Lane Kiffin is Looking For Ole Miss Running Backs to 'Step Up' Saturday vs. Georgia

With running back Henry Parrish Jr. down with an injury, Lane Kiffin will be leaning on some different faces on Saturday.

Oct 26, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Ulysses Bentley IV (24) runs the ball during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss football faces a stiff challenge this week when they play host to the Georgia Bulldogs, and that test will be even tougher without starting running back Henry Parrish Jr.

Parrish went down with an injury in the first half of Saturday's game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, and while many Ole Miss fans have been clamoring for running back Ulysses Bentley IV to get more touches, they probably didn't want that to come at the expense of some much-needed depth in a position group that has struggled during SEC play.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was asked specifically about the running back room during media availability on Monday, and he acknowledged how big a deal Parrish's absence would be for the offense despite the group not putting up great rushing numbers as of late.

"We're going to need some guys to step up," Kiffin said. "That's a big loss for us. He'd done well this year with the ball and in protection, so it is what it is. People face injuries, and teams face adversity, and that room is facing it. Need guys to play well."

One player who surprisingly saw more carries in the second half against Arkansas was former transfer running back Domonique Thomas who rushed for 41 yards on 10 touches. Kiffin was asked if he expects Thomas to be a bigger part of the offensive game plan moving forward without Parrish in the mix, and he was noncommittal with his answer.

Still, it's a given that Ole Miss will need someone to step up in the coming weeks, whether that's Bentley, Thomas or someone else. It's also unclear when running back Logan Diggs could make his first appearance in an Ole Miss uniform after injury recovery has kept him off the field to this point in 2024.

"I don't know. [Thomas] did a good job when he went in there," Kiffin said. "He's a very consistent player. We're going to need that position to play well against a team that most people don't have success running the ball against."

The Rebels will face Georgia and its vaunted defense on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ABC.