rushing per game, that's a top ten team.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

But y you know, that that's a that's a good um stat. But I'm gonna bring up, and you're probably gonna say this, but we we were looking at where that ranked in the SEC. Right. That was only number six. We're we're only six in SEC, but those are hard. I find that hard to believe. I I know, I know.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

But that's an Right. But again, that you are taking care of business if you were if you have that kind of rushing threat. Right. And then you just couple it with Trinidad and the passing game, and it's it's a situation. But uh amazing. Now, you know, here's a little bit of a worrisome stat uh, I think, to to just for us to take note of. It's something that we are used to at Ole Miss, but you know, time of possession, um, our time of possession was only um you know, seven hours and ten minutes for the whole season. For the season, yeah. Right? That's a little low. But our third down conversion percentage, and this is where you know rushing really makes a big difference. If you're rushing well on first and second down, your third down conversion, whether it's a pass or a rush, should be high, right? It should be positive 40%. Right and ours was 43%, which I don't I can't go back historically, but third downs have been a major problem for the Ole Miss Rebels historically. Right. Um, and so it just speaks to that first and second down, you know, getting manageable yards for that third down. Um unbelievable uh just individual effort by Kewan Lacey, 306 carries. Yes, 5.1 yards per carry average and 24 touchdowns. He is de facto the number one running back in the country right now.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

He is. So hey, so uh we'll talk a little bit more in depth, like I said, about Kewan, but but uh and you may have this in front of you, but I'm I'm looking at this too. Our number two rushing is Trinidad. So let's go with uh so Lacey had uh 306, Trinidad had 133. Okay. All right, so Lacey's average yards per carry is 5.1. Trinidad was 4.0. And so it tried it Lacey had 24 touchdowns. Trinidad had eight had eight.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

What a way to tease that out. Oh my gosh. What a way to tease that out, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Of course, then you have digs. We talked a little bit about digs. Uh and I I'm not trying to take that away from you. You got that in front of you?

SPEAKER_01 6:48

No, yeah, of course, but I think it's important what you just teased out. It's like we're we're talking about the running back room, but you better mention the second leading rusher on the team, which is Trinidad. Exactly. Just what a what a lethal.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

And we did a we did a whole segment. That so if you didn't hear uh episode three, we talked about Trinidad. Mostly about his um uh uh uh about the injunction and the and the trial and all that. Of course, now we we I don't want to get back into him because that's not what we're talking about this time.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

It's not but now we're dealing with the appeal.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

That's right, that's right, dealing with the appeal. Hopefully that'll come out soon. But um anyway, so what uh where I was going with that is just go back and listen to episode two and three. I think no, no, not two, so one and three, one and three, two was more about uh LSU, but it's gonna be hard to find an episode that Trinidad's not discussed. Right, right. But so you better listen to them all. That's right. That's right. So Trinidad obviously um but but man, I mean, he couldn't do it without Lacey. Uh and so No.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Um and look, Logan Diggs, you when you look at the statistics, 33 carries, 189 rushing yards. I mean, it's a 5.7 yards per carry average, a zero touchdowns. But when Logan Diggs came in, he did his job. Right. And he looked, he looks, um, you know, sometimes you just uh uh a running back has that look of a you know, just I'm gonna be able to get some yards, and he has that look. He has the he has the tools, um, and I definitely think that he's gonna be contributing more. Um, I I I just think Logan Diggs is a good running back.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Oh, I I think so too. Um so let's let's talk about his stats real quick, just uh since I've got them sitting right here since I was reading them. So uh Diggs had uh 33 carries.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Um that doesn't include his playoff carries. Now, because Keon sat some in the playoffs, and so Logan really did do a great job.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Well, and I'm looking here too, the average he he had actually a better average because he had 5.7 yards per carry. So he's a little bit more, but he didn't have as near as many ones.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Yeah, he had 10% of the um makeup. Yeah, 10% of the carries.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

That's right, and and four touchdowns. Of course, we have a we have a few more uh sprinkled out. But those those three, those are our top three. That's Lacey and then Trinidad and then Diggs. Yeah. But uh, but yeah, that's so so that uh that that kind of rounds out where we are. Um what else you want to talk about?

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Well, I mean, I think the most important thing for us is as far as looking at it is you know, we had two two things are important. One, third down conversions above 40 percent. Anytime your third down conversions are above 40 percent, you got a chance to win the ball game. Uh also our red zone percentage, um, and if you take away Kiffin's fourth downs and and not punting in certain situations, as far as rushing goes, we did well inside the inside the red zone.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

Yes, we did. Yeah, so you said you brought that up 60%. That's I mean, that's really good. 60% conversions in the red zone. That's that's really good. I don't know where that uh do you have that stuff? I don't know where we where we ranked, but um I don't have where we ranked. Okay. So that's uh but that's good, uh 60%. Um and we talked about the third um third down conversions. Um even fourth down conversions, uh third, third and fourth down conversions.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

Well your fourth down conversions were right at sixty-seven percent. Okay. I I think what's not telling and it's like any statistic, right? What's not telling about or where where were those 33 percent that you didn't get right fourth down conversion. Then and sometimes those tell more of the story of the game than the actual fourth down conversion itself. And and that's the truth for us in our one loss during the 2025 regular season uh against the Georgia Bulldogs. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

What what a season we had.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

Right I know, I mean, and it just doesn't get old, doesn't it? No, it doesn't. It doesn't.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

I mean, it's it I I'm really excited to see what this new season is gonna be. Um and we'll get to that in our next segment. But but I'm excited about to get to talk about 2026 and what our running back run is gonna be. But but to kind of close out 2025 or to to continue on with 2025. Um do you think we do you think physically we we were?

SPEAKER_01 11:00

I was gonna say I was I was I was seeing that all right. Well I would say that's an area we need to improve in. The physicality of it? Okay. Physically.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Can you can you you mind elaborating a little bit more? Yes. So nothing like putting you on the spot.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Let's take the Georgia game.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Right.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

Okay. And I'm not talking about the sugar ball. I'm talking about the regular. We completely got I I don't know how to say it properly, outphysical, the physicality of the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter. We didn't rise to it. And I think it was more of a defensive issue. Yeah. Um, because the protection in and of itself, I mean, Trinidad was sacked like three times a year. Now, that's because of Trinidad. Yeah. And not like not taking anything away from the offensive line because in in all large parts they they did a great job because they also opened up these holes for Kiwan. Um, but physically, I think there were times that we had problems in the trenches. And I don't think that should be, you know, we got out-physicled in the Miami game. Um I think that we hung toe-to-toe in the sugar bowl uh in the in the college football playoffs with Georgia. But the other teams, we just ran over them. I don't know that we out-physicled them. And when I say ran over them, we just dominated the game either by schematically or out out-athleticized them. But just hard nose physicality, we saw flashes of it, but I do think that that's an area that needs improvement to get over the hump. And I think Pete Golding is the right coach to bring that. Yeah, I think so too.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

I think uh I I feel like uh what you just said, um, and we talked about this in a couple of other earlier episodes that the you've got to play 60 minutes. You've got to play 60 minutes. And for most of the season, we did. Georgia, obviously, we did not, but there were a couple other games too that we can state. Oh my goodness, that we could have lost that in the fourth quarter. Yeah. Um anyway, but but I don't want to rehash that. We've talked about that.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Well, and but look, we had this is something that we've got to face and something that we've got to deal with. But I mean, we had some one one score wins. Right. Right now, that's right. Where what I think was different versus the 2024 team, those one score games, a lot of times we lost them where we won one of them in 2025. So that's good, great, great for us. Right. Um, but as far as physically closing out games, I think that's an area that we can continue to improve. And I'm not talking about the games where we are just heavily favored. If we're favored by 21 points, I mean it's very hard to say we didn't outphysical the team. Right. I well, I'm talking about SEC play. You know, Florida, we could have we could have done better in that game. Um that was a crazy game. Right. I mean, there's a lot lie going on.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Um that's when Florida's gonna be a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

I think we I think we handled uh Mississippi State. I don't remember feeling threatened in that game at all.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

No. And that's always the one I'll talk we talked about again, a couple of episodes. We we kind of we kind of talk about things, but um Dang it, Trey, why'd you bring it up? No, it's fine. I was just gonna say that State's just not the team. Uh I we actually have, I know one listener that says uh you in particular, but I think both of us is like we just don't like Miss Mississippi State, do we?

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Do not. So what do you think? I mean, what is your take sort of on our physicality?

SPEAKER_00 14:35

I I agree. I agree with that a hundred percent what you said, that um we've got to tighten up. We we we won games and and we needed to win those games, but but to duplicate what we had this year for next year, we we have got to uh I mean that that the physical um uh what's the word? I I can't think of the word I'm looking for, but but I mean we've got to get in in those rooms, we've got to get on on the practice fields, we've got to we just gotta condition ourselves. Um that we we are are are taking on those those big defensive backs. We're taking on um since we're talking about running backs, so we're but we're able to to to beat those.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

Well let me ask you this question, because we are talking about the running backs. Right. And and this dovetails with the the physicality. Talk to me about your uh opinion or what you saw in key keywon lacey blocking.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

I think for the most part, Kewan does a good job blocking. Uh when when he does not have the ball and he is is trying to make a hole or trying to open the the the run for someone else or um uh or another wide receiver. Uh I mean he he I I think he does a great job. Uh I do think he does a great job blocking.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

I think you're 100% right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

Because that's what you that's what you got to do. You've got to have your tight ends, you've got to have your running backs, you've got to have them making holes, making ways, catching those those uh defensive guys as they're going so that your wide receivers can also make plays on the road.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Because you can have an all-world quarterback like Trinidad in the backfield. Oh, yeah. But he's got to have four seconds. Well, right. If he doesn't have four seconds, nothing's developed.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

That's right. I mean, how many times have we seen in college and in the pros where you've got an awesome quarterback and their offensive line just does nothing for them? It's it's a it's a whole team. It's got to be that whole offensive line.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

Um that's one thing I think you know, you bring it up and it's so important, is that key Kiwan Lacey's the full package.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

He he adopts um the blocking assignments as much as he as much as he takes his uh running assignments. I mean, he is the he is the he is a true team player full running back situation where I can't think of, or I can think of a couple, but most of the time we only talk about running back and the yards that they get. But how many yards are and almost we should keep up with the statistic, like they do in hockey, like assists. Yeah. You know, like an assist. How many assists did Keywan Lacey have?

unknown 17:03

Right.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

I I probably will not remember this because I can't remember what I did yesterday. I can't remember what I was supposed to do tomorrow. But I would love, I don't want to write it down in just a minute. Um, I would love to what you just said for this coming season for 2026. I would love for us to to keep up with how many times he's blocked someone to allow, you know, how many yards do we get off of from a another wide receiver, I mean from another running back or a wide receiver, tight end, whatever it may be. How many yards do we get from not just Kewan, but but from our uh our running backs on our offensive line? How many but it but it would be nice to break it down?

SPEAKER_01 17:36

Absolutely. It would be cool to see. And so to answer your question, physicality as a team, I think there's room for improvement. Physicality as a running back room, which would be predominantly represented by Kewan Lacey, it doesn't get any better.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Right, right. So 2025 ended up being a great year. Um, and again, we're we're looking at 2026. That'll be our next segment segment. Before we go into that segment, before we move off of 2025 and go into 2026, anything else you want to add for what we saw this year?

SPEAKER_01 18:08

I'm just holding my breath.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

For 2026. Yeah. All right. All right, we'll come back in just a second and we'll talk about 2026. All right, and we're back. This segment, as we promised, we are gonna talk about our 2026 running back room. I like, I like to look ahead. I do too. I mean, I'm excited about it after talking about what we did last year, what we're gonna do this year. So Trey and I were just talking as we were prepping for this, this segment at least. Uh, we we've got some we've got some good names and good good people coming in on this this 2026 year. Um so I'll jump right in. We we've been talking about Keywon. We're we're gonna talk about him more in depth in a minute.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

But I mean you're giving a whole segment to Keywine. I am. Well, uh it just depends.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

It depends on how much we talk about now. We we may not do a full segment on him, but um that's the way I had it laid out, but we we may end up only having two segments because we've talked about Keywine. I mean, he's just he he's the man when it comes to the to the running back.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Well then he is, and if you haven't listened to that um podcast that he did with Michael Irvin.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Oh, yeah, yeah. Man. So I wrote down uh I wrote down a minute ago while while we while you were talking about 2025. Uh so I'm gonna bring this up now. Well we we may not have a keywind. We're just gonna we're just gonna talk about keywind as we do it. All right, sure. So one of the things I loved about him is um it was in that in that podcast, in that segment that he uh that he did with Irvin was uh, you know, why why'd you come back to Ole Miss? Why why did you choose Ole Miss? He could have gone pretty much anywhere he wanted to. Right. Probably could have gotten any amount of money he really wanted. But he said uh he wanted to stay at Ole Miss because he liked what they started or what we started, what he said. He goes, I like what we started, we're gonna finish it. And uh I that just uh you we've talked about it before again, but loyalty, yeah, loyalty in this NIL and transfer world does not happen anymore.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

Well, you know, and you just you really got to know what's interesting is since Kiffin left, yeah, we've gotten to know Kewan Lacey a lot more.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

You know, when you you know we it's sometimes it's a little hard to understand when he's got his full grill in. Yeah, but he did not have it in on it in uh at on the Michael Irvin uh interview, and he was very specific that he loved Ole Miss um and wanted to finish what we started, and he believed in Pete Golding, and though he was offered more money to obviously go down to Baton Rouge and and uh others, it sounded like Texas too. Um he chose to stay at Ole Miss. Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

So I I I do like guys like him, and and uh same thing with Trinidad, same thing with several several of our players, and I'll get into I I think we need to do an episode uh on our defensive line too. Uh we've got some really good returners there too. So it won't be the next one because we'll talk about co our coaches in the next episode just a as a little teaser, yeah. So we'll talk about coaches in in the next episode, but then maybe the following episode we'll do a do a defensive line. But anyway, all that to say is there are several guys that um have really stepped up that were leaders on this team and are coming back um because they want to be at Ole Miss. They they love the culture, they love what we started. I and and again, not to not to belabor the the the thing, but but go ahead. You know, Kiffin was a great coach, but again, he was not a players coach. We have a player's coach, and and those players love Pete. Yeah, and so they're they're back, they love each other. I mean, that's the other thing too. So as you brought up, uh we we've learned a lot about Lacey, we've learned a lot about some of these other uh key players.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

So with with Lacey I mean, yeah, and just do yourself a favor go out. I think it's on Netflix, it's not uh normal podcasts, it's Netflix. Go to Netflix, pull up White uh White House on Michael Urban. A little shout out for Michael Urban from Saturday Means More. I know it's important to you.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

I know he I know he cares about our uh He he does, he just doesn't know who does our shout out But it was a great interview of um of of uh just a great young man that he is uh and and a lot of people are pulling for Keywand Lacey this year. But we have the de facto number one quarter uh running back the number one quarterback too, but we have the number one running back in the country.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Right. So oh go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

I was just gonna say, do you want to how do you want to yeah?

SPEAKER_00 22:38

So I was just gonna talk about we'll talk about him real quick. So uh since since so I think we're just gonna bypass his his segment and uh add a add another five minutes to this one. Well, I was gonna say we're we're gonna we've we're already at a good time now. So if we finish this out, we're we'll we'll be at a good we keeping it under our 45 minutes or 50 minutes, whatever. Okay. Um so anyway, just uh to talk about what we did last week, uh last segment, um, as you brought up uh Kewan had a hundred and I mean one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven yards, twenty-seven uh uh sorry, not twenty-seven. Well I forgot how many yards it was. I didn't include that too. I was gonna ask you, these stats are season stats. These don't include the playoffs, correct? That's right. These are season stats. 24 touchdowns. Uh and and and as we know, he's the projected leader in our running back room. He he I I I don't I can't see anybody taking that from him. Um I'm I'm sure we'll have some good leaders and we need we need some good leaders to step up because Kewan is is Kewan a senior this year? No. Oh, okay, so he'll he he could be back with us. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Okay, so well he could, but I mean realistically, he's gonna go to yeah, he's gonna this could be his draft year. Yeah. But you know, talking about Kewan, and as we start to kind of look into what does his support staff look like, because in order for us to get to the national championship game and win it. Right. Okay, what what are what are some of the things that are gonna have to be different? And one of them is some support around Kewan. I mean, 300 carries is a tremendous load. Right. Does it lie on your body? Um that was another interesting thing. If you don't listen to that Michael Irvin podcast, the very first thing that Kiwan did, um, they asked him, what did you do with your you know, your NIL money um when you first got it? And you know, probably expecting to hear something like, Well, I went and bought a Lamborghini or bought a house or bought a whatever. He said I retrofitted a room uh as a recovery room to take care of his body. Right. Because he realizes that that is his income stream. That's right. His business is his body.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

And and when you're talking about young 20-year-olds, you know, 22, 23, 24-year-olds thinking that um he's got either he's got probably a good agent, but he's he's got good support around at Ole Miss. Right. And and telling him that, hey, this this is this can be a career, but you've got to take care of yourself. And so for him to think that way being that young, um that's that says a lot. It does. So we talked a minute ago about 2025, you had Kewan, you had Trinidad, and you had Dix. And uh I mean that we had some other guys, and they're it some of those are returning. We'll talk about them in just a minute. But we've got to have some running backs like Keywan that Trinidad's gonna trust to give the ball, but they can but can make moves, can make plays. They've got to make plays. So uh let's talk about some of these guys we got coming in. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

Well, right off, I mean you gotta you gotta start with um I'm I'm not gonna I'm gonna I'm not gonna go in order. Yeah, no, no, no, no. No, I'm gonna go with JT Lindsay. Yeah, oh yeah. All right, so JT Lindsay is coming down from LSU. Uh was one of their high recruits. Um didn't do much this season. Didn't get much playtime. The truth is, who did at LSU? Um and so I'm excited about him. Uh he's a good uh I think you you know you you you correctly scouted this out to change a pace. Right, but that's a great little first or second down back, third down back. Um he's l he's got that slender sort of running back, fast twitch, running back speed, um, elite speed. I think he could he adds something to the offense.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

Absolutely. I'm excited to see what he's gonna do with us. Um, like you said, he was he was high recruited, highly recruited by LSU and um and chose to come to to Ole Mess this year. So I I'm excited to see see what he has. So we don't have I I pulled up his stats a minute ago and I didn't write them down. He didn't have much, obviously, because he didn't he didn't play much.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

But um it's just it's there's there's upside upside capacity with him.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Yeah, yeah. Anything else on him?

SPEAKER_01 26:51

I have nothing else on him.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

All right. Who do you want to go to next? You want me to take the next one?

SPEAKER_01 26:56

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 26:57

All right, I'm I'm gonna I will take uh Joshua Dye. Okay so he's coming from uh southern Utah. Now he did see a lot of playtime.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

Oh, that's another featured back.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Absolutely. I mean he had uh honestly, he had more yards than Kewan did. Now, obviously we're looking at a different division. Um but still he had more than 1,800 yards third last season. And so that I mean he he's coming in. I I think he and and and Lacey um working together. I I think we can see some really good good things with him. And and I'm not not discrediting Lindsay at all. Um I I I think uh you know, I I think we've got some um diversity. Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

It's it's how do you put these guys in great position? How do you protect their body? That's right. And how do you how do you have the juice to that fourth quarter juice? That's right. And part of it is is being able in the first, second, and third quarter is to mix it up a little.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

Exactly. You you've got you've got to move that ball around. I mean, key Kiwan showed us he can do it. He showed us in 2025 he can do that. But and and I think scouts will continue to see that. But in 2026, I would love to see um have three or four running backs that are all just powerhouses that are just um you know, give them the ball and they're gone. Um can can make plays, can break through the line, can can get down, get down the field. So I I I think he's gonna be one of those as well. So it's uh it's a home run ball.

SPEAKER_01 28:26

I mean, it's another home run ball.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

Absolutely. Because you're gonna you know we we know what Lacey's gonna do. We we have a great idea uh what we think Lindsay's gonna do. I think Dai's gonna be one of those. Yeah, like you said, give it give it to him on third down, fourth down to just to see what we can do. Yeah. Um so I'm I'm excited about him too.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

So I'll take the next one. Okay, yeah. Makai Fraser.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

All right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

All right, so let me let me give you a couple of statistics from Keywon Lacey at Missouri. Okay. Key won before he got to Ole Miss last year at Missouri. He had 23 carries for 104 yards and four and a half yards per carry. Okay. So Makkay's coming from the Michigan State, so this is a this is a Big Ten school. He had 520 yards. He's a powerback. He's an inside the five-yard line powerback. He's a third and three power back. He's a fourth and one power back. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

You're not abusing Keywon. Keywon Lacey's a home run ball, right? Joshua Dye can be a home run ball. JT Lindsay can be a home run ball. You're not using your home run balls to get those nasty yards. Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

So you feel like Fraser's gonna be the guy.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

I feel like Fraser's that guy. Yeah. I feel I feel like Fraser's that guy that Kiffen used um golly. Who was the um defensive line when we ran? Begisse. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

Oh, right. Oh, yeah, yeah. That that's what I'm talking about. He's your mayor, the mayor.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

The mayor, right? I mean, that was fun.

SPEAKER_00 30:07

That was, it was, yes.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

Not sustainable. And so um that's Mikai.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Yeah, yeah. So you think you know, I haven't looked at him how what his what his uh build is, but I was just thinking JJ, JJ Pakise, right? When that was the name? Yeah. JJ Pakise. Anyway, yeah, yeah, but anyway, yeah, we thought we're taking the big package, yeah. But uh yeah, I'd love to see that. That was fun. That is fun. It's fun to know that you've got somebody that can come in and get those those one or two yards that you've got to, or can get the big yards when the other team is not expecting it.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

You can get the yeah, and you get the the the clouds of dust, or you put them in the backfield and everybody keys on him. Yeah. Because it's like it's third, it's it's third and two, Makai's in, okay, line tightens up, everybody squeezes in, goes one-on-one on the outside, and yeah, yard.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

Right, exactly. Yeah, I I can see some, I I can see a lot of potential. Uh, I'm I'm excited. Uh, we got some guys that we'll just kind of run through their names. They've they've been on our team um and and I hope they see some play. Uh, because they're they're upperclassmen, so uh they've got another year or two to play. But you've got Mills Knight, you've got uh Acton coming back, you've got Trey Hall, got uh Dominique Thomas. Uh-huh. So I'm you know, still um yeah, I don't want to discredit them either. I don't know. I mean, obviously they would not be on the team if we didn't feel like they could do something.

SPEAKER_01 31:26

And they and they they contribute on special teams, they contribute on practice squad, uh and and they have seen some game action.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

Yeah, they have gotten some, they've got some plays and and gotten some uh gotten some yards, some attempts anyway.

SPEAKER_01 31:38

Um and you never know offseason people work. People work and they work on their skills. Show up in the spring and be a completely different player. That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

Um Okay, so our our incoming recruiting rankings, just real quick, we uh two 247 on the uh on three as we we talked about that.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Oh okay, incoming recruiting rankings.

SPEAKER_00 32:01

Oh no, I'm sorry, sorry, that's two different ones two for two forty-seven and on on three. What do I I didn't write that down? I'm sorry. Oh so 24-7, we were number two. Yeah, two forty. That's right, we were number two, and then no and and on on three we were lower down. Yeah, that's right. All right. Um anything else on that segment or on that section you want to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 32:21

I mean, schematically, I think you got like a little schematic question. I I think we just kind of touched on it a little bit, right?

SPEAKER_00 32:28

Where Oh, yeah, yeah, we did, we did.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

The more depth you have at running back and and and the types of runners that you have at running back, it gives you some schematic options. And I think we need that, right? Because as long as we're, you know, call it the uh you got the uh Steve Spray or fun and gun, you got the um air raid attack or however you want to do it, and and we kind of fall into some of that, but if the the running backs give you the ability to hone in uh an offense to be just lethal and have the distance to win the national championship. I don't think we have we can't win the national championship without a strong running back room. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

And I think we have that this year, and like you just said and kind of going into that a little bit more, um also our readiness with pass protection and ball security. And we've kind of touched on those already. I think with who we have, um uh the j just that whole process of of uh the the the blocking the the whole the the ball security um when they have it in their hands. Just uh we've kind of touched about that and I just had that written down, so I was bringing it up again. But go ahead. What you got?

SPEAKER_01 33:44

I got a little I got a question for you.

SPEAKER_00 33:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 33:47

And this is this is just for you now. This is just this is just the the Adam put me on the Adam take. All right, you ready? Hot take. It's your hot take. All right. So we've we've made some predictions on the I think every episode we do. Maybe my prediction should have been we're gonna win a Heisman trophy.

SPEAKER_00 34:12

Did we not?

SPEAKER_01 34:13

We did, but we completely gave it to Trinidad.

SPEAKER_00 34:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

What do you do about Kiwan Lacey?

SPEAKER_00 34:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

Is the depth of the running back room really take the Heisman away from Kiwan?

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Okay, that's where I was going a moment ago about having some great guys in that room that we know what Lacey can do. Um and a lot of those, I'm gonna get I'm gonna I'm gonna answer your question in a second, but I I want to preface this a little bit. So a lot of a lot of teams will have that one guy, and and we kind of had that one guy last year. Well, not really, because we still had trended at him, because he he he had just as many carries as or not as many, but but I mean he had a lot of carries too. But um so with that said, I I think when you add more running backs, it are I I okay, I'm gonna say this. I do think it takes away from from Lacey's uh I mean I think that's that's that's the right analysis because it's it's true. Right. But but here's my thing on that, and and and just going back to the to the Michael Irving um uh podcast or our um documentary or what whatever uh on on Keywan. I I don't know him personally, obviously, but I feel like he is a team player, and that's where this is coming from. Having a room of two or three or four monster running backs, that's better for the team. And I feel like Keywan is still gonna get a lot of touches. He's gonna get that ball. He's gonna get his uh he's gonna get 20 carries again. But I feel like he also sees the I think he sees the bigger picture.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

I don't think there's any question. Yeah, I think he sees the bigger bigger picture in college as winning the nanny. Right. But I also think he sees the bigger picture of playing on Sunday. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 36:00

And so I I think part of that, if I were if I were a a scout and I'm looking at players, not only am I looking at what they can do on the field with the ball, but how are they meshing with their player, with their team? Um I that's what I would want. I would want someone that is not a um not prideful, not has to have the ball every time, a ball hog, um, someone that is is willing to to spread the spread it out for the betterment of the team. Basically a selfless wide receiver and a driver. I feel like that's what he is is shown. Um I I think we have some really good players uh and him being one of them. I I think several of them have shown us in this postseason that uh through the season too, but postseason I think really has brought out these personalities a lot.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

These leaders is it and that's part of a leader. A leader is not the one that does it all. A leader is the one that is is proud and happy to to spread the love. And and and so yes, as I answered, I do think it takes him out of that Heisman running if if our running back room is just explodes and it's just we have some really great running backs.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

If it's as dynamic on paper, or if it's in if it it's as dynamic in reality as it potentially looks on paper, right? Then I don't think Kewan wins the Heisman trophy, though I do still think he'll be uh the top drafted running back, right? So at the end of the day, do you want the Heisman trophy or do you want to be the top drafted running back? If you only got one of those, what would you choose? Right.

SPEAKER_00 37:35

I I so I'd I definitely would go for a higher draft because that's more money, that puts more money in your pocket. Heisman does not. And and and I've said this in an episode before, I don't know where, and and I'm I'm gonna show my bias here. There are a few Heisman trophy winners that do okay in the NFL, but ultimately Heisman trophy winners do I don't remember which one it is, but it's the green one, I think. This one? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I mean it it's great to have on your mantle. It's great to say you got it. Sure. But is that gonna get you money for your career? Not necessarily. Um it may in the first, you know, uh sorry, not in the first, not you know, not in the first round, but in the draft it may do okay. But as time goes by. When was the last running back that got that Heisman trophy? I'd I'd have to do some research. I don't know. I don't know that off of my head. I'm sure somebody out there listening could say snap it and say, okay, this is so but how many of those are are uh again, you you have a couple of a few quarterbacks that have done really well. You've got a couple of other positions that have done really well with the Heisman and in the NFL, but but I just they're they're not usually the top ranked uh once once they get into a season or two in the NFL. Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

No, I I I agree with you. It's a it's a great thing. Look, and and we're gonna bring that Heisman to Oxford and we're gonna celebrate it. Right. Um I just think I think it's gonna be Keywan Lacey, but it could be. I mean, I think it's gonna be Trinidad. Okay, yeah, yeah. But it could be Keywan Lacey, is what I'm saying. He he's a Heisman, he he's Heisman worthy. I mean, he could easily be defined as the best player in college football this year.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

Oh, I'd say that too. Um and and honestly, I'd love to see one of them get it, but at least be in the room. Uh I'd like to see them in the room.

SPEAKER_01 39:31

And if they don't know, now that would be cool. Now that could be a prediction you you could lay out there, Adam Dungeon. Have two two of them in in in Times Square? Oh, that would be awesome.

SPEAKER_00 39:41

Uh when you asked that question, that was my that's exactly where I went was can we not have two two uh two guys in the running? I don't know. I'm sure Alabama has before.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

Yeah, I just don't know how the the selection committee wouldn't would do that. Uh especially, I mean, there's only so much old mess they're gonna handle. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 39:59

So I think we uh I think we've kind of summed up a great uh great episode. We've talked about our our running backs um from historical from this year, uh predictions for this coming year. We've talked a lot about Lacey because we we uh I mean uh he's the man when it comes to running backs. I like what he has. Um there's a couple of questions that I wrote down if we were gonna do a segment on Lacey, and I'm not gonna do a segment on Lacey, but let's let's kind of close out this this segment. So do anything you saw, I know you just watched that. The biggest thing I was gonna ask was what what do you how do you think he impacts the uh the the play calling in the red zone?

SPEAKER_01 40:36

Well, I mean, I think that if you look at our statistics uh that we were talking about earlier, the 67% inside the red zone. I mean, he's a huge part of that. He was a huge part of that. I I do think that I would prefer running Makai Frazier um on goal line versus Kiwan simply for preservation of body. Yeah. You know, preservation of of his body style. You know, Kiwan's at his best when he can, he's such a patient runner. That's something that we haven't talked about. I mean, if you watch him, he lets the he lets the hole develop. You know, so many guys just dig their cleats in and hit that hole just like it was called. And if it's if it's a if it's closed up three-fourths of the way, you know, they're going down with a two-yard gain. Right. You know, Kiwan will be very patient and let it sort of develop, or he lets another hole develop and he takes off. That's where he he really shines because he's he's super fast. He he go he's one of those, he can go from like zero to sixty real quick, burst speed. It's not bruising, he's not a I mean, he's a tough player. I mean, no bigger example of that than the third down play when he just got laid out at the uh at the first down marker but lunged forward in the Georgia game off of Trinidad's magic scramble. He's he's incredibly physical, he's an incredible blocker. Um, but to answer your question, I think he's the threat anytime he's in the backfield. So he he definitely gives you options in the red zone.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

Yeah. I think uh I think you're right. I mean, I don't really have anything to add to that because he's I I think with with Trinidad's play, Colin, Lacey there. I I think no matter who gets that ball, it doesn't have to be Lacey, but who gets that ball, I think he's he's gonna have a lot on that too.

SPEAKER_01 42:36

I mean let's just okay, let's just talk about that play. Let's talk about that one play where Trinidad scrambled, went off the off the off the screen, right? Right. And hung the ball up, Trinidad catches it. Um what was key why why did Kewan get open? Kiwan got open because he was coming back for his quarterback. That's right. Because he looked back and saw that Trinidad was 30 yards deep running through the back of the end zone. That's that's the kind of player he is.

SPEAKER_00 43:10

Well, I mean That was not the play call. No, it wasn't. And and and how many times so there were three plays in a row or two plays in a row right after that time. I mean, it was that one, it was the one right before, and the one after where Trinidad was in trouble. Right. Lacey was there. Right. And and and of course he was his target. Um, so yeah, that was uh yeah, I I I think uh I I think knowing you just just knowing where you are, knowing what's going on, and being proactive as well as retroactive um to to what the play is doing. And and obviously that's football, but but but he definitely has a good head on his shoulder and has that. And I think we'll have some good players doing that. Uh that will follow a suit. And I just like we talked about with um our quarterback room, um, I I think having Kiwan as as a good mentor and leader uh for these other guys is gonna be uh i it's just gonna be well ideal.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

You're a hundred percent right. I mean when your leadership uh has that kind of character and when you just take Trinidad uh on the offensive side and Trinidad and Kewan that's that's the leaders in your locker room. Man, there isn't a better leadership duo in college football in 2026. Right. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_00 44:22

I think I think uh I I think we have a a good thing this year. Um so what what you think? Anything else you want to add?

SPEAKER_01 44:34

I mean the only thing I would say is like what are you hearing you know there's been that that um press release uh the the the NCAA saying they're gonna hammer the tampering are you hearing anything about that and its effects on us?

SPEAKER_00 44:52

No I I no I haven't um I haven't really uh I I've heard it but I haven't dug into it.

SPEAKER_01 45:00

I have not I have not been it's one of those I'm kind of like I don't want to dig into it.

SPEAKER_00 45:06

Right. I I I think the NCAA is just is just hurting right now. They they they've they've got I mean we we talked about that in last I think it was last yeah yeah yeah we talked about last episode because we were talking about the Trinidad stuff but um I I think right now they're just trying to regain control um and and because I think they're losing control um in uh in so many aspects. But I mean i i uh are are are we gonna be the example why why old miss I mean there's other schools doing the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 45:40

Well I I only I look and I'm I'm not trying to throw throw shade I'm just saying you know we had the whole you know Dabbo gets up there and calls us out turns in all the stuff we get this thing comes out from the NCAA saying you know we're gonna punish tampering at the highest level and then you got Nick Saban sitting with the president this week you know you know basically yeah that kind that one kind of surprised me to be honest uh I mean I I kind of knew how Saban felt but but some of the things that came out of that I tell you what why don't we hold that okay we're gonna talk about coaches uh on next why don't we bring that up in our next episode okay um and so you shouldn't have asked me yeah you asked me if I had me think on my mind well so yeah let's bring that up I was just trying to be honest yeah I I think that'll be I think that'll go good with um I've got some I've got some thoughts on that one okay so I like that that'll be our next episode hey and just as you're listening like I said we're gonna put two out this this week uh since we missed last week and so we're gonna be recording this in just a few minutes and so you'll get to hear this real quick because we you're gonna get both these episodes uh tonight or tomorrow so yeah and so uh we'll uh we'll get that going anything else on our on our running back room anything else that you want to say on that just just super excited um love the depth yes me too I think uh I I think we I think we have a contending team this year I don't I don't think there's any question all right we're gonna we we already made these predictions with Trinidad but I'm gonna say are you review are you reviewing the predictions yeah yeah I'm gonna say we're we're we're we're gonna win the the SEC championship Okay we're gonna win the SEC championship Trinidad's gonna win the Heisman Trophy we're gonna have Heisman we are gonna make it to the national championship game we are going to have game day in Oxford for not only the LSU game on September 19th but also the Georgia game oh I th oh gosh yes this will be a repeat of next week I mean last year and do you think we'll get them again? I think we get them twice.

SPEAKER_00 47:49

That's the prediction so no no no I was just thinking so if if if they don't I know they will be there that's what I was going to say I know they will be there for LSU if they don't come for Georgia um do you think they would come for the it for the the first round of playoffs?

SPEAKER_01 48:05

Well I don't know if you count that the same because if our predictions are lining up we wouldn't have a home playoff game true yeah because we would so will they be at the yeah because we we would have they may very well be at the game we're a part of but it wouldn't be in Oxford the predictions got a hold on LSU and Georgia.

SPEAKER_00 48:27

Yeah you're right now I I I want to I want to win it out and and and and make it where we're not in that first round although that that was that was something special yeah if I my feelings wouldn't be hurt if we if we played first round but to do that that means we're gonna have to lose a game and I don't want to lose a game this year.

SPEAKER_01 48:46

Yeah I mean but again if your consolation prize for losing a game is a home playoff game I mean of worse things. I mean yeah we we lost one this year and there's the there's there's a argument that's made that that that first round really is important to the continuity of the season.

SPEAKER_00 49:05

And the rhythm of play you look at Indiana and they they did they had a great year but uh you look at those first two rounds and the in I forgot what oh I can do it real quick but it I won't do that real quick. But um but those that played in the first round and second round did yeah did better. And and I think that I I say this with well all the by teams lost except for Indiana. Right. And and I I think there's a lot to be said about that because you you keep that continuity of play and going. So do we need to lose a game? No but we're old missing so we might win all of our games and and the the selection committee might still say uh they don't get a bye if we win if we win if we win all of our games and win the SEC championship game yeah we would have a bye it's just no we would I know we would but I just know but again we're still we're still old missing so uh so I mean maybe you take the same ride we took this year. I I'm fine I'm okay with that. Do you want to alter prediction? No.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 50:06

No we're gonna leave it as is okay I'm gonna leave it as is you can leave yours as is all right let's uh let's close this one out and uh anything else on running backs all right so I hope you've enjoyed this this episode it's been Saturday means more our running back uh episode our running back uh running back room our running back review and preview that's right I'm excited about it um I think you get that we we we love old miss we we love what we've become over the last few years and this year was was something special and I think this coming year is going to be even better. Yep. All right so until next episode Hottie Toddy Hottie Toddy