There are many different ways to describe how Ole Miss’s debut College Football Playoff game against Tulane went.
But announcer Joe Tessitore may have said it best in the first minute of action.
“You cannot start better than that.”
Tessitore, of course, was referring to the Rebels’ opening drive that lasted all of 59 seconds. But it’s a perfect description for the start of the Pete Golding-era in Oxford.
“Exciting night for our program, for our fans, but more importantly for our players,” Golding said after beating Tulane 41-10 in a first round playoff game. “They’ve been through a lot over these last couple weeks and it was it was good Just to get back on the grass You know at home and for in front of their fans and and get out there and play football the game that they love.”
Sure, there were some bumps along the way. Even Golding admits the Rebels weren’t perfect. Kewan Lacy’s left arm is going to be most talked about appendage next week and the defense had a couple of coverage busts. Ole Miss was just 3-for-10 on third downs
But it’s hard for anyone providing the outside noise to dispute that Saturday was a resounding success for Golding and the Rebels. Especially when late in the fourth quarter, the record-setting crowd began chanting “Pete! Pete! Pete!”
“The game got to a point to where you could kind of look around at some point and it was pretty damn cool,” Golding said. “They know where my heart is at this place, and I know what these kids mean to me. So, it was awesome.”
If the chanting during the game wasn’t a big enough clue, the sights around The Grove before the game were telling.
There were pictures of Golding, even a life-sized cutout of the new Ole Miss coach. Some people wore gold because this is the “golden era” at Ole Miss. There were a few digs at the Rebels’ last coach, but the energy was more supportive of Golding than vindictive towards Lane Kiffin.
That energy carried over into the start of the game and was cited as a reason why the Rebels got off to a fast start.
“I think they’re a huge impact especially early in games… Because the crowds juiced up and we’re rolling there’s energy in it and all those types of things,” Golding said. “It was good to start fast. The fans were a huge piece of that.”
One thing to like about Golding is that while he can enjoy this reaction from the Ole Miss fan base, he knows what it’d be like if the Rebels didn’t win.
“We just had a home playoff game in Oxford for the community. We had a decent signing day and we just won the game,” Golding said. “But I’m well aware how the other side goes when you don’t win the game. So, I’ve been on both sides of that.
“I’m well aware there’s a chance it can go the other way if you start losing football games, as it should be.”
For now, though, its all smiles and cheers for Golding and the Rebels.
