Pete Golding Doesn't Hold Back on Ole Miss Secondary Before LSU Game

The No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels are 2-0 after defeating Charlotte 41-9 in their home opener on Saturday night. Outside of two quarters, the offense has looked formidable and have scored 40+ points in both games.

However, the clearest deficiency has been the secondary. Pete Golding revamped that group by adding experienced transfers, but so far, the Rebels don't have an answer. The LSU Tigers have explosive playmakers, so Golding must find a solution quickly.

After Saturday's win, Golding didn't hold back on the secondary.

Golding Doesn't Like What He is Seeing

Mississippi Rebels Head Coach Pete Golding. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Rebels' secondary was susceptible to the big play on Saturday. It's become a recurring issue and Golding is tired of it.

"I think at times. Holding people scoreless in the first half is tough versus anybody. Eliminating the explosive plays — we had (surrendered) 12 explosive plays last week for 340 yards. I mean it’s hard to beat anybody that way and to beat a top-25 team, like that’s tough, you’re flirting with things (losses),” Golding said. “I thought we minimized them a little bit. I was super disappointed on the same play recurring, and you feel like you get on the sideline and you emphasize it, something emphasized all week."

Golding rotated multiple guys into the mix as he tried to find an answer. Ole Miss was without Sharif Denson and Antonio Kite, but the Rebels' head coach believes they're still searching for five in the backend.

"The attention to detail and the eye control and it being multiple people is the problem, so we’ve gotta learn from other guys’ mistakes. Mentioned this several times — everybody doesn’t get a ‘my bad’. When we see it on tape and we correct it, we gotta be able to fix it," Golding said. "We're going to continue to rotate guys and continue to find five in the backend..."

This week's assignment could be the toughest. LSU's offense got off to a roaring start in its season opener, and they have talented wide receivers. The Rebels must communicate better and keep everything in front of them.

The Tigers can put up points quickly, and Ole Miss doesn't want to play in another shootout. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt has thrown four interceptions this season, so a takeaway could be a confidence boost for the secondary.

Nick Cull has the lone interception this year. If the Rebels can create a key turnover and fix the backend issues, that should bode well for Golding's team this Saturday.

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