Ole Miss has several new faces on the field this year but were still capable of pushing Florida State to the limit in Monday night’s 45-34 loss. It was a disappointing loss for the Rebels and coach Hugh Freeze, who is still finding his team’s identity and leadership.

“I think some of it has to do with the maturity of your team,” Freeze said of finding an identity on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. ““For us it needs to happen in a hurry, because of who we are playing in Week 3 and 4.”

The Rebels have two difficult games on the horizon against No. 1 Alabama and No. 9 Georgia, but will first have to take care of business against Wofford. The Terriers employ a triple-option offense, which is difficult for any defense, especially one with only a couple of days to prepare.

Given the team’s youth on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the secondary, Freeze is looking for leaders to emerge.

“Defensive linemen DJ Jones and Isaac Gross lead the defense at times,” Freeze said. “It would be nice to develop some leadership (in the secondary). They communicate well but they need a leader.”

Gross and the entire Rebels’ defensive front did a good job containing Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, Freeze said.

Ole Miss plays Wofford on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.