Why Ole Miss Getting Tested ‘Came at the Right Time’ With LSU Looming

OXFORD | After Ole Miss secured its season-opening win against No. 24 Louisville in Nashville on Sunday, the immediate storyline became the Rebels’ critical defensive shortcomings.

From the results of the first half and how the game was flowing up until the start of the third quarter, it looked like it was going to be the Ole Miss offense that had plenty to sort through. In reality, when it mattered most, the Rebels’ offense awakened while their defense was largely dismantled. After allowing just two field goals in the first half, Ole Miss surrendered five scoring drives in seven defensive series.

Head coach, and defensive playcaller, Pete Golding was more than comfortable handling both duties, but pointed to execution being the biggest flaw on that side of the ball against Louisville.

“I definitely feel comfortable being both. I know it’s going to be week in and week out outcome oriented based on what the result looks like. But I think when you go back and watch the tape…the opportunities that were there — never once did I feel like I wasn’t prepared. Never once did I really feel like I wasn’t a step ahead. I felt very in the game and locked in,” Golding explained on Tuesday. “To be honest with you, it was probably the most comfortable that I had been of the four games and the flow of the game and calling the game and feeling a step ahead on a lot of things. We just didn’t execute it, which we gotta get that corrected.”

Despite the discouraging second half showing as far completing tackles, allowing big plays and creating no takeaways, Golding believes there was no better week to have the humbling half.

Ole Miss will get one more opportunity to put together a complete game before welcoming a top-10 LSU team — and circus-like atmosphere — to Oxford, when it hosts Charlotte on Saturday.

The opponent isn’t much of a factor of what can be cleaned up for Golding’s defense.

Back to the Basics

Sep 6, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Louisville Cardinals tight end Jaleel Skinner (88) makes a catch against the Mississippi Rebels during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think that was the best thing about what happened to be honest with you. Coming out of that tape it doesn’t matter if you’re playing Louisville or you’re playing Charlotte or you’re playing Delta State, if you call (Cover) Three Cloud and they don’t roll to Cloud, it’s going to be a touchdown. I don’t give a shit who you play,” Golding said. “That was the best thing about it on both sides — really all three phases. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, where we’re playing or when we’re playing — if we do that, you’re not going to like the outcome. I think this is the best week for that now.

They’re faceless, they’re nameless — doesn’t matter — this is about us regardless of who we’re playing. If we don’t get that corrected, we’re going to be playing some real guys coming forward that you’re not going to like (the result). I think it came at the right time because now we’re putting the focus back on us, attention to detail and training our eyes and focusing on block destruction and tackling and angles. All the things that came up in the game that had nothing to do based on call. I think it’s good timing.”

The Rebels’ first-year head coach admitted that it sometimes takes players to actually experience those breakdowns before they truly develop a sense of urgency to prevent them. Even if it’s something the team prepares for in the days leading up to a game.

“I think a lot of these guys — you tell them and you show them and you walk through it to try to create it. But until it happens to them, sometimes that sense of urgency and understanding is not always there,” Golding added. “Most busts from a defensive standpoint is strictly a lack of communication. That was the stress to me in the team meeting this morning. Nobody goes into a game ‘Hey, I’m going to screw this up’. But like Monday through Friday, where was the attention to detail in the meeting and in the walk through? That’s the problem that I’ve had with some of these guys coming along.

It’s funny in a walk through, but that shit ain’t funny on Saturday or Sunday night (when) it costs you the game….It’s for sure a lack of communication more than anything. Not changing a call or not doing anything like that, but ‘Alright, it’s an open book test. You’re standing beside three other people. 10 of the 11 are doing everything right, you’re not. What are we doing?’. I think it’s just a lack of sense of urgency and attention to detail that we gotta do a better job of as coaches.”

Ole Miss currently sits as a near 50-point favorite over Charlotte for Week 2.

Within an excepted win, what does Golding hope to see or learn from his team? Well, the complete game Ole Miss couldn’t put together in its Week 1 win.

“I think execution at a consistent basis. Right now it’s about guys getting lined up right, seeing their keys, snapping to their secondary key and doing their job,” he said following Tuesday’s practice. “We’re not asking them to do too much in their press and do somebody else’s job, so the consistency within that — obviously polishing the ball carrier. Not creating takeaways on defense is one thing, another thing of not putting it on tape and having violent shots at the football, which I didn’t feel like we did on a consistent basis.

The situations of the tackling is really something we gotta clean up this week, but hopefully they got a little chip on their shoulder. Obviously the narrative has changed, which is a beautiful thing for them because they read what y’all write. I said ‘Okay, go ahead and read the first half compared to the second half if you’re on offense or if you’re JDB. Read the first half compared to the second half if you’re on a defense’, that’s going to change.”

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