Ole Miss looks to put LSU loss in rearview mirror as Rebels use bye week to get better, prepare for Oklahoma

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) The No. 15 Ole Miss football team is on its first of two bye weeks as it prepares for a key home matchup next week with SEC newcomer Oklahoma.

Head coach Lane Kiffin held his Monday press conference to look back at last week’s defeat at LSU. Ulysses Bentley IV, JJ Pegues and Cayden Lee met with the media this week as well, which can be found below.

The Message

Ole Miss began the season as a College Football Playoff favorite but has stumbled twice in the early going, dropping a pair of heartbreakers, 20-17 to Kentucky and 29-26 in overtime at LSU. Kiffin spoke with his team Monday morning made sure they don’t let their current record define the remainder of the season.

“I just made sure they understood what was going on and to look at the whole season together and how close they are to being undefeated,” Kiffin said. “Very rarely are games down to the last play like both of ours have been, and we’ve been ahead by four points in both of them with the ball and a chance to go up by two scores and put the game away.”

A number of missed opportunities could have turned the tide in each of Ole Miss’ three-point defeats in SEC play. But it all boils down to finishing. The Rebels led nearly wire-to-wire in both of their losses—they’ve only trailed 2:25 of 420 minutes of game time this season.

“There’s a lot left to play for,” Kiffin said. “I told them they’re a really good team, we’re just not finishing like a great team would, or we’d be undefeated right now.”

Stay Ready

The highlight of the night in Ole Miss’ defeat in Baton Rouge was undoubtedly Ulysses Bentley’s 50-yard touchdown burst to put the Rebels ahead 10-0 in the second quarter, the first touchdown of the season for the senior.

“It felt great just to be back out there with those guys,” Bentley said. “I definitely showed a lot of emotion, I was excited but it was good. It felt great.”

Bentley finished with season-highs in yards (107) and carries (11). The Houston native averaged just over seven carries per game a year ago but entered last week with a season-high of six. Despite having limited opportunities thus far, Bentley stayed ready for when his number was called.

“I’ve just been preparing hard each and every week,” Bentley said. “Preparing with the O-Line, preparing with Jaxson and the other guys, making sure I’m on top of things and ready to go out there and make plays.”

Little Things

Ole Miss has certainly has options of all sizes in the running back room, including one key part-time member. Defensive tackle JJ Pegues has had at least one carry in five of Ole Miss’ seven games this season, including four rushing touchdowns, good for second on the team. It’s proving to be a critical role, but he doesn’t let it take away from his defensive outputs.

“I mainly focus on the defensive side,” Pegues said. “I just come in for some extra film and extra walkthroughs and the running backs and stuff like that. It’s not a big toll on me. It’s something I did in high school and did at Auburn, it’s just something I’m blessed to be able to do.”

Pegues is second among defensive linemen with 21 tackles on the year and leads the team with 7.5 tackles for loss. With Pegues playing a key role on other side of the as well, the Rebels have been one of the top defensive units in college football this season. Still, they’re looking for every possible area for improvement for the second half.

“Just get better. It was a tough loss. Our expectation was to win no matter what. We just have to look ourselves in the mirror and critique ourselves,” Pegues said. “Are you giving it your all of the team? Are you doing the little things? Just get back to the fundamental things. At the end of the day, the little things matter.”

Up Next

Ole Miss and Oklahoma kick off at 11:00 a.m. on October 26 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.