Monday starts a new week and Ole Miss is already starting to focus on Auburn and not last Saturday’s 34-27 loss to Texas.
As always, the week began with Rebels’ head coach Pete Golding’s weekly press conference. He talked about how the team responded to the loss and what needs to be fixed moving forward, but also provided an injury update to several players. One of those injured players was Kewan Lacy, who Golding said would not be playing this week.
Here’s everything Golding said Monday, including comments about Lacy’s injury.
Pete Golding, Head coach
On how Ole Miss responds to the Texas loss and prepares for Auburn…
Golding: Yeah, I mean, brought them in here yesterday, went through the tape, went through the good, bad and the ugly. My message to them was that there are a lot of things that we did really well on the tape that we’ve got to continue to build on. And then we went through everything as a team, and how it impacted the other phases. And so I think it was good. I think it was good for everybody, good for the players, good for the coaches and all that. And then today’s their day off, and then we go to work tomorrow.
On clarifying his postgame comments about there being no more days off…
Golding: No, I mean, obviously, legally they have to have a day off. So I kind of screwed it up in the postgame. Look, you still get Monday off. I’m not meaning that. I’m saying, like, hey, when you’re here within meetings, at practice and all that, we’ve got to focus. We’ve got to lock in. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing everything that we can control. So absolutely. I’ve been through enough of that, bro. They get a day off.
On Kewan Lacy’s injury and the offense’s slow starts this season…
Golding: Yeah, I mean, Kewan dislocated a shoulder in the game, so it wasn’t exactly what it was before. It was different. So with the combination of both of those, obviously he’s not going to play this week, and then we’re going to evaluate that moving forward, kind of what that looks like. So I know normally we wouldn’t tell you that, but there’s no chance that we’re going to try that at all this week. And so he’s still going through the rehab process. We’re still getting some MRIs and all that stuff. But it was definitely a different injury than what it was. As far as the slow starts, absolutely. We evaluate that every week. A big piece of that normally goes into, do you defer? Do you take the ball? Obviously, from our experiences, we try to learn and move forward. So Florida, we went into it and deferred for several reasons, trying to take the crowd out of it and all those types of things. It didn’t work out for us. So going into this environment, we knew it was going to be loud and all those types of things. Wanted to get six in the game early, so that’s why we took the ball in this one. But yeah, I mean, the only time that we’ve scored really on that first drive is from a Charlotte standpoint. And so there’s some things that we’ve definitely got to look at moving forward and got to execute better, especially early in games. So that’s being evaluated every week. But it’s not been one specific thing. I think whether we’re coming out from a play-concept standpoint, it’s always run, it’s always pass, just the execution and the timing early hasn’t been perfect. So it’s something we’re definitely evaluating.
On whether Ole Miss needs to adopt a playoff mentality for the remainder of the season…
Golding: You know, I mean, the thing around here, to be honest with you, we’ve done that every week. And I think that’s the big thing. I feel like players can see a difference to where, like, all right, hold on. You weren’t giving me your best before this as a coach, in the plan and holding me accountable and all those things. So I feel like we’ve created that here for a while now. I think a lot of these atmospheres have been very playoff-like. You’re going on the road versus really good football teams in really hostile environments. And our home games have always been elite crowds and great atmospheres and all those things. So I’m not naive enough to not think that they realize, all right, our backs are against the wall now. Let’s make sure that we’re doing everything that we possibly can based on what we can control, not pressing and all those things, to go out and play our best football. Because there’s been times on tape that we’ve done that in all three phases at the same time. There’s been times on tape that we haven’t, obviously. And so I think there was a lot of good to come out of how they responded in the second half. However, when you watch it and you’ve got it 24-24 at 10:21 on second-and-eight, and you’ve got a vice tackle in the hole that goes 60, there’s several things of why the end looked like it ended. And so I think a lot of them kind of hit them in the face a little bit last night. And that’s all of us. And it’s all of our job to do a better job moving forward.
On evaluating the offensive line’s performance against Texas without Terez Davis…
Golding: Yeah, I mean, I think if you look at it on paper, not giving up a sack, obviously coming out of there not giving up a sack on paper, you’re like, wow. But I think moving some pieces around, we weren’t real consistent in the run game of being able to move guys and create some holes. There were times that it looked really good and we created a couple of explosives, and then there were times that we didn’t. So it wasn’t perfect by any means. Then obviously, a couple of those series, Brycen’s out on top of it, and you’re reshuffling some things. So hopefully, Terez was a game-time decision. Didn’t feel like it was in his best interest and our best interest moving forward. Probably could have done it, but we didn’t know what it was going to look like after, and it could have made it worse. So that’s one definitely that we feel like throughout this week that we’ll get back for this weekend.
On when the coaching staff begins preparing for next season’s roster construction and player retention…
Golding: Yeah, I think daily. I mean, that’s part of obviously the general manager Austin’s job as well. But we have weekly reports based on retention and value of guys that you’ve invested in, and what’s their production and their performance look like up to this point. So that’s constant. That’s every week. I think a lot of those conversations with guys that have the ability to come back start earlier than they used to. We all know there’s other conversations going on, so we definitely want to stay ahead of the game. I think for sure, building elite programs, you’ve got to retain the best players that you have on your current roster. I think stability and systems help you do that. But there’s no point in stability and systems if you can’t keep the players in the system. So that’s day to day. But yeah, I mean, we’re already working on that, to be honest with you.
On Trinidad Chambliss’ reduced rushing production compared to last season…
Golding: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s a combination of several things. I think part of developing as a quarterback and as a passer is making sure I’m going through the progressions and things as well. Also, I think after having the year that he had, there’s different plans in place for him this year and how to control him in the pocket and how to have a spy for him. I think there’s some different coverage concepts that are keeping some eyes on him. But also, I think there’s some times where, all right, it’s not there. Man, let’s go be an athlete as well. So that’s been talked about. I think there were some opportunities within that game, especially late, where we’re getting some two-man and all those. And there’s a spy, but I mean, you can outrun him. So I think a lot of that is trying to develop at the position, right, and really do your job and not really be selfish. I’m not saying he was selfish last year, but there were a lot of times that the first three weren’t there last year, I’m gone, which is something that makes him who he is. And so I think you’ll see a little more of that moving forward.
On what the Texas game film revealed about Chambliss’ passing performance…
Golding: Yeah, I think it was a combination of several things. I think he missed some throws. I think some of the timing of the routes, some of those were choice concepts, especially that last drive where we kicked the field goal and all that. I mean, that’s a give-me-five option route into the boundary to get five. And he saw his defender inside, and the guy jumps out late and breaks inside because he thought he was outside. So a lot of them were just not on the same page. And that’s what I kind of said after. I don’t want to evaluate that without ever looking at it, because there’s a pressure component to that that makes guys drop their eyes. Some of them were tipped balls, although they did a really good job. They had eight knockdown balls that I think could have been some explosive plays. And then he was off on a couple, but I think a couple of them were on the receivers as well, of not reading the right coverage and breaking at the right depth and all those things. So it was really a combination of all 11. One time we read it right and they deflected it. One time we read the coverage as two-high, it’s really one-high and the receiver breaks the route the wrong way. So it was kind of a combination of not being on the same page consistently, to be honest with you.
On his assessment of Auburn’s offense and defense…
Golding: Yeah, obviously the offense runs through the quarterback. Dual-threat guy, leads the SEC in quarterback run game, so you’ve got to account for him on all base downs. Obviously, there’s quarterback-designed runs and then the ability to extend the play. Really strong arm. I mean, there’s one of those he throws about 75, 80 yards in the air, hits him in stride. So tempo, obviously we get to go against tempo every day, but that’s that system. They’re going to get their cleats on the ground really fast. They use all the grass horizontally, the spacing, the receiver split out of the ballpark, which creates a numbers issue. So you load the box, you’re going to create some one-on-ones outside. So with that being said, you’ve got to play man-to-man. You’ve got to have elite eye control, a lot of double patterns and things like that when you do play man. But the key to the drill, to me, is you’ve got to eliminate the quarterback run game. You’ve got to create some negative-yardage plays early to get them into obvious passing downs so you can change the picture and the coverage for him. So no different than every week in this league, to me, you’ve got to stop the run. I think there’s a little more quarterback-designed run than we’ve seen this year up to this point. And then defensively, I think Durkin’s always done a really, really good job everywhere he’s been. Obviously, a lot of familiarity with the system. I’ve gone against it several different times. So we’ll have to go back and see some things that he’s done versus us in the past and make sure we have a good plan of what he’s done, but also kind of what the current theme is versus the offense and some new wrinkles that they’re seeing week in and week out, and make sure we get it corrected.
On Edwin Joseph’s rehabilitation and potential availability against Auburn…
Golding: Yeah, I mean, he’s still fighting through it. He’s in there every day. Don’t feel great about it this week, to be honest with you. I’m not saying he’s not, but right now I would say I wouldn’t feel good about it. But Pat’s got him in there working every day. It’s taken a little longer than we wanted it to.
On Jaylon Braxton’s transition to safety and its impact on the secondary…
Golding: Yeah, I mean, I think a little bit. I think JB himself has played well, and I think that versatility has really helped us. Edwin, to me, has an elite skill set and a knack for the football, and that’s kind of why we started him at safety and moved him to corner. So I thought Jalyn Crawford coming in played his best game. Wasn’t perfect, but came in and played really well and is starting to show who we thought he was. But I think Jaylon Braxton’s done a really good job and created versatility for himself and for us. But we definitely miss that one.
On the running back rotation behind Kewan Lacy and Makhi Frazier’s performance against Texas…
Golding: Yeah, I think Makhi’s come in and played well. I think with Kewan being out this week, Shekai’s going to have a real opportunity this week as well. Obviously, JT’s still in the room that we’ve got to find some things for him to do. But I think between those three guys, and then Josh got in there and did some good things. And I think from a packaging standpoint, whether it’s protection or getting the ball in the backfield, I thought he did some really good things. So we’re going to need all those guys moving forward, to be honest with you, and do a good job in that room creating roles for them and allowing them to execute throughout the week so we can play better on Saturday.
On Will Echoles leaving the Texas game and managing the defensive line rotation…
Golding: Yeah, he went in and got an IV, so it was a dehydration issue. That kind of went into the thought process with the six-and-a-half-minute mark as well. Kind of through that drive, it was going to be four-down. We’re trying to get half, and then we decided to kick it because of kind of where we were at. We’d already played 74 snaps on defense at that point. That last drive, missed a couple of tackles. They went down and scored, so I was super concerned about it getting back to two possessions. So it was nothing about you’re still four points, one possession. That’s nothing to do with that. It’s what they’re going to do with the next drive, which they did. They went down there, kicked the field goal, and now you’re down 10, right, instead of it being a one-possession game. So a lot of that went into, to me, how we started to play up front and how we were fitting the run at the second level. And it’s different when he’s not in there. And we’ve got to do a better job of managing his early reps because we do have a lot of good players that we are rotating in there. I just kind of felt like we got in a rhythm in that third quarter and didn’t want to get out of it. And I think he went all out, and then we lost him there for a couple of drives. But he did come back, and he’s tough and he’s a competitor. But we’ve got to do a little better job from a consistent rotation standpoint up front to make sure we’re not losing our better players late in games.
On the importance of home-field advantage in the SEC…
Golding: I mean, so much. I think, number one, the routine of the week, the extra hours from a preparation standpoint that I think sometimes gets overlooked, not having to go on the road, all your meetings being in your facility, normal places and spaces and all those things. But the energy that’s created coming into a stadium, one, but how it affects critical downs, right? And then obviously we’re on a third down on offense and we’re good and it’s nice and quiet and we can communicate and get our stuff done. And then obviously when we’re on defense, the impact the crowd can make, and also from a momentum standpoint. I mean, once you start getting going and that crowd gets involved, it’s really hard to change that as a visitor. So it’s a huge piece of the game that I think, especially in this league, when it does start getting close from a talent standpoint, especially this year more than ever, being at home with an elite crowd that impacts the game is a huge advantage, which it has been here for a long time.
On the defense’s development and inconsistency through the first half of the season…
Golding: Yeah, I think it’s been very inconsistent. I think it’s been hit or miss, kind of like we’ve talked about. There’s been drives, there’s been games that we played extremely well and it’s what I thought it would be. And then there’s been a lot of times of disappointment, of things that when we needed to make a play and when we needed to leverage the football and we needed to get the guy on the ground, we didn’t. So we’ve been talking about this a long time, the consistency in performance to be an elite team in this league. And that’s something that we’ve yet to do, in my opinion, on that side of the ball consistently. So we got to where, like, OK, here’s Vandy, kind of what it looks like. All right, we get some guys in late in the game. We don’t finish it the right way. All right, they score on the last play of the game. I know it’s out of sight, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the mentality going into doing things right. Then you come back into Mizzou and you put it together for a game. And then my challenge to them was, from a back-to-back standpoint on the road versus an elite team, I thought we came out and didn’t play very well early, hurt ourselves with some mental errors and some missed tackles. I thought they responded great. I mean, that was the challenge at halftime. The challenge at halftime was make this a one-possession game going into the fourth quarter. That’s all I want you to do. But it was one play at a time, one drive at a time. We’re going to get this to a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, and then we’re going to go win it. And they did that. And a lot of it was because guys played extremely hard, made some plays, were very productive. You felt the energy. We were violent on the ball carrier. And then you fast-forward to that fourth quarter, there’s 121 of their rushing yards in the fourth quarter from the 10-and-a-half-minute mark on. It’s two plays, right, with vice tackles in the hole. And so I’m not mad that we missed the tackle. They’re not perfect. They’re going to miss tackles. It’s how we missed the tackle, and we didn’t miss the leverage side. And it’s those things that we go week in and week out and you drill it and you do it over and over and over. And so it was a come-to-Jesus last night, man. Like, you show me so many times, I’ve got to believe you, right? So it’s one thing if it’s not the right scheme. It’s one thing if we didn’t call the right thing. But you have a responsibility as well. So we’ve got to do a better job of making sure we’re putting the right guys in those situations at critical moments, right, so where, if the number is called, they have the ability to make the play. And I’m not telling you anything different that I didn’t tell them, right to their eyes last night. So it’s frustrating, to be honest with you, because they’re really talented. But you’re not going to beat elite teams on a consistent basis by doing that when it matters. And we haven’t been able to do that consistently.
On whether Kewan Lacy dislocated the same shoulder he previously injured…
Golding: Same shoulder.
