Defense Isn't The Only Glaring Issue For Ole Miss

While the defense is a major concern, the kickoff unit was also having trouble against the Gators

Florida running back London Montgomery (24) runs during the second half an NCAA football game against Mississippi at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 26, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss has been under a microscope after suffering a 52-28 blowout to Florida last week.

While the defense has been the main thing in focus on the slide, the kickoff unit also seriously struggled, allowing an average of 37.8 yards per kick return.

Special teams had been a strong suit for the Rebels entering Saturday's matchup, with the unit holding returners to an average of 17.75 yards per return.

That shattered on Saturday, with returns of 74 and 41 yards, both by running back London Montgomery.

A Complete Collapse

Sep 26, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels assistant special teams coach Chris Norris reviews a play with tight end Caleb Odom (4), kicker Lucas Carneiro (17), running back JT Lindsey (26) and teammates against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There doesn't seem to be one root cause for what happened to the coverage team on Saturday. Rather, it was a combination of failures. First and foremost, the tackling was poor across the board for Ole Miss. Gator ball carriers

were consistently breaking and slipping tackles, which was no different on kick returns. The second is that Lucas Carneiro simply had a bad day.

“I don’t think he was hitting the ball really cleanly on kickoffs,” head coach Pete Golding said in a postgame interview following the game on Saturday. While Carneiro is among the nation's best at kicker, a bad game is bound to happen. Unfortunately for the Rebels, it came at the worst possible time. Carneiro still holds a perfect 71-for-71 from last season to this year, so finding a way to get back on track on kickoffs is a perfect scenario for the bye week.

Tackling remains the main culprit, however. While Carneiro was kicking it short, the coverage team had plenty of opportunities to tackle London Montgomery and was simply unable to bring him down. Both the 74- and 41-yard kick returns gave Florida the ball in plus territory, and the Gators would score within five plays on both drives. An already struggling defense was presented with short fields, which Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner took full advantage of.

The Rebels also had not faced a return game like Florida's all season; they allowed just one return against LSU, none against Charlotte, and three against Louisville. Ole Miss simply hadn't been tested by an upper-tier return game, and it showed. The coverage team will have to seriously clean things up in the weeks to come, because the defense simply can't afford to be handed a short field to defend.

The Rebels have been punched in the mouth before and been able to respond, which makes this week and the bye both perfectly placed and absolutely vital to responding the right way come Vanderbilt on October 10th.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.