Ole Miss Practice Report | August 14: Rebel defense playing aggressively as players grow more familiar with Pete Golding’s system
OXFORD, Miss. — Another week of fall camp is underway for the Rebs as we inch closer to opening kickoff in the Vaught on September 2nd. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding continues the installation of his defense, and the players are getting more comfortable within the system.
A ‘Sip Made’ Mentality on Defense
As camp has rolled on, it has appeared to us that the defense has grown more aggressive each day. Golding’s bunch has definitely lit a fire under the Ole Miss offense during some of the scrimmages and drills, even without heavy contact.
At today’s practice, players were seen breaking off into groups that didn’t involve their normal position groups. Golding had his unit working on tackling, hitting and blitzing from all over.
From what we can ascertain, the defensive rotation appears to be shaking out — at least for now — as:
Defensive line: Cedric Johnson, J.J. Pegues and Jared Ivey. Zxavian Harris was with the ones as DT, while Joshua Harris was with the twos.
Linebacker: Suntarine Perkins took first team reps with Ashanti Cistrunk. Monty Montgomery and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste were at LB with the twos.
Secondary: First team on the back end consisted of Deantre Prince, Zamari Walton, John Saunders, Isheem Young and Trey Washington, while Teja Young, Deshawn Gaddie, Demarko Williams, Taylor Groves and Daijahn Anthony were in the secondary with the twos.
These players are aggressive and continue to push one another. Coach Golding commented last week on the mentality of his guys when it comes to learning and getting to work.
“I think that mentality goes a long way (being teachable and appreciative) and I think it carries over to defense. That spot-the-ball mentality, put the ball down, we’re gonna play, I don’t care if it’s the parking lot, the playoffs, it doesn’t matter. It’s just who we are. I think for a lot of guys that’s ingrained in them at an early age in this state.”
Pete Golding
Mississippi Mentality 😤#SipMade | #SipStayed pic.twitter.com/JFaV6UijDl
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 12, 2023
Players such as Young, Gaddie, Walton and Williams were working on blitzing and getting after the quarterbacks Monday. The DB blitz is something we saw a little of last year with Ladarius Tennison and Otis Reese, but it is new for some of the players who are just arriving.
Young, a transfer from FAU, spoke with media today about how he is fitting into the system at Ole Miss.
“My comfort level is pretty good in this defense. A lot of you guys probably know, at FAU we ran the same exact defense. Mike Stoops was our DC so this is the same exact defense. Him and Pete (Golding) run the same thing. Both of those guys have Alabama origins in their background; the only difference really is just like the terminology, but when it comes to scheme and technique it is the exact same…“
Safety Teja Young on fitting into the Ole Miss system
Young also discussed what Coach Golding expects from the defense, specifically his defensive backs.
“Coach Pete always tells us to play smart, fast and physical. So that’s the first thing we try to bring to the table as a collective DB unit and the next thing we try to bring to the table is doing our job and doing it well. If the ball is in the sky or we have to fit in a certain fit, that’s our job to be in that fit and there’s no excuses about it.”
Teja Young
Defense showed out 🦈#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/5MUgQB4cve
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 13, 2023
Preseason AP Rankings
Just last week Ole Miss was ranked 22nd nationally in the preseason Coaches Poll rankings. Today the Rebels were given that exact same spot in the preseason AP Top 25 rankings.
Alongside the Rebs in those rankings were Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Tulane, all of which are Rebel opponents this upcoming season. On the ESPN College Football Power Index, Ole Miss is ranked No. 1 for the hardest remaining strength of schedule.
AP Preseason Top 25 released, Ole Miss ranked No. 22. #HottyToddy https://t.co/eZiurnNeKG
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 14, 2023
Injury Report
The good news is for the first time in this year’s fall camp, Ole Miss Center Caleb Warren was a full go at Monday’s practice. Additionally, running back Matt Jones was also back in action after missing all of last week.
Some of the players who were in ‘non-contact’ jerseys last week continued to wear them today. That list consists of: WR Jordan Watkins, DB Jadon Canady, WR Rayf Vinson, WR Qua Davis and LB Skielar Mann.
Wide receiver Larry Simmons, safety Teja Young and running back Ulysses Bentley IV were able to participate but were not allowed full contact. Cornerback Deantre Prince who missed Saturday’s scrimmage following some dental work was back Monday and a full go.
Of interest, tight end Caden Prieskorn was wearing the black non-contact jersey Monday. Reports are that he is not injured, so that is additional good news.
We are all eagerly awaiting seeing wide receiver Zakhari Franklin able to participate. He had minor surgery (knee) a few weeks ago, but he is expected to return for the season-opener against Mercer if all goes as planned with his recovery.
This isn’t injury related, but the Rebels are still without linebacker Khari Coleman who has been suspended from team activities while he deals with legal issues following a charge of indecent exposure.
Up Next
The Rebels will continue to go through fall camp leading up to the start of the fall academic semester at Ole Miss. On September 2nd, the Rebel will host the Mercer Bears in the Vaught at 1 pm to kickoff the year.
Stay tuned at The Rebel Walk for all your fall camp coverage and other Ole Miss sports updates!
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
