Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding isn't overlooking Auburn after his team lost 34-27 to Texas in Austin on Saturday night, the Rebels' second defeat of the season. Golding understands that in the SEC this season, practically every team is dangerous.
That's especially true for a Tigers program that upset Georgia on the road last weekend. The 38-17 loss to LSU in Week 8 didn't change Golding's mind about Auburn. Golding still believes an upset is possible.
“I told them we control our own destiny, you know. So we got to go out, and we’ve got several really good teams we still got to play. All we’re concerned about tomorrow is us, and then we’ll move on to Auburn on Monday. That’s a good football team that obviously already beat Georgia. So we know it’s a tough slate, but I think it’s the right group," Golding said postgame.
“There’s not an undefeated team left in this league. So we control our own destiny. You ain’t got no ‘my bads.’ We said all that and that’s what I said in the locker room. You ain’t got no days off anymore. You know, that’s over. So it’s not easy, week in and week out. But we got the right group. We got the right type of guys. We got good players. So we’re going to go to work and see what happens.”
Though Golding guided Ole Miss to two victories in the CFP last year against Tulane and UGA, he won't make his first CFP as full-time head coach in his debut campaign with any losses in the next five weeks.
With the way Auburn just looked against LSU, it'd be a serious issue if the Rebels took that loss to Alex Golesh's squad on Halloween.
Ole Miss loses major piece vs. Texas who could've terrorized Auburn
While Ole Miss will have its starting quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, for the Auburn matchup at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, it's looking like the Rebels will be without star running back Kewan Lacy.
Lacy left the game with a shoulder injury on the same arm that's been bothering him and cost him the Florida game in Week 4. Golding said he'd have updates soon on Lacy's status. Lacy was being held in check against the Longhorns, amassing just 36 yards on 16 carries before leaving the game and not returning.
The Tigers will need to keep an eye on Makhi Frazier out of the backfield and keep tabs on a deep Ole Miss receiving corps still.
Without Lacy serving as a big-play threat on the ground, there may be more pressure on Chambliss to win the game with his arm, though.
Keeping a consistent pass rush on Chambliss and denying his deep balls will be DJ Durkin's biggest test against his former employer. Auburn's safety room should have the latter task handled. Hopefully, the defensive front is capable of handling its end of the bargain against one of the game's best playmakers behind center.
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