Number 4 ranked Ole Miss just got absolutely torched 52-28 by No. 21 Florida on Saturday, and if head coach Pete Golding’s post-game comments are any indication, the Rebels are in for a serious wake-up call. Golding didn’t pull any punches, calling the loss an “old-fashioned butt whooping.” He even started wondering aloud if his squad had enough players with a “burning in your gut” to actually fix the mess they just made. That’s a tough question to ask after getting rolled like that. Ole Miss was already down 17-6 at halftime, but then Florida dropped a staggering 35 points in the second half, turning it into a complete blowout.
Defense Got Shredded, Offense Couldn’t Keep Up
This wasn’t just a bad game, it was a defensive nightmare. Golding’s defense was an open highway for Florida, giving up a shocking 498 total yards. The Gators ran wild, piling up 302 rushing yards and averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. You simply can’t win when you’re letting teams run over you like that. The Rebels’ offense put up 426 total yards themselves, which sounds decent, but it was nowhere near enough to keep pace with Florida’s explosion. They coughed up two turnovers and converted just four of 11 third-down opportunities. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had some flashes, going 25-of-34 for 298 yards and one touchdown through the air, plus two more scores on the ground, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Florida, and he threw one interception.
Golding Won’t Let Them Forget This Taste
Coming into this game, Ole Miss had serious momentum, dropping 82 combined points on Louisville and Charlotte to kick off the season and then making a statement with a 32-24 victory against LSU on September 19. That makes this crushing defeat even tougher to swallow. But Golding isn’t letting his team off the hook. “I don’t want them to get this taste out of their mouth,” he said, recalling how he never got over last year’s CFP semifinal loss to Miami. He thinks moving on too fast is part of the problem.
The Rebels have to fix this fast. Their next game is against Vanderbilt on October 10. If Golding’s squad can’t bring that “burning in your gut” attitude, that early-season momentum will be nothing but a distant memory.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
Leave a Reply