Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee is ‘locked in’ as he and Rebels prepare for Georgia
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee talked with media Tuesday ahead of the much-anticipated matchup between the Rebels and the Georgia Bulldogs. The talented sophomore discussed his play throughout the season, the record-breaking performances by his teammates, and preparations for this coming Saturday.
When Lee arrived at Ole Miss a year ago, it didn’t take long for the Peach State native to show how much potential he had. From a couple of house-call touchdowns as a freshman, to 615 receiving yards as a sophomore thus far, Lee continues to improve week-by-week.
Monday, the Rebel playmaker commented on improving and the game slowing down in year two.
“I feel like I have always been locked in but just confidence-wise, I feel like my confidence has risen a little bit…I feel like as a freshman, the game was just really fast. When you grow and play a lot more, the game just starts to slow down, you start being able to read defenses and things like that.”
~ Lee on improving in year two
Lee is coming off of a game last Saturday in Arkansas where he tallied five grabs for 127 yards, the second-best performance in his career behind 132 yards on nine grabs a few weeks ago in Baton Rouge. However, Jordan Watkins and Jaxson Dart were the stars of the show in Fayetteville with record-breaking performances in their own right.
Lee was asked if he knew Watkins had that extra gear in him, one that helped Watkins notch a school-record 252 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.
“He’s done that since camp,” Lee said. “I expected nothing less from him and I’m really happy for him.”
Dart also had a career day against the Razorbacks, throwing for 515 yards and six touchdowns. On the season, he is completing 71.7 percent of his passes with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 21-3.
Rebel head coach Lane Kiffin says he felt Dart on Saturday against the Hogs may have been the most accurate he has been all year; Lee agreed, while also adding he believes his quarterback has been great all year.
“Yeah, but I feel like he has had a pretty good year all year. I feel like he took it to another level Saturday,” Lee commented.
The Rebels put up nearly 700 yards of total offense against the Razorbacks this past weekend. Big offensive stat games have become common in the Kiffin era in Oxford, but following up a performance such as that with a top-ranked opponent in your way is easier said than done. Lee commented on carrying that over heading into the matchup with Georgia.
“I feel like for us, it’s just all about us. Just not looking too much at who the opponent is, not looking at the logo, putting another dominant performance together and firing on all cylinders.”
~ Lee on carrying over the performance against Arkansas
Ole Miss has a handful of players that call the state of Georgia their home, 16 to be exact. Although Lee is from Kennesaw, Georgia, he says this will just be another game for him.
“Yea, you know I’m from the Peach State, but for me, it’s just another game. I don’t want to treat it any differently. I am not going to do anything different in my routine. I’m just locked in and going to keep doing the same thing I have been doing.”
~ Lee on playing Georgia
Game planning for the Georgia Bulldogs can be a tough task, however, Lee feels like the Rebel offense will be ready for one of the best defensive programs in the past five years.
“Georgia definitely has a really good defense; we just have to have to be dialed in and listening to what our coaches are telling us to do. Once we understand our game plan and watch a lot more film, I feel like we’ll have a really good plan.”
~ Lee on preparing for the Georgia defense
Up Next
The Rebels will continue their week of preparation ahead of this upcoming Saturday’s matchup against the Bulldogs in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. On Nov. 9 at 2:30 pm CT, the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels will take on the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on ABC.
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.
