Elijah Klepczyk
Sports Columnist
It is college game week for Ole Miss and Mississippi State football, and the preseason anxiety and grueling fall camp schedule is now at an end.
Both teams wrapped up their fall‑camp scrimmages the weekend of Aug. 22, and head coaches Pete Golding (Ole Miss) and Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State) offered important insight into where they believe their programs stand heading into Week 1.
“To me it’s been really flashy,” Golding said of the Rebels’ last scrimmage. He added that plenty of plays on tape looked like “winning football,” though he also pointed out penalties and assignment busts as issues that still need cleaning up.
“The ups and downs right now, really in all three phases, is what we’re focusing on,” Golding said, adding that consistency will be key for the team in the SEC this year.
Lebby said the Bulldogs’ scrimmage featured “really good back and forth,” noting that the competitive balance has been a steady theme throughout fall camp. One concern he pointed to was the number of penalties committed by both the offensive and defensive second‑team units. “We have got to clean up,” Lebby said of the miscues.
Both coaches spoke highly of their wide receiver units coming out of fall camp.
Golding was pleased with the play of Choctaw County product and former five star – Caleb Cunnigham. “It has been really nice to get him back out and healthy,” Golding said of the sophomore. He added that the young receiver is living up to expectations now that he is seeing more sustained reps.
Lebby mentioned redshirt sophomore Zion Ragins as a player who has consistently flashed on tape throughout fall camp. Ragins is in his first year with the Bulldogs after transferring from Oklahoma. He caught 10 passes for 68 yards as a freshman with the Sooners, then redshirted his sophomore season before entering the portal.
Underclassmen have made a big impact during the course of fall camp for Ole Miss according to Golding. “Some of the young guys are really coming on,” he said, adding that he hopes that they can stay healthy and make an impact later in the season.
For Lebby, the whole roster has seemed to be upgraded from last season. He added that multiple position groups are doing better simply because there are better and more talented players in those spots this year.
The Rebels will start their season on Sep. 6 against Louisville for the Music City Kickoff in Nashville. State will kick off their season at home against Louisiana-Monroe on Sep. 5.
