Three points at the death
Ole Miss did not win its opener, it stole it. Lucas Carneiro drilled a 48-yard field goal as the clock hit zero on Sunday night in Nashville to beat Louisville 41-38. The Cardinals were ranked 24th at the time.
The finish was worth slowing down for. The Rebels did not score in the first quarter and were only up 10-6 at the break. Then they poured in 31 points after halftime. Trinidad Chambliss threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. Deuce Alexander hauled in five catches for 159 yards, a personal best, and two touchdowns.
Pete Golding chose to talk about resilience. His side trailed twice and was pulled level twice. “I think there is a blessing in taking a shot in the mouth in the first game, against a very good team, being able to watch it back on video and see how we responded.”
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Charlotte arrives on a 10-game skid
Saturday night’s opponent in Oxford comes in as a mess. Charlotte lost 43-41 at home to The Citadel, an FCS program. The 49ers finished last season at 1-11, including 0-8 in the American Conference.
The real number is the ugly one. Charlotte has not won since last September and a victory over Monmouth. Ten straight defeats.
Tim Albin is trying not to turn it into a tragedy. “We are trying to make the step from the first game to the second, in terms of consistency and execution. We are not going to let one game define us as people, or define our program.” He knows what the matchup is. “I think every Group of 6 school plays at least one Power 4 team. Ole Miss is ours. It is a good spotlight.”
Kiffin waits for next week
Ninth in the rankings, the Rebels know the real test is still ahead. Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford next week, with LSU, eighth, coming to town. The fixture is already doing the rounds in the stadium.
Golding has picked his angle. He thinks this is exactly the right week to focus only on his own team after opening against a ranked opponent. “It does not matter if we are playing Louisville, Charlotte or Delta State. We have to focus on us, on the details and on executing consistently.”
One line says more than the rest about what he saw on Sunday. “The big thing this week is that no matter who we are playing, we have to hit at the same time to land the knockout punch.” The offence and defence still have not turned up together.
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