Now stars for No. 13 Mizzou, QB Simmons and WR Lee ready to face former teammates at No. 9 Ole Miss

There are probably few in the locker rooms of No. 13 Missouri and ninth-ranked Mississippi who are familiar with Wally Pipp, the New York Yankees slugger who famously lost his starting job to Lou Gehrig because of a headache, ultimately starting the Hall of Fame first baseman's streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

They know all about Austin Simmons' story , though.

They are one and the same.

Simmons outdueled then-Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss for the starting quarterback job at Ole Miss before last season, only to lose it when he got hurt in Week 2 against Kentucky. Chambliss took advantage of the opportunity and became a star , and Simmons was left backing him up — and, ultimately, looking for a new place to play this season.

That turned out to be Missouri, which was looking for a new starting QB. And while Chambliss has continued to lead the Rebels under new coach Pete Golding, Simmons has become a star in his own right for Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz.

On Saturday, the two will face off in Oxford, Mississippi, in one of college football's marquee matchups.

“I think the biggest thing is he's a tremendous teammate. He shows great leadership,” Drinkwitz said of Simmons, who has thrown for exactly 1 yard less than Chambliss this season, but with more touchdowns and fewer interceptions.

“You go from being the starting quarterback to being Wally Pipped — you have to be a great encourager,” Drinkwitz continued. “He prepared like he was a starter if he ever got his moment. I think that says a lot about who Austin is as a person, that he can find the emotional maturity to believe in himself, and also be a good leader and not make it about him.”

It won't be just about him anyway.

Shortly after Simmons transferred, wide receiver Cayden Lee followed him from Ole Miss to Missouri, in part because he wasn't sure who would be his QB there this season; only later did Chambliss win an injunction against the NCAA to play one more season.

“It's about to be fun. Seeing Cayden and Austin over there — seeing the success they have is cool,” Chambliss said following last week's win over Vanderbilt . “But yeah, it's going to be fun to play them and it's going to be weird to see them in different colors.”

That's just a part of college football these days, though. Players transfer so often that a teammate one day could be a rival the next.

Just in this matchup — along with Simmons and Lee — there's Tigers defensive back Chris Graves Jr., who spent three seasons at Ole Miss, and Rebels running back Kewan Lacy, who appeared in six games as a freshman at Missouri a couple of years ago.

“There's always going to be emotions. You have to have emotional consistency, and that's something we talk about,” Drinkwitz said. "It is going to be new for them. I think they're going to have to rely on their teammate who have gone through this before.

“I think it's really going to be more about this team, the brotherhood, going on the road and playing a top-10 opponent.”

Indeed, the game is crucial for each team's hopes of making the College Football Playoff.

The Tigers (5-1, 2-1 SEC) would be undefeated had they not blown a late lead at Mississippi State a couple of weeks ago, but they've bounced back to run roughshod over Florida and Texas A&M . Meanwhile, the Rebels (4-1, 2-1) have looked strong against just about everyone but the Gators, who beat them in the Swamp a couple of weeks ago.

Yet despite the heavy stakes, or even the way Simmons lost his starting job in Oxford, coaches and players on both sides of Saturday's showdown at Vaught Hemingway Stadium insist there is no lingering animosity, like there could be in such situations.

“They were unbelievable throughout the (transfer to Missouri) process," Golding insisted. “There's a lot of mutual respect there.”

Not just respect, but a profound sense of thankfulness.

“The biggest thing is to not make it bigger than it is. I think that's the most important thing,” Drinkwitz said. “You have great memories there. There were great things that happened there. For all intents and purposes, I think everybody left in a positive light on both sides. We talk about, ‘Enjoy the journey.’ That was part of the journey that made them who they are right now. I don't think there has to be more to it than that.”

AP freelance writer Chris Burrows in Oxford, Mississippi, contributed to this report.

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