Ole Miss offensive lineman Ben Brown out for the season following surgery

Ole Miss offensive lineman Ben Brown sat out the Rebels’ 31-17 win over LSU on Saturday, which snapped his 40-game starting streak, the longest on the team.

Turns out, he’s played his last game in an Ole Miss uniform.

As confirmed by The Ole Miss Spirit earlier this afternoon, Brown had surgery Tuesday morning to repair a torn right bicep, ending his season. Brown later posted the news on his personal Instagram account.

“It is with great sadness that I must announce that I have played my last game as an Ole Miss Rebel,” Brown wrote. “I suffered a complete tear of my distal bicep tendon in the fourth quarter of the Tennessee game. I never imaged that my time as an Ole Miss football player would end so abruptly, and it causes me great pain not to be able to finish this amazing season alongside my brothers. Even so, God is good. I had surgery today and begin a long recovery process. Please keep me in your prayers for the road ahead.

“I will be forever grateful for the honor and privilege to don the Red and Blue to represent Ole Miss, the great state of Mississippi, my hometown of Vicksburg, and the St. Al Flashes! It has been a dream come true for me, and I have truly had the time of my life! Thank you to (former Ole Miss head) Coach (Matt) Luke for believing in an unproven boy from a tiny school. Thank you to all my coaches, teammates, trainers, managers, and support staff. I love you guys!

“Thank you to the best fans in the world for supporting me and being so gracious to me and my family. Your kind words, cards, and prayers over the last five seasons have meant more to us all than you will ever know. 

“Thank you so much to my Mama, Dad, sister Anna Ware, brother Bash, and all of my family. Your love and support for me has made me the man I am today. I love you so much. Papa and Papaw-I hope I made you as proud of me as I have always been of you!!

“Thank you to my beautiful fiancé Juliana and all of her family who have supported and loved me for the past two years! The best years are ahead for me with her by my side.

“Most of all, thanks be to God, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the One who holds my future in His hands. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”Jeremiah 29:11

“Hotty Toddy!”

Brown, a preseason All-SEC selection, has one year of eligibility remaining. However, he would be 25-years-old in 2022, all but assuring he’ll submit his name for entry in the NFL Draft upon the conclusion of the season.

The Ole Miss coaching staff had hoped Brown would attempt to play through the injury, an idea Brown was receptive to, but ultimately, in the best interest of his future playing career, he opted for surgery. 

The No. 10-ranked Rebels are 6-1 (3-1 SEC) overall and next travel to Auburn Oct. 30 for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN.

“It went really well,” Ole Miss right tackle Jeremy James said, when asked of how he felt the offensive line held up without Brown against LSU. “I think we communicated really smoothly. I don’t think we had any problems, really.

“(Cedric Melton and Jordan Rhodes) have done a great job. It’s huge having guys that can step into the lineup at any moment and keep the offense going. We have one of the best offenses in the country, and they’re keeping it rolling.”

Caleb Warren returned on Saturday from an ankle injury to replace Brown at right guard. He was noticeably hobbled, though, necessitating the move of starting center Orlando Umana to guard and reserve offensive lineman Bryce Ramsey to center midway through the game.

How Ole Miss fills out its front for Auburn remains to be seen.

“(The offensive line) was banged up,” second-year head coach Lane Kiffin said on Monday. “We had a lot of different scenarios going in there. In big parts of the game, you’ve got a guard that got here from South Carolina (Rhodes) in the middle of camp and a center that got here from Utah (Umana) a couple of days before camp. Credit to them. 

“We mixed things up in there. We did not have Ben Brown for the game, which was very challenging for us, because he’s one of our best players and one of our best leaders. We just have to keep moving guys around. Our motto has kind of turned into, ‘Find a way to win.’ Whatever players are going where, whatever we’ve got to do.”

No. 18 Auburn (5-2, 2-1) is fresh off a 38-23 win at Arkansas. The Tigers sit third in the SEC West behind Alabama and Ole Miss, respectively. 

“(Auburn) is really athletic and physical,” James said. “Their edge guys, they get off the ball quickly. They’re gonna create some pressure, we’ve just got to do our jobs and use our technique.”