'All About Us!' Ole Miss WR Cayden Lee is 'Dialed In' For Georgia Test

Ole Miss Rebels wide receiver Cayden Lee feels locked in as his team welcomes Georgia this weekend.

Oct 12, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Cayden Lee (19) is tackled by LSU Tigers safety Jardin Gilbert (2) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels know what level of test awaits them on Saturday afternoon when the Georgia Bulldogs come to town, but the growth of players like wide receiver Cayden Lee gives the Rebels more than a puncher's chance in this SEC showdown.

Lee, a sophomore from Kennesaw, Georgia, will be facing a school from his home state this weekend, but he has grown as a player since the last time Ole Miss faced the Bulldogs, so much so that he is second on the team in receiving yardage (615) in early November.

On Monday, Lee was made available to the media where he fielded questions on whether or not he can sense his growth as a football player during what has been a special campaign for him individually.

"I feel like I've always been locked in," Lee said, "but confidence-wise, I feel like my confidence has risen a little bit. I feel like as a team, we've done really well as well. As a freshman, the game is really fast, but when you grow and play a lot more, the game starts to slow down. You start to be able to read defenses and things like that."

Ole Miss' offense put together its best performance so far in SEC play on Saturday when the Rebels took down Arkansas 63-31 in Fayetteville. A big part of that day was wide receiver Jordan Watkins who broke multiple single-game records for the Rebels, and Lee said that he "expected nothing less" from the veteran wideout during his breakout performance.

A large part of that expectation comes from the work that Lee and his teammates have put in at practices, even during the offseason. In order to carry over the strong performance from Arkansas to a stout Georgia defense, the Rebels plan to continue to evaluate themselves and improve inside the Manning Center.

"Georgia definitely has a really good defense," Lee said. "We just have to be dialed in and listen to what our coaches are telling us to do. Once we understand our game plan and watch a lot of film, I feel like we'll have a really good plan.

"I feel like for us, it's all about us. Just not looking too much at who the opponent is, not looking at the logo, and just putting another dominant performance together and fire on all cylinders."

That can be easier said than done against a program with the pedigree that Georgia has, but this game carries a lot of weight for Ole Miss. If the Rebels win, they remain (and likely improve their standing) in the College Football Playoff discussion. With a loss, however, those dreams are all but out the window.

To put it in Lee's words, Ole Miss will need to be "locked in" if it wants to keep its playoff hopes alive after Saturday.