Ole Miss has reached the point in the season where the conversation around its secondary stops being about potential and starts being about answers.
The Rebels have already shown both sides of the coin through four games. They were gashed in the opener against Louisville, looked much cleaner in wins over Charlotte and LSU, then got knocked back hard in a 52-28 loss to Florida.
With the schedule only getting tougher from here, the back end has become one of the biggest swing factors in whether No. 9 Ole Miss can keep moving toward a playoff berth.
The early numbers tell the story in pieces. Against Louisville, Ole Miss gave up more than 300 passing yards to Lincoln Kienholz, who was making his first start since high school after riding the bench at Ohio State.
That was the low point. But the Rebels also showed real progress in the middle stretch, especially against LSU, when the secondary helped drive the win by holding Sam Leavitt under 160 passing yards and limiting him to one passing touchdown.
Jaylon Braxton’s tipped interception for the game-winning takeaway was the kind of play the group had been searching for.
Health played a part in that turnaround. Safety Sharif Denson and cornerback Antonio Kite were able to get healthier after dealing with injury issues to open the season, and that gave the unit a better look.
Then came Florida.
Ole Miss entered that game sitting at No. 4 in the country after beating LSU, but the Gators quickly brought the Rebels back down to earth. Aaron Philo threw for nearly 200 yards and a touchdown while only attempting eight passes beyond the line of scrimmage. The secondary was not the only problem in the loss, but the 52-28 result still put a spotlight on the holes that remain.
Now the focus shifts to the bye week, and the fix starts with the transfer-heavy group that was supposed to give this defense a higher ceiling. Before the season, the talent on the roster drew comparisons from Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding to the Rebels’ strong 2024 defense. Golding has stuck with his approach of rotating defensive backs until he finds five dependable starters, but so far the answers have not fully surfaced.
Edwin Joseph Jr. and Joenel Aguero have drawn particular attention for slow starts. Joseph keeps flashing near plays without finishing them, while Aguero’s night against Florida ended with a late hit that turned into a targeting penalty and an ejection.
There have been bright spots, though. Antonio Kite, Jaylon Braxton and Jalyn Crawford have all played well, and Braxton’s interception against LSU stands out as one of the biggest individual plays of the season so far.
The margin for error is thin now. Ole Miss has already taken one loss and likely cannot afford more than one additional defeat if it wants to stay in the College Football Playoff picture. And the road ahead is not gentle, with Arch Manning, Gunner Stockton and Kamario Taylor still on the schedule.
If the Rebels want to avoid another Florida-style blowout, Golding has to settle on the right combination and keep it on the field. That could mean leaning harder on younger players like safety Ladarian Clardy instead of sticking with more established options such as Joseph and Aguero, who have been too inconsistent.
Linebacker Keaton Thomas recently took responsibility for the defense’s struggles. Somebody in the secondary is going to have to do the same before the mistakes pile up enough to bury Ole Miss’ 2026 season.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Running Back Room Faces Pressure Fans Can No Longer Ignore
A bye week after the loss to Florida gives Ole Miss a chance to take a hard look at a running back room that has quickly become one of the more intriguing parts of the roster. The Rebels went into the season with a wave of reinforcements at the position, adding transfers JT Lindsey, Makhi Frazier and Joshua Dye, while also bringing in recruit Shekai Mills-Knight, giving the coaching staff more bodies and more options than it had a year ago.
Now the challenge is sorting out how to use that depth with starter Kewan Lacy injured and the offense looking for a jolt. For a team trying to get back on track, the pause in the schedule could be useful if it leads to clearer answers about who can handle the load and who can help this offense become more consistent when the games start counting again. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A Trinidad Chambliss Problem It Must Fix Fast
Trinidad Chambliss put together the kind of night that can keep Ole Miss afloat, accounting for nearly 350 yards in a recent loss while throwing one touchdown and running for two more. Even in defeat, the Rebels got enough from Chambliss to see how dangerous he can be when the offense leans on his dual-threat ability, but the bigger picture is harder to ignore. Injuries have thinned the group around him, and the steady production Ole Miss needs from the rest of the offense has not shown up often enough.
Deuce Alexander remains one of the more important pieces in that effort at receiver, especially with Vanderbilt next on the schedule. The Rebels do not need Chambliss to be perfect, but they do need more of the burden spread around before SEC defenses can keep squeezing the same pressure points. If Ole Miss is going to get back on track, the answer has to come from more than one player carrying the entire load. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Fans Have A New SEC Quarterback Debate To Watch
Josh Pates latest SEC quarterback rankings gave Ole Miss plenty to chew on even after the Rebels recent loss, because Trinidad Chambliss stayed put at the top of the list. The analysts September 29 update continued to view Chambliss as the leagues most effective quarterback so far, a nod to the way he has carried the offense through the early part of the season and helped keep Ole Miss in the mix despite the setback.
Chambliss production helps explain the placement, with 102 completions on 144 attempts for 1,222 yards, along with eight touchdowns and three interceptions through four games. The ranking also adds a little extra edge to the SEC conversation for Mississippi State fans, since Kamario Taylor sits right behind him at No. 2 and Alabamas Keelon Russell is next at No. 3, setting up a quarterback debate that figures to keep moving as league play unfolds. [Read more 🡒]