Pete Golding isn’t treating Auburn like a team Ole Miss can breeze past, and his comments after the Rebels’ 34-27 loss to Texas made that plain.
Ole Miss dropped its second game of the season in Austin on Saturday night, but Golding’s focus quickly shifted to what comes next. With Auburn heading to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, he made it clear the Rebels understand how little margin for error remains in the SEC.
“I told them we control our own destiny, you know. So we got to go out, and we’ve got several really good teams we still got to play.
All we’re concerned about tomorrow is us, and then we’ll move on to Auburn on Monday. That’s a good football team that obviously already beat Georgia.
So we know it’s a tough slate, but I think it’s the right group," Golding said postgame.
He followed that with an even sharper reminder of the league’s reality.
“There’s not an undefeated team left in this league. So we control our own destiny.
You ain’t got no ‘my bads.’ We said all that and that’s what I said in the locker room.
You ain’t got no days off anymore. You know, that’s over.
So it’s not easy, week in and week out. But we got the right group.
We got the right type of guys. We got good players.
So we’re going to go to work and see what happens.”
Golding’s message carries extra weight because Auburn just beat Georgia on the road last weekend, even after falling 38-17 to LSU in Week 8. That loss didn’t change the way Ole Miss views the Tigers, and it certainly didn’t suggest the Rebels are taking them lightly.
The matchup also comes with a possible wrinkle for Ole Miss: Kewan Lacy may not be available. The star running back left against Texas with a shoulder injury on the same arm that had already bothered him and kept him out of the Florida game in Week 4.
Golding said he would have an update soon, but Lacy did not return after leaving the Texas game. Before exiting, he had 36 yards on 16 carries.
Trinidad Chambliss is expected to start against Auburn, but without Lacy, the Rebels may have to lean more heavily on the pass. Makhi Frazier will be another back for Auburn to track, along with a deep Ole Miss receiving group.
That puts the spotlight on Auburn’s defense, especially its pass rush and secondary. DJ Durkin, facing his former employer, will have the biggest job on the night: make Chambliss uncomfortable, take away the deep ball, and force the Rebels to win in other ways. Auburn’s safeties should help with the vertical passing game, but the front seven has to do its part against one of the game’s best playmakers at quarterback.
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DJ Durkin is already under a brighter spotlight because of Auburns defensive struggles, and this latest setback only adds to the pressure. The Tigers still have a strong recruiting class overall, but the loss gives fans another reason to keep watching how the staff handles the defense moving forward, especially with Tim Banks mentioned as a possible replacement if a change is made. [Read more 🡒]