No. 4 Ole Miss faces one of its toughest challenges of the season this week: moving on from LSU and not falling victim to a trap game at The Swamp in Gainesville, Fla.
The Rebels, fresh off an emotionally-charged 32-24 win against LSU, will head to Florida this Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The message this week will be not to overlook the Gators after winning the most anticipated and hyped match of the season.
That was Ole Miss coach Pete Golding’s message Monday when he spent more than 20 minutes talking to reporters inside the Manning Center. Here’s everything he said.
Pete Golding, Ole Miss head coach
On Kewan Lacy’s injury status…
He got an MRI yesterday morning, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought it was. He’s going through the rehab process right now, and we’ll monitor the reps throughout the week. It’ll be a game-time decision.
On Makhi Frazier’s status…
He got banged up last week during practice, so I had to minimize his reps throughout the week. J.T. had a lot of those banked reps, so he was the most ready to play.
On the running backs who stepped in after Lacy’s injury…
I thought they came in ready. Frank does a really good job with them, and those are guys who have had a lot of experience throughout camp. I thought J.T. came in, was really explosive and did a really nice job. Those guys have done a good job.
On how the team handled turning the page from LSU to Florida…
The first thing we do is go through the tape. We split up and go through it individually, then get together as units and then from a team standpoint. You’re going through the good, the bad and the ugly. There were a lot of good things they saw, and I think that will help build confidence moving forward. Then there are a lot of things we put on tape that we have to correct. That’s what Sundays are about here. They’re about the truth. We’re going to tell you what you did really well and what you didn’t do well, and that’s players and coaches. Then we go out and walk through it to correct it because we know we’re going to see it again. I think when they left, they understood we did some really good things and beat a good football team, but that was just the first SEC game we played. Now we’re going on the road against a Top 25 team and a really, really good football team. I think they understand that. They’re off today, and they’re going to read everything about themselves. We’ll restart tomorrow morning when they come back in.
On when he personally turned his attention to Florida…
Sunday morning. We had a bunch of recruits in, so Saturday night we got out of here late. Sunday morning, I did recruiting meetings until about lunch, threw that film on real quick and realized, “Here we go again.” We’re pretty used to that now. You’re playing really good competition, but in this league that’s expected week in and week out. I have a lot of respect for what John does. They’re doing a really good job and have really good players.
On what stands out about Florida’s offense under Buster Faulkner…
Number one, it’s the quarterback and how comfortable he’s playing, really managing the offense and making really good decisions. He reminds me of a coach’s kid on tape. He’s tough as nails, really smart and you can tell he has everybody calm down and relax. He has a really good demeanor. Obviously, the running back, who we’ve played against before, is an elite player and one of the best backs in the country. Buster’s versatility with personnel and offense, he has always done an unbelievable job of forming you, shifting and motioning to create matchups to run the football. He’s very innovative. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Buster. He’s a D-II guy like myself, and we go way back. They have a lot of talent on the perimeter as well. They’re a really talented football team that can run the football first and set up their play-action game. I think they have a really good screen package to get the ball on the perimeter and make you tackle in space. They’re playing really fast and really physical. When you look at Sumrall’s teams throughout his history, they play fast, physical and smart. He does a really good job. We definitely have our work cut out for us.
On where Ole Miss is as a team entering Week 4…
Week in and week out, we look at them independently. Getting into Week 4, it’s kind of about where you are from a health standpoint. We have some guys banged up that we need to get back. It has created opportunities for other guys to come in. Some have played well, some haven’t, and we really need this week to fine-tune that a little bit. But all in all, if you’re saying, “You’re going into Week 4 based on the schedule you had and you don’t have a loss,” you feel decent about it. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you. Are we where we want to be? No. What does that ever even look like? I don’t know where that comfort zone is. To me, in this profession, when you start getting comfortable, you start getting your ass beat. You want to recognize what they do well, tell them that and show them that. We’re very appreciative of the effort they put in and everything else. But it’s hard to win in this league on a consistent basis. The focus has to be, how do I improve as an individual? How do we improve collectively as a group, as a unit and then as a team? We’re far from perfect, and we’re not going to be perfect. But in a lot of these games on this schedule, you’re going to have to be at your best. Whatever that looks like, it isn’t perfect. There are several things on that LSU tape that could have gone the other way that they didn’t take advantage of. Those are the things we talk about week in and week out. You have to stop putting those things on tape because they’re going to have those opportunities this week, and they’re going to take advantage of them. Then it isn’t going to look the same at the end. I think that message was taken yesterday, but you kind of start all over with these guys every day. When they come back, you have to re-hit the message and refocus. I think they understand that if their attention to detail isn’t there and they don’t prepare and practice extremely hard, it’s tough to win in this league. I don’t care who you’re playing. My last memory of going to this place was being No. 14 in the country against a 5-5 football team and getting beat, much less them being a Top 25 team right now at their home place. They have an 80% win percentage there over the last 10 years. That’s a hard place to play. If they’re overlooking anybody and reading all their shit this week, there’s something wrong with them.
On having Sharif Denson and Antonio Kite back in the secondary…
I think you saw some of it. Obviously, both have experience. I thought Sharif did a really good job from a communication standpoint. I thought he tackled in space well. That was the big concern for me. I knew he understood it and had a lot of experience, but he hadn’t gotten a lot of live tackling reps against elite people after missing the first couple of games. I thought he did a really good job in space for the most part. I thought Kite, coming off the injury, played really well. He got a little banged up toward the end as well, but I felt like he came in there and gave us everything he had. I think we’re different with those two guys out there. I thought the other guys who came in from a rotational standpoint did well. I thought Squirrel came in and did well. Jaffe came in, communicated really well and did some good things. Nick Cole as well. When we can get five or six guys back there that we can rotate consistently, they stay fresh, communicate better and play better in space. That’s really important. It was really nice to have both of them back.
On what he expects from John Sumrall’s Florida team…
Like I said before, I have a lot of respect for John. I think he does an unbelievable job and does a really good job relating to and motivating his players. But I can’t compare this to Tulane, no disrespect to Tulane. This is a different roster with the same mentality, which is scary. On top of that, you have Buster Faulkner as the OC, who I think is one of the best in the country and does an unbelievable job. We’ve played against him before. They’ve done a really good job against the Georgias of the world and all those things. With all the alternative formations, shifts and motions, you’re going to see everything under the sun. Communication has to be on point. John and Buster believe in running the football, and they have a guy to do it. We have to stop the run and get them into obvious passing downs. Brad has done a great job defensively everywhere he has been, especially against this type of offense. You’re talking about another guy who was the DC at Kentucky when we got beat at home here and who has done a really good job in the past against this offense. They’re very sound, have two experienced coordinators, a really good head coach and good football players playing at home in this league. We know we have our work cut out for us. It’s going to be tough.
On how Florida’s run scheme compares with Louisville’s…
There are some similarities week in and week out. There’s probably a little more stretch generated with the bend-back component of this one and a little more split. They’re probably more gap-oriented than Louisville was, but there are a lot of similarities once you get to certain run games. There are zone schemes, stretch schemes and gap schemes. It’s just how they present it. It’s one thing when you have a stationary picture and you know the tells. It’s another when they start in FIB, shift to unbalanced, then motion and run the same play. It’s the same play, but to our guys it doesn’t look the same. That’s what this week is. It’s the circus, and you have to survive the circus to get the ball snapped and still be able to do your job. We have to do a really good job coaching our players this week, and we have to do a great job communicating.
On how the LSU win impacts recruiting…
Every recruit, based on the past experiences we’ve had, is like, “Yeah, you’ve had a great three-year run. You have new leadership and a new coordinator.” Everybody is looking at trajectory. They understand what you’ve done up to this point, but what are you going to do now? Obviously, it’s good to win a Top 10 matchup at home when those recruits are there and show them, “Hey, man, we’ve told you this place isn’t going anywhere.” It’s one thing to tell people that. It’s another for them to see it. The outcome couldn’t have been better for having a lot of really good recruits there against a good football team at home. The crowd, energy and atmosphere that were created were outstanding. There were a lot of conversations Sunday where recruits said, “Coach, I’ve never been to a game and felt that atmosphere before.” Hats off, like I talked about before, to our fans and students. It was an awesome atmosphere. But you have to do that week in and week out. They’re going to a different venue this week, and they’re going to look at the scoreboard this week. This is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business. That’s for our guys, for me and for all of us. We have to prepare really hard this week and put a good product on tape.
On Brad White’s defensive scheme…
They’re very, very sound in the back end. They’re multiple in coverage, with a lot of weak-side insert and some weak-hook things that affect the three player. There are a lot of odd structures in the front that make the ball go east and west. They leverage the ball really well, and his teams have always tackled really well in space. They’re very disciplined and have really good eye control, which is a big piece of stopping this type of offense as well. I think he does a really good job coaching his players. Coach Stoops, who we have here, was with him at his former stop. I have a lot of respect for what he does. It’s very sound. He has answers for everything, and they complement each other. I think he has always done a really, really good job.
On Tah’j Butler’s role at linebacker…
I love Tah’j. That’s why he has been a rotational piece since Game 1. I’ve told y’all from the very beginning that I feel like we have three starters at linebacker. We’re going to rotate them and see who has the hot hand and who plays more than the other. He’s tough, competitive and loves football. He works his butt off and prepares extremely hard. He has a quick trigger. I think he’s really instinctive. I think he’s a natural get-started-down plug blitzer. All three of those guys have to do a little better tackling in space with their angles. All three put some missed tackles on tape, tracking the hip and running the alley. But he’s like having another starter. Every week we grade it, and which two run out first is going to be based on who grades best that week. But I view him as a starter.
On LSU having receivers open at times…
You can watch any football game in the country and there are going to be open guys. There are certain things you’re designing to take away based on first looks. A couple of those were bunch concepts where there was a lack of communication and a lapse in coverage, absolutely. But the key for us is making sure they don’t throw it to the open guy. There are a lot of other things that go into that. On the goal line, where the guy was open, it was definitely a three-for-three concept. We were pressuring their quarterback, and it was a bust in the pass tool for sure.
On Jalyn Crawford, Makhi Frazier and Caleb Cunningham…
Caleb’s was more from a game-plan standpoint. That’s probably something, as coaches looking back at the flow of the game and where it was, that we wish we had over again, to be honest with you. I have to do a better job with that. For the other two, 100% it was based on the rep count throughout the week and actually getting the snaps needed for us to feel good that they could go in and play winning football. That’s the big piece with these guys. We have to get them back and get them kinesthetic reps at full speed with what we’re asking them to do. That was the same thing with Jalyn Crawford. It was tough to get him those reps based on what it was like for us to feel comfortable putting him in the game at that point. But Caleb, looking back, probably should have been more involved.
On Crawford’s development and turf toe injury…
He was in a really good spot early in camp, and then the turf toe became a real thing. That’s what it is, and it’s really tough at that position. If you can’t run and you play corner, you’re kind of a liability. I think it’s getting better. We’ll still monitor it through this week, and he’s going to practice tomorrow. We’ll take it day by day. I thought his development was improving throughout camp before this happened. He has always been a really good man player. Some of the combo coverages and things like that, he’s improving on daily. But he was in a good place before this occurred.
On whether his 2024 experience at Florida helps this week…
Other than knowing you can’t take them lightly, regardless, not really. Obviously, we’re the underdog going into the game, so I don’t know how you could take them lightly anyway. It’s more about the mindset. I think we had some guys on that team before who hadn’t played there. It’s a unique atmosphere. They do a really good job. It’s a hard place to play. I don’t think there’s anything independently for me. I knew going into that game that it was a hard place to play. We were No. 1 in the country. Alabama went over there and beat them by one possession, and it was a tough-ass game for them to do that as well. I know it’s a tough place to play. They have really good players. They’re rolling right now and playing confidently. If there’s anybody in this building overlooking this game, there’s something wrong with them. Hopefully, our guys understand that you don’t work this hard to put yourself in position and then not do what it takes. We’ll see. That’s why we practice. That’s why we coach. But I don’t think there’s anything from that game that I can go into the room and say I’m going to do more than I did before.
On Florida quarterback Aaron Philo…
Like I said, he has been really impressive from a management standpoint. He’s taking care of the football. He has an elite running back to hand it off to, but they have some real guys on the perimeter. Some of these receivers are playing really well. They’ve had a couple of really good players who have been banged up. Singletary hasn’t played since Week 1. He’s a real speed guy we actually played at Georgia Tech in 2023, and then he went to Auburn. He’s obviously familiar with Buster’s offense already. When you have a guy who has already played in that system, even if he was in a backup role the year before, there’s a really good understanding. Anytime you get a coordinator job in the SEC and bring your backup quarterback with you from where you were, you feel pretty good about him. I think that’s why you’re seeing what you see on tape. They do a good job up front. I think the tight end room is good as well and really athletic. They’re going to present a lot of problems offensively, and we’re going to have to play really well.
On what allows teams to turn things around quickly in modern college football…
Number one is the evaluation of talent, but also how you get it to come together. At the end of the day, the game is based on having really good players. But if you have really good players who don’t play together and don’t understand the scheme and what you’re trying to accomplish, then it isn’t going to matter either. I think it’s a combination, whether it’s through the portal or high school. In order to get a lot of really good players, sometimes financially it does take that to get them. But to me, it’s not always the ones you miss on. It’s the ones you take who can’t play. In this model now, the ones you’ve taken and invested in, and then you quote-unquote miss, you can look up and say, “All right, now what?” The evaluation piece is huge. It’s really easy to watch tape and see size, speed and all that. But how is the fit? How does he fit within your scheme? How does he fit within your locker room? How does the personality fit with the coach? There’s so much that goes into it. To me, it’s about making sure the guys you bring in fit your style and fit your locker room, and what that chemistry is like. That’s what I love about this group. They like playing with each other, they like playing for each other, they enjoy being around each other and they love football. We might not always be the most talented group on the field, but they play well together. They’re self-aware, they want to get coached extremely hard and they take coaching. Right now, that isn’t the case everywhere. I’m very thankful for their energy, attitude and body language and for how they want to get coached.
On the defense’s second-half performance against LSU…
What people fail to realize sometimes is that it’s hard to stop good offenses. When you have really good halves and do it for five of the first six drives, it’s hard to continue doing that. Everybody’s mindset is always that you go in at halftime and people create new offenses and new defenses. I love the comments afterward, “Man, those were unbelievable second-half adjustments.” We didn’t make one new call. We didn’t do shit. The guys executed the calls the way they were supposed to, and then everybody says it was great adjustments. Sometimes you have good first halves because they miss open opportunities, turn the football over or don’t execute. I was on our guys at halftime. I said, “Look, man, we sat here a week ago, like I told y’all the other day. How are we going to come out and respond?” We came out with a three-and-out, but we still gave up 17 points in the third quarter. We came out fast, but then we turned the football over and gave it to them on the 30. When you continue to give good offenses more opportunities with good field position, they’re going to score points. There was nothing looking back where it was like, “All right, now here’s an advantage. They got this signal and they’re taking care of this.” It wasn’t that. They executed and made a couple of plays. They made a heck of a play in the end zone. It was contested, and I’m good with that. There weren’t a lot of uncontested plays. There were two third downs where I was trying to get us out of something that I knew going in. It’s kind of like who has the chalk last. You can’t do that in somebody’s man plan, or you can try to do it with 10 of the 11 getting it and one guy doesn’t, and it might be a first down but not a touchdown. That happened on two third downs. We checked something, and a guy didn’t drop out to the spot where they hit it. But that didn’t lose you the game. There were a couple of those things that were on me for sure, in certain situations where I was trying to get us out of things that I probably shouldn’t have.
