The No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels have looked remarkably better after a loss against the No. 21 Florida Gators, 52-28, which was a stunner to the college football world.
This Rebels team has looked completely different since, dominating in multiple facets of the game and showing they're national title contenders. Pete Golding, however, doesn't want this to get to his Rebels' heads.
"We got to do it again"
Sometimes, in college football, a team can look amazing one week and completely different the next. It can be mentally exhausting for a team to realize they have to face another talented opponent.
It can be hard for a team to survive. The team is excited because it just blew out the No. 13 Missouri Tigers, 31-3. But now the Rebels still have to face the No. 19 Texas Longhorns, then the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs, in the next three weeks. Ole Miss won't have it any easier in the coming weeks than it has in the previous weeks.
Pete Golding emphasized the importance of staying focused and being able to play effectively week in and week out in a Monday press conference: "When they come off a really emotional win, the ability to refocus and know that we got to do it again.... Sometimes there's a false confidence created based on outcomes."
He continued: "I think the focus is back on your preparation and the habits you create in order to give yourself the best shot... We got to be really smart and diligent about our meeting times and our walkthroughs and how we practice to keep these guys fresh physically and also mentally."
That is the pain of playing in one of the two mega conferences, the SEC and the Big Ten. One week, a team may have to host Georgia and then visit Texas, or host the Ohio State Buckeyes and visit the Indiana Hoosiers.
Even if you take down the first opponent, the second opponent doesn't get any easier. Facing great opponents week after week can and will exhaust many teams.
It's critical to stay "locked in" and take down such important opponents in a stretch, even when a team faces tough opponents week after week.
It Starts With the Longhorns
Despite blowing out the Vanderbilt Commodores 52-17 and recently smashing Missouri, Texas isn't an easy opponent to beat.
The desperate Longhorns have lost two straight games against not-so-great opponents. The Oklahoma Sooners upset Texas in Week 6, 27-24, despite having an extremely disappointing season thus far (3-3 and unranked).
Florida, meanwhile, upset the Longhorns on the road 27-24 despite suffering two hideous back-to-back losses (45-17 to Missouri and 38-19 to the unranked South Carolina Gamecocks). Another loss for the former No. 1 team in the nation would probably knock the Longhorns out of playoff contention.
In the Monday presser, Golding mentioned that they would be given a hard time against Texas: "They know their backs are up against the wall and we're going to get their best shot."
The Longhorns remain an extremely talented team with the most expensive roster in the FBS, and they still defeated No. 1 Ohio State in Week 3. They can and will beat good opponents regardless of the last couple of weeks.
Texas has fallen far short of expectations with quarterback Arch Manning and the offseason additions to the offense, including star running backs Raleek Brown (transfer from the Arizona State Sun Devils) and Hollywood Smothers (transfer from the NC State Wolfpack).
Texas also added the No. 1 wide receiver in the transfer portal, Cam Coleman (transfer from the Auburn Tigers), to go along with Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V. The offense has fallen wildly short of its preseason expectations, with both Smothers and Brown rushing for below 300 yards thus far and Coleman not even at 400 receiving yards so far.
The numbers aren't pretty, but that doesn't take away from the offense's undeniable talent. That might mean this Longhorns team is ready to explode onto the SEC scene and cause major problems for teams like Ole Miss. The Rebels can't overlook this Texas team and have to be ready to take on an excellent opponent this next week.
It's nice to see the head coach recognize the importance of keeping his players in check physically and mentally. Such a stretch of the regular season will help Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. And of course, this game will help Ole Miss reach the CFP.
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