Ole Miss survived Louisville 41-38 on a Lucas Carneiro 48-yarder as time expired, and by Monday a fanbase that just beat a ranked team on a neutral site was talking itself into a crisis. Steven Willis joined The 24th Floor on ABC 24+ to make the case for calm — and to hand Saturday a scorecard.
The receipts first: Ole Miss came out of that weekend with the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, 41 points, 31 of them in the second half, and a win over a ranked opponent. That was the C-game.
Then the honest part. Most of what Louisville did came on a handful of explosive plays, many of them busted coverages, and there is a roster explanation underneath it: Shareef Denson, the starter at strong safety, never played. Antonio Kite, the starting corner, was hurt six plays in. Half the back end was unavailable or shuffled. Pete Golding called it communication rather than a talent gap, and Steven takes him at his word — with the caveat that it has to be fixed or Lane Kiffin will have a field day in a couple of weeks.
Plus the offensive question nobody else is asking: the Ole Miss offense showed up the moment Kewan Lacy went out, and that is not a coincidence. The case is that John David Baker was scheming to get Lacy the football rather than folding him into an offense that already worked.
And four things that would make Saturday against Charlotte an actual step forward.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 [FILL FROM CASTMAGIC AFTER RECORDING]
📌 FOUR THINGS I WANT TO SEE AGAINST CHARLOTTE
1. Nobody gets hurt.
2. The defense holds Charlotte to single digits.
3. Every injured player rests — Kewan Lacy included.
4. Johntay Cook and Caleb Cunningham get more involved in the offense.
📌 AND THREE THINGS FROM LOUISVILLE
1. Deuce Alexander announced himself. Two long scores, and the first one came on a straight NFL throw — released a window early, against three-deep coverage, directly in the seam, with the receiver running into it in stride. His end-zone celebration was a Karate Kid nod to Jameson Williams, which is also the comparison that fits.
2. Caleb Odom is the second weapon. Nothing in the first half, then a 35-yard touchdown and the first-down catch on the final drive that set up the winning kick. Ole Miss needed a receiver to emerge opposite Deuce and one did.
3. Don't panic. Last season this program struggled to run on Georgia State, looked bad against Kentucky, and got in a shootout with Arkansas — then beat LSU and played in the national semifinals. September evidence is real, but it is not a verdict.
🎥 EVERYDAYER CLUB EXCLUSIVE: Coach Corey Burton's All-22 breakdown of Deuce Alexander's touchdown is up now for members.
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