RECAP: Rebels searching for consistency as conference play approaches

Ole Miss returned to Oxford and gave Rebel fans another reason to celebrate Saturday, extending its home winning streak to 13 straight games. But despite the victory, defensive coordinator Pete Golding says the Rebels have plenty to clean up through the first two weeks of the season.

“Right now, I think on both sides, it’s not the other side of the football; it’s us,” Golding said. “And that was the whole focus this week. It’s not about anybody else. It’s about us.”

Ole Miss scored on five of its first six drives against Charlotte, putting together a strong offensive start after struggling to find its rhythm early against Louisville the previous week. However, the first-team offense managed just seven more points after halftime, something quarterback Trinidad Chambliss knows the Rebels will need to improve on moving forward.

“I feel like we had a good start to the game, which we didn’t have last week versus Louisville,” Chambliss said. “I feel like we played solid as a whole, but I feel like there’s a lot that we can improve on and, like I said, execute better, have better detail. I’ve got to have better pocket presence. There’s just a lot that we’ve got to work on right now as an offense.”

Golding pointed to several areas that have prevented the Rebels from playing a complete game. After turnovers were an issue against Louisville, drops and missed blocks became problems against Charlotte.

Defensively, Ole Miss also has work to do. The Rebels allowed Charlotte to pick up 17 first downs after giving up 20 to Louisville in the season opener. Golding said the secondary, in particular, will need to improve if Ole Miss wants to continue winning against tougher competition. Safety Nick Cull acknowledged there is still plenty to correct.

“We made improvement from last week, but I feel like we still have a ton of work to go over, a lot of film to watch and just really buckle in this week,” Cull said. “I feel like we have some great athletes in the back end, so we can run with anybody. Definitely just small stuff. Things that we can fix for sure.”

For Golding, one of the biggest concerns is seeing the same mistakes happen repeatedly.

“I was super disappointed on the same play reoccurring,” Golding said. “You feel like you get on the sideline and you emphasize that, something you emphasized all week. So we’ve got to learn from other guys’ mistakes.”

Golding added that the defense has to be able to recognize and correct mistakes once they appear on film.

“When we see it and we see it on tape and we correct it, we’ve got to be able to fix it,” he said.

The Rebels will have a much bigger test next week. The players may insist it is just another game, but there is no ignoring the storyline surrounding the matchup. Former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin will return to Oxford with LSU, facing the program he led for six seasons.

Kiffin’s return sets the stage for a highly anticipated matchup at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where the Rebels will look to extend their home winning streak while proving they can eliminate the inconsistencies that have followed them through the first two weeks.