Already in the midst of a breakout, Deuce Alexander believes there's even more to his game
- Story byNortheast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
- Already in the midst of a breakout, Deuce Alexander believes there's even more to his game
OXFORD – Saturday's matchup at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium between No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 13 Missouri will feature two of college football's leading receivers. It just so happens they both played for the Rebels a year ago.
Missouri's Cayden Lee and Ole Miss senior Deuce Alexander rank ninth and 13th nationally in receiving yards per game at 102.7 and 100.6 yards, respectively. Lee spent his first three college seasons at Ole Miss, catching 106 passes for 1,623 yards. Alexander and Lee were teammates at Ole Miss in 2025 – along with Tigers starting quarterback Austin Simmons, who started the first two games for the Rebels last season before suffering an injury that opened up the door for Trinidad Chambliss to take over – setting up a homecoming of sorts in a matchup that already had its share of intrigue as one of three ranked-on-ranked matchups in the SEC this weekend.
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Meanwhile, Chambliss and Simmons are fourth and fifth in the SEC in passing yards, respectively. Alexander and Lee faced off once before in 2024 when they were at Wake Forest and Ole Miss, respectively.
Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 SEC) and Missouri (5-1, 2-1) kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
"It's going to be fun competing against those guys and guys I was around every day," Alexander said. " … Just being able to see them on the field doing their thing – even if at a different school – it's just a great feeling to be on the field with them."
Alexander has seamlessly stepped into his role as Ole Miss' top receiving option this year. After racking up 684 yards in 15 games last season – good for third on the team, just ahead of Lee's 635 yards – the Georgia native already has 503 yards through five games and a career-high five touchdown grabs, equaling his total through his first three college seasons. Alexander has five receptions on six passing targets of 20 or more yards and three touchdowns on such throws, according to Pro Football Focus. Alexander has five catches of 30 or more yards, which is tied for ninth nationally, per CFBStats. He is also one of 10 players nationally with multiple receptions of 60 or more yards.
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"I'm just glad this year I'm able to showcase my talents and just show the world and everybody what I can do," Alexander said. "And I'm not done yet. You haven't seen anything yet."
