Anonymous SEC coach calls Ole Miss a 'one-sided football team'

Ole Miss has been taking big steps forward in each of the three seasons of Lane Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford. However, entering his fourth campaign with the Rebels, one coach says that the team has picked up a bad reputation.

That’s because, per this SEC coach in Athlon Sports’ annual college football preview, Ole Miss is a “one-sided football team” that leans more offensively than defensively. They believe that new DC Pete Golding can build a good defense at some point down the line but, as of now, there’s going to be a lot on his plate to make that side of the ball successful for the Rebels in ’23.

“They could end up loaded on offense with (Quinshon) Judkins and some transfers and whoever wins the QB race,” said the coach. “But this is a one-sided football team that will have to create turnovers on defense to stay in games against top-level teams.”

“(Pete) Golding is going to create a good defense eventually. But not this year,” they continued. “He’s gonna learn there’s no balance with Lane. It’s not like Tuscaloosa. You’re going to be stressed to keep up with short scoring drives and quick changes of possession.”

To be fair, this trend isn’t anything new. Ole Miss’ offense has performed better nationally than their defense in all three of Kiffin’s seasons. That gap has closed in 2021 and 2022 but, in general, that has been the case in Oxford.

Still, a couple factors could push things more towards their finish in 2020 where everything was a high-scoring affair. Offensively, they have all kinds of exciting weapons where they should be able to put up 30+ points per game for a fourth consecutive year. Defensively, though, different pieces and, more importantly, a new scheme might take some time to adjust to, especially under Kiffin.

Being called “one-sided” should be a motivating factor for Ole Miss defensively as they head into the season. With that said, no one could blame them if things don’t go exactly according to plan in Golding’s first run calling the defense.

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Athlon projects SEC’s order of finish in 2023

The SEC race is one that get’s people talking year round, regardless of how close the college football season is. With the release of Athlon Sports’ annual guide for next season, though, it’s a natural stopping point to take a peek at what they’re predicting for the 14 programs of the Southeastern Conference in 2023.

In Athlon’s eyes, the Georgia Bulldogs will be walking, even strolling, their way into a third straight SEC Championship game as they continue their overall dominance with a perfect record. Then, out west, they have Alabama winning the division by two games over LSU to set up yet another clash of the titans in Atlanta.

SEC Championship: Georgia over Alabama

EAST

1. Georgia Bulldogs (13-0, 8-0)
2. Tennessee Volunteers (8-3, 5-3)
3. Kentucky Wildcats (8-4, 4-4)
4. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-5, 4-4)
5. Florida Gators (5-7, 3-5)
6. Missouri Tigers (6-6, 2-6)
7. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-8, 1-7)

WEST

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1, 8-0)
2. LSU Tigers (10-2, 6-2)
3. Texas A&M Aggies (8-4, 4-4)
4. Ole Miss Rebels (8-4, 4-4)
5. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-5, 3-5)
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6, 2-6)
7. Auburn Tigers (6-6, 2-6)