Ole Miss’ secondary needed a calmer Saturday, and Charlotte gave them one.
It wasn’t perfect, and Pete Golding didn’t pretend it was, but it was at least a step away from the Louisville game that exposed a gigantic crack the Rebels had on the back end. The improvement was there, but the gap between where Ole Miss is and where it needs to be isn’t filled.
And with No. 7 LSU coming to town, that gap could become the entire storyline.
Golding saw progress when he turned on the film.
“I thought we made some strides in some things that we emphasized,” Golding said. “Some guys improved, but it still has to be consistent across the board regardless of who is in the game.”
That’s the sticking point. Ole Miss is playing a lot of bodies in the secondary right now. Some of that is by design. Some of it is because Antonio Kite and Shariff Denson were out. Either way, the rotation only works if the mistakes don’t repeat themselves.
“The frustrating thing for me is making the same mistake again, regardless of who is in there,” Golding said. “When you get something corrected the previous week… then it shows up in the game… and you still make the same mistake.”
That’s the part that has to change before LSU arrives. The Tigers don’t just punish mistakes. They turn them into explosives. They turn explosives into touchdowns. And they turn touchdowns into momentum that’s hard to stop.
In two games against Clemson and Louisiana Tech, LSU has produced 30 explosive plays through two games, including 17 on the ground and 13 through the air.
The good news for Ole Miss is that some players did take real steps forward.
“I think Ladarian Clardy did,” Golding said. “I thought he was physical at the point of attack. That was probably the most consistent he has been.”
Clardy wasn’t perfect, but he looked like a player who’s starting to figure out what SEC football demands. Up front, Golding liked what he saw from Jonathan Maldonado and Luke Ferrelli, two players who seem to be improving with every rep.
“He really flashed,” Golding said of Maldonado. “I thought Ferrelli played a better game.”
In the secondary, the youth movement continued. True freshman Dorian Barney got meaningful snaps and held his own. Landon Barnes got on the field, too, and while the penalties were frustrating, the effort wasn’t.
“It was also really good to get Dorian Barney in there,” Golding said. “Getting those young guys in and getting experience was important.”
That experience matters because Ole Miss expects to get help back this week.
Denson is trending toward playing. Kite is more of a question, but even limited availability would help stabilize the rotation. And while neither has played enough this season to guarantee a dramatic impact, both were expected to be major contributors.
Getting them back is good. Getting young players real snaps is good. Getting better is good.
But LSU is a different kind of test. It’s fast. It’s physical. It’s unforgiving. And it’s coming to Oxford at a moment when Ole Miss is still trying to tighten up the details.
The secondary took a step forward Saturday. It needs to take a bigger one this week.
