Pete Golding Hints Ole Miss Could Make Personnel Changes During Bye Week

As Head Coach Pete Golding said it best, the Ole Miss Rebels got an "old-fashioned butt whooping." The Florida Gators trounced Ole Miss 52-28 on Saturday.

The Rebels' run defense was unacceptable. Florida finished with 302 rushing yards, held the ball for 36 minutes, and was 6-for-10 on third down. The Gators are talented, but Golding's team was underwhelming on Saturday.

Ole Miss enters its bye week, and it comes at a great time. Kewan Lacy gets another week to heal, and Golding can look into potential personnel changes.

Changes to the Defense?

Florida Gators wide receiver Vernell Brown III (1) stiff arms Mississippi Rebels defensive end Jordan Renaud. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Golding's defense should play much better, and the coaching staff could re-evaluate the defense during the bye week.

"I think there are points in time that you have to make decisions and there are points in time where you have to say I am not okay with that. That is not okay. That starts at the top for us," Golding said. "When we put some things on tape that we have to clean up and we are going to continue to get exposed as long as they are on tape."

"I think it is a good time for the bye week for us to really evaluate how we are going to do it. The guys that are doing it are doing it consistently enough. We have some guys to look at to play better football," Golding said. "I told our group that I love our group. I think they are wired the right way. But right now it is not a good enough product and that starts with me."

Saturday's performance could be a wake-up call. The defense's second-half issues have become a problem. Ole Miss survived Louisville's second-half offensive surge in the season opener and outlasted LSU in Week 3.

But they couldn't get past Florida. The Gators scored 35 second-half points and pulled away from the Rebels. Whether it's a personnel or a stamina issue remains to be seen, but Golding has to find answers soon.

Golding was gifted a talented offense led by Trinidad Chambliss and Lacy. They should carry their weight throughout the year. Golding is a defensive-minded coach. This should be his speciality. Instead, it's become the biggest problem.

The bye week allows Golding to oversee the defense entirely. The schedule doesn't get easier and these issues have to be resolved as soon as possible.

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