No. 9 Ole Miss took care of Charlotte 41-9 on Saturday night, but the postgame conversation in Oxford kept circling back to the same theme: there’s still plenty to clean up before LSU arrives.
Pete Golding liked the overall effort from his team, especially coming off a short week after last Sunday’s 41-38 win over No. 24 Louisville in Nashville.
What bothered him were the details. He pointed to second-half penalties that gave Charlotte extra life on drives and said the Rebels need to tighten things up and get more consistent on both sides of the ball.
Golding also said he was pleased with how Ole Miss limited explosive plays and how the team handled the quick turnaround. He thought the Rebels ran the ball effectively for most of the night, including late when Charlotte knew what was coming.
At the same time, he sounded frustrated with the secondary and said he still hasn’t settled on five defensive backs he can trust. Golding also provided health updates on safety Sharif Denson and cornerback Antonio Kite.
For quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, the performance was “solid, as a whole,” but far from finished. He said there’s “definitely room for improvement” and made clear he wants to sharpen his pocket presence. Even with the season still young, Chambliss said he wants those corrections to come “sooner rather than later.”
Chambliss also singled out wide receiver Caleb Cunningham, who caught six passes for 65 yards, and looked back on the one-year anniversary of his first start, a 41-35 win over Arkansas in Oxford last September. He also turned his attention forward to the next one: Ole Miss against former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin and No. 8 LSU in six days.
Nick Cull, who came up with a second-quarter interception, spoke about the week’s focus on cutting down mistakes and weighed in on the secondary’s play with the Southeastern Conference opener looming. He also said the atmosphere inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium stood out.
Horatio Fields said Ole Miss came out fast and tried to set an identity early. He also described his second-half touchdown catch, which came through smoke from fireworks, and said next weekend’s matchup with LSU is “what we want, what we're itching for,” adding that he believes the Rebels will be “ready.” Fields also said he was happy for fellow former Auburn Tiger Deuce Knight, who scored on a 7-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
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LSU Fans Are Facing A Brutal Price To See This Ole Miss Showdown
The buzz around Saturdays LSU trip to Oxford has already spilled well beyond the field, and the price of admission makes that clear. With two top-10 teams meeting at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and ESPNs College GameDay in town, the market for Ole Miss showdown has been pushed into another tier, with the cheapest available seats on SeatGeek sitting around $467 with fees.
For LSU fans, the sting only gets worse from there, since secondary-market listings show a median ticket price of $862. Add in Lane Kiffins return to Ole Miss as LSUs head coach and it is easy to see why this one has the feel of a marquee event, even before a snap is taken at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Sam Leavitt Just Became LSUs Biggest Concern At Ole Miss
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For Ole Miss, that makes the quarterback matchup one of the central story lines to watch. If Leavitt presses or gives the Rebels extra chances, it could tilt the game in a hurry, which is exactly why his decision-making is drawing so much attention before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fans Can't Ignore What Overshadowed This 2-0 Start
Ole Miss rolled to a 41-9 win over Charlotte and stretched its home winning streak to 13 straight, with Trinidad Chambliss, Deuce Knight and Kewan Lacy helping drive a performance that left the Rebels sitting at 2-0. Pete Golding had plenty to like about how his team handled business on the field, especially with the offense and defense both setting the tone in a routine-looking victory.
Still, the scene around the stadium carried a jarring distraction before kickoff, when a physical altercation broke out between two Ole Miss fans at a pregame tailgate and campus police had to step in. It was the kind of episode that cut against the celebratory feel of an early-season home game, and it ensured the afternoon would be remembered for more than just the final score. [Read more 🡒]