Pete Golding questions Ole Miss defense's manhood after Florida runs over Rebels

GAINESVILLE, FL — Ole Miss football coach Pete Golding was displeased with his team's tackling method in the Rebels' 52-28 loss to Florida .

"The thing at halftime that I addressed was we had a lot of guys trying to ankle bite, and diving at ankles and all those things," Golding said. "I addressed the manhood at halftime a little bit. There was a lack of courage, in my opinion, at times that we were picking and choosing."

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No. 22 Florida beat No. 6 Ole Miss on Sept. 26 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators racked up 302 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Star running back Jadan Baugh had 142 yards and three touchdowns.

"That's an elite back and he's a big back," Golding said. "You've got to go chest-to-chest with him."

The Gators scored the most points on the Rebels in six years, dating back to Dec. 19, 2020, in a 53-58 loss at LSU .

"We just didn't get our players to execute," Golding said. "That goes back to coaching. I told our players we've got to look in the mirror as well, so we're all accountable to it and go back and clean this thing up."

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