What Shekai-Mills Knight finally did to earn more carries for Ole Miss vs Auburn

OXFORD — It's hard to disguise intentions when deploying a player with the build of sophomore Ole Miss football running back Shekai Mills-Knight.That's part of what has limited his reps up to this point in his career. When Mills-Knight was in, Ole Miss coach Pete Golding needed him to be able to do more than run the ball.That changed Oct. 31 with star running back Kewan Lacy out. Mills-Knight was the leading rusher for the Rebels in the 45-15 win for No. 12 Ole Miss over Auburn Oct. 31."Playing without the football, understanding protections and route concepts and all the other things that you have to do," Golding said. "If you just trot a 6-foot-3, 235-pound kid out there they’re going to expect you to run."Mills-Knight proved himself as an every-down player vs Auburn.“Becoming an every-down player, especially at that position, there’s just so much more to it than just running the football," Golding said. "I think (running backs coach) Frank (Wilson) has done a really good job with him, and (offensive coordinator John David Baker) has had a really good plan for him."Mills-Knight got a career-high 16 rushes for 71 yards and one touchdown. His previous career high was six carries. Entering the day, he'd gotten only 12 career rushing attempts.Has it been tough being buried in the depth chart rotation behind Lacy? “I got to see how Kewan took off last year, that really inspired me," Mills-Knight said. "He’s a great dude. Always inspired me to be great every day. I took the things that he did and added it to my routine ... I just stayed prayed up. I know we have the best running back in the nation so it was just like watching greatness, so I wasn't too mad. Just stay ready.”Even with Lacy out, it's been Michigan State transfer running back Makhi Frazier getting more carries than Mills-Knight.Splitting time could be more even moving forward. Golding hinted before the game at wanting to get Mills-Knight more involved against the Tigers. Frazier rushed for 56 yards on 17 carries against the Tigers. He did not have a touchdown.“We just worked hard all week," Mills-Knight said. "It starts in Tuesday practice, just running hard and running behind my pads. Competing against. Really good defense. Working hard, whatever it takes.”Golding said he's "really proud" of Mills-Knight's development. Mills-Knight is from Montreal, Canada. He was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was ranked as the No. 6 running back in the class and the No. 2 player in Tennessee at Baylor School.Ole Miss linebacker Keaton Thomas said he's seen signs of Mills-Knight's breakout. While he was a backup, Mills-Knight played on the scout team. That means going up against Ole Miss' starting defense every week.Thomas said Mills-Knight was "running through jokers.""I feel like being on scout team playing against one of the best defenses from last year and this year made me ready," Mills-Knight said. "I stepped up, it really wasn’t too big (of a moment) for me”Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What Shekai-Mills Knight finally did to earn more carries for Ole Miss vs Auburn