Here's why Pete Golding remains confident in Johntay Cook II
- Story byNortheast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
- Here's why Pete Golding remains confident in Johntay Cook II
OXFORD – Week 1 in a new offensive system isn't always seamless. But No. 9 Ole Miss certainly showed signs of what made its scoring unit so dangerous a season ago under former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.
Rebels senior wide receiver Deuce Alexander earned SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in a 41-38 win over No. 24 Louisville in the season opener, totaling 159 receiving yards and a pair of pivotal 62-yard touchdown receptions in the third quarter. All but 11 of Alexander's yards came in the second half, somewhat emblematic of an offense that scuffled in the first half but surged in the second under new playcaller John David Baker.
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Ole Miss totaled 148 yards in the first half and star sixth-year quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw an interception and fumbled. The second half was a different story, though, as the Rebels totaled 340 yards and Chambliss had three passing touchdowns and one rushing score. He finished with 336 passing yards and 60 rushing.
Outside of Alexander, however, no other Rebels wide receiver had more than 50 receiving yards – sixth-year wide receiver Horatio Fields had 47 yards on five receptions – and junior tight end Caleb Odom was the team's second-leading receiver with 66 yards and a touchdown. Rebels wide receivers not named Alexander caught seven total passes for 77 yards in the game.
Senior Johntay Cook II, one of the Rebels' highly touted transfer portal additions who received praise throughout the offseason, did not catch a pass. The former five-star recruit caught 45 passes for 549 yards and two touchdowns last season at Syracuse. According to Pro Football Focus, Cook lined up in the slot on 16 of his 19 passing snaps Sunday.
While surprised he was shut out, Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding said he wasn't overly concerned with Cook's Rebels debut.
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"I don't think I'm surprised. I think a lot of it going into it (is), let's make sure we're taking what they give us. The first-game jitters, so to say. Obviously, coming into a new offense, the timing of things and all those, got some different looks," Golding said. " … Game 1 is always a concern coming into it, when you're adding new guys into a new system, the timing mechanism and the execution of it."
" … I don't think there was an unrealistic expectation on some of those guys going into Week 1. Am I surprised that he comes out of it and doesn't have any (catches)? Yeah. And obviously that's something that we have to correct."
Odom was a standout in several phases of the game, contributing as a blocker and pass catcher. Per PFF, he lined up in the slot on 11 passing snaps, was on the line of scrimmage for seven and lined up wide twice. He also served as a run blocker on 25 plays after doing so on just 64 plays all last season.
Up to 245 pounds from the 235 he was listed at a year ago, Odom takes pride in being a well-rounded weapon.
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"I really feel like this was my first game that I was able to really get in there and block D-ends and block bigger guys," Odom said. "So, for the most part I think it was pretty good."
Ole Miss hosts Charlotte on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
