How Pete Golding fixed Ole Miss defense vs Vanderbilt without changing anything

NASHVILLE — Ole Miss football coach Pete Golding isn’t pretending to have found a magical secret to explain his defense’s turnaround.

No. 11 Ole Miss beat Vanderbilt 52-17 on Oct. 10 at FirstBank Stadium. The Ole Miss defense was stifling. The Rebels (4-1, 2-1 SEC) forced four turnovers, got two stops on fourth down and pulled its starters in the second half when Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3 SEC) had scored only 10 points.

It was the best defensive performance of the season, and significantly different from Ole Miss’ last time out before its off week. On Sept. 16, Florida gashed the Rebels for 302 rushing yards and 52 points in a demoralizing beatdown. So what did Golding, Ole Miss’ defensive play caller, change over its open week to allow his team to be the one doing the demoralizing?

Nothing.

“There wasn’t one new call that we put in for this game that wasn’t already part of the system … I think the execution was a little better and I think we played harder,” Golding said. “I think we had some guys win one-on-ones. I think that’s the biggest thing on defense.”

The Rebels kept the defense the same. There wasn’t a cohort of new starters. But there was better tackling, and no blown coverages. The biggest gain Vanderbilt managed was a 34-yard completed pass.

“I think we had some guys who were half-in, half-out as far as being consistent on doing the little things right,” Golding said. “And it took getting embarrassed to be able to do it. We had several guys step up and do the right things.”

Golding said he loved how his players bought in. He challenged the defense to stew on the Florida game for two weeks. Ole Miss edge rusher Suntarine Perkins was eager to get past it.

“Pete’s been on us for two weeks,” Perkins said. “We came in here, came together. We knew what we were capable of. Knew what we were coming into. For us to come in here and get the job done, I am proud.”

Outside factors may have helped the Rebels bounce back.

Vanderbilt’s offense averaged 14.5 points in its first two SEC games. The weather vacillated between drizzle and rain for much of the game. Some of the turnovers were more primarily Vanderbilt’s self-inflicted wounds, such as a fumble on the kickoff right before halftime that essentially spotted Ole Miss seven points.

Less than one minute before halftime, Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis was punished for holding onto the ball too long. Ole Miss edge rusher Blake Purchase stripped him of the ball at the goal line and Perkins scooped it up while diving into the end zone.

Ole Miss entered the week with two turnovers forced on the season.

“It will be interesting to go back and see, did we actually force them (turnovers) or did they give them to us? That’s a part of it,” Golding said.

Golding wasn’t completely satisfied. Ole Miss committed three defensive penalties and was outscored 7-0 in the third quarter after entering the half up 42-3.

“I thought (the defense) wasn’t perfect. I told them coming into it, it’s not going to be perfect,” Golding said. “Doesn’t need to be perfect. But there was an emphasis on the effort. There wasn’t an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball. Leveraging the football. Being a little more violent on contact.”

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Pete Golding fixed Ole Miss defense vs Vanderbilt without changing anything