The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football vs. Vanderbilt: Practice Report
10/7/2026 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss football team is back after their bye week, traveling to Nashville, Tenn. to take on SEC opponent Vanderbilt on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Head coach Pete Golding met with reporters this week alongside tight end Luke Hasz, linebacker Tah'j Butler and offensive lineman Terez Davis as the Rebels return from the bye week and turn their attention to Vanderbilt. Coming off a road loss at Florida, Ole Miss used the open week to address the issues that contributed to the setback and prepare for Saturday's matchup in Nashville.
This week's practice report is presented by Mississippi Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center.
Responding the Right Way
Golding said the Rebels approached the bye week differently than they typically would, putting on the pads and going live in an effort to address the physical issues that have surfaced throughout the season.
After reviewing 62 missed tackles that have accounted for 70 percent of the rushing yards allowed by the Rebels this season, Golding said the answer was to return to the fundamentals and emphasize physicality.
"You're going to fight like you train," Golding said. "You got to train like you fight."
Golding also elected to bring the entire team together to review the Florida film rather than separating into offensive, defensive and special teams meetings. He said the shared film session was designed to reinforce accountability across the roster and make sure everyone understood the areas that needed to improve.
The response during the bye week was encouraging, Golding said, but he stressed that one strong week of preparation cannot become an excuse for complacency.
"This thing ain't set and I told them this thing ain't going to be set till Friday," Golding said. "You have to come to work every day and prove to us consistency and execution."
While the Rebels made progress during the week, Golding said the true test will come from how they carry that work into Saturday.
"That sounded good last week when they're on their ass and hearing all the negativity," he said. "But that was last night. We have good meetings tomorrow and a really good practice."
Our Season Is Not Over
Hasz said the team-wide film session provided value for the offense as well as the defense, allowing players to see how mistakes on one side of the ball can affect the entire team.
"A lot of stuff they're coaching is stuff we can work on as an offense to help us be better," Hasz said. "Just being able to watch those together helped us come together and be prepared for this week."
Despite the disappointment of the loss at Florida, Hasz said the Rebels have remained focused on what is still ahead of them.
"Obviously it sucks, but our season is not over and we still have a lot to work for," Hasz said. "I think this past week we put a lot of work in."
Hasz also said the tight end room has continued to develop throughout the season, with the rotation of multiple players creating greater chemistry and competition within the group.
"We've continued to grow as a tight end room and we know more about each other," he said. "That makes us play harder for each other."
We Don't Want to Feel It Again
Butler said the physical nature of the bye-week practices was exactly what the defense needed following the performance in Gainesville.
"It was hard back-to-back practices," Butler said. "We really just put the game plan away and went out there hitting people, getting back to the basics."
For Butler, the biggest issue against Florida came down to physicality and finishing plays.
"Being physical and going to make contact with someone is just a want-to thing," Butler said. "You can't really teach someone how to tackle. It's really more like 10 percent technique and 90 percent want-to."
The message from the Florida loss, he said, has remained with the team throughout the bye week.
"All of us as a team felt how we felt in that locker room," Butler said. "We don't want to feel it again. We just want to go out this week and dominate."
Butler said the defense's biggest emphasis heading into Saturday is maintaining its intensity for all four quarters. Ole Miss has shown stretches of strong defensive play but has struggled at times to maintain that level after halftime.
"We always start off good in the first half but come out of halftime not swinging," he said. "We're trying to harp on staying consistent throughout the second half and finishing what we started."
He also pointed to Vanderbilt's two-quarterback system as an added challenge, saying the defense will have to quickly identify personnel and understand the tendencies each quarterback brings to the game.
Embracing the Challenge Up Front
On the offensive side, Davis said the offensive line used the bye week to evaluate its own performance while preparing for a physical Vanderbilt front.
"On third down they run a lot of blitzes," Davis said. "They like to bring seven or eight to confuse you. They run a lot of twists. They have two pretty good edges and they're good inside too. They play physical."
Davis said the offensive line has embraced the opportunity to respond to mistakes rather than dwell on them, with the group using adversity as an opportunity to push one another.
"When we make a bad play in the O line room, we pick each other up and just go even harder," Davis said.
With the lessons from Florida addressed and Vanderbilt now firmly in focus, the Rebels are looking to carry the physicality and accountability emphasized throughout the bye week into Saturday's matchup.
Ole Miss will travel to Nashville looking to turn the work put in during the open week into a stronger performance against Vanderbilt.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content this season! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox.
Head coach Pete Golding met with reporters this week alongside tight end Luke Hasz, linebacker Tah'j Butler and offensive lineman Terez Davis as the Rebels return from the bye week and turn their attention to Vanderbilt. Coming off a road loss at Florida, Ole Miss used the open week to address the issues that contributed to the setback and prepare for Saturday's matchup in Nashville.
This week's practice report is presented by Mississippi Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center.
Responding the Right Way
Golding said the Rebels approached the bye week differently than they typically would, putting on the pads and going live in an effort to address the physical issues that have surfaced throughout the season.
After reviewing 62 missed tackles that have accounted for 70 percent of the rushing yards allowed by the Rebels this season, Golding said the answer was to return to the fundamentals and emphasize physicality.
"You're going to fight like you train," Golding said. "You got to train like you fight."
Golding also elected to bring the entire team together to review the Florida film rather than separating into offensive, defensive and special teams meetings. He said the shared film session was designed to reinforce accountability across the roster and make sure everyone understood the areas that needed to improve.
The response during the bye week was encouraging, Golding said, but he stressed that one strong week of preparation cannot become an excuse for complacency.
"This thing ain't set and I told them this thing ain't going to be set till Friday," Golding said. "You have to come to work every day and prove to us consistency and execution."
While the Rebels made progress during the week, Golding said the true test will come from how they carry that work into Saturday.
"That sounded good last week when they're on their ass and hearing all the negativity," he said. "But that was last night. We have good meetings tomorrow and a really good practice."
Our Season Is Not Over
Hasz said the team-wide film session provided value for the offense as well as the defense, allowing players to see how mistakes on one side of the ball can affect the entire team.
"A lot of stuff they're coaching is stuff we can work on as an offense to help us be better," Hasz said. "Just being able to watch those together helped us come together and be prepared for this week."
Despite the disappointment of the loss at Florida, Hasz said the Rebels have remained focused on what is still ahead of them.
"Obviously it sucks, but our season is not over and we still have a lot to work for," Hasz said. "I think this past week we put a lot of work in."
Hasz also said the tight end room has continued to develop throughout the season, with the rotation of multiple players creating greater chemistry and competition within the group.
"We've continued to grow as a tight end room and we know more about each other," he said. "That makes us play harder for each other."
We Don't Want to Feel It Again
Butler said the physical nature of the bye-week practices was exactly what the defense needed following the performance in Gainesville.
"It was hard back-to-back practices," Butler said. "We really just put the game plan away and went out there hitting people, getting back to the basics."
For Butler, the biggest issue against Florida came down to physicality and finishing plays.
"Being physical and going to make contact with someone is just a want-to thing," Butler said. "You can't really teach someone how to tackle. It's really more like 10 percent technique and 90 percent want-to."
The message from the Florida loss, he said, has remained with the team throughout the bye week.
"All of us as a team felt how we felt in that locker room," Butler said. "We don't want to feel it again. We just want to go out this week and dominate."
Butler said the defense's biggest emphasis heading into Saturday is maintaining its intensity for all four quarters. Ole Miss has shown stretches of strong defensive play but has struggled at times to maintain that level after halftime.
"We always start off good in the first half but come out of halftime not swinging," he said. "We're trying to harp on staying consistent throughout the second half and finishing what we started."
He also pointed to Vanderbilt's two-quarterback system as an added challenge, saying the defense will have to quickly identify personnel and understand the tendencies each quarterback brings to the game.
Embracing the Challenge Up Front
On the offensive side, Davis said the offensive line used the bye week to evaluate its own performance while preparing for a physical Vanderbilt front.
"On third down they run a lot of blitzes," Davis said. "They like to bring seven or eight to confuse you. They run a lot of twists. They have two pretty good edges and they're good inside too. They play physical."
Davis said the offensive line has embraced the opportunity to respond to mistakes rather than dwell on them, with the group using adversity as an opportunity to push one another.
"When we make a bad play in the O line room, we pick each other up and just go even harder," Davis said.
With the lessons from Florida addressed and Vanderbilt now firmly in focus, the Rebels are looking to carry the physicality and accountability emphasized throughout the bye week into Saturday's matchup.
Ole Miss will travel to Nashville looking to turn the work put in during the open week into a stronger performance against Vanderbilt.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all the latest Ole Miss football news and content this season! Subscribe to The Sip, the official newsletter of Rebel football, and we'll drop the best Ole Miss football stories, videos and social media content to your inbox.
Players Mentioned
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