No. 6 Ole Miss is in New Orleans for its College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.
Tuesday served as the playoff/bowl game’s media day, including coach Pete Golding talking for almost 20 minutes to reporters. Here’s everything he said:
Opening statement…
“Obviously, super excited to get down here. Transition yesterday was pretty smooth. I had a couple of practices at home in Oxford, prepping for Georgia. And then today, we’ll have our normal Thursday, no sweat walk through in the Dome, and followed up by tomorrow, which we do a fast Friday, get them rolling a little bit, and then have our meetings and get ready to go. So guys have been in a good place, been working extremely hard. We’re really excited for the opportunity.”
On playing in CFP in home state…
“Yeah, obviously, it’s awesome coming back home. A great opportunity for our players. I mean, the Sugar Bowl has always done an unbelievable job. It’s a great city to host, a great city to play football in, and a really good city to eat in as well. Bought a couple more tickets than normal with the crew coming over from Hammond, but just super excited for the venue, playing in the Dome for our guys, and it being a playoff game. And them earning an opportunity to play again as a team has been really special. But to have my brother here, and my parents here, and all my high school buddies and all, that’d be pretty neat.”
On focusing on the game amidst bowl game/playoff festivities…
“I think the biggest thing is departmentalizing the difference between when am I focusing and when am I allowed to have some fun and an opportunity that they created for themselves. So I think that’s been the big message all week. During meetings, when we hit the grass and we’re out there practicing, our focus has to be on the attention to detail to do the things that we need to do in order to win the game.
“And during meetings or in between meetings and after practice, you’ve created some opportunities for yourself to go out and have fun and enjoy those things. Now, we understand what the mission is. This isn’t a normal bowl game to where we’re going. And here’s the vacation and the experience of a long year. And this is your last game. They’re all well aware that they’re playing for the opportunity to play again.
“And so I think that mission’s a little different and the mission’s always above the man. So I think the focus, I think we got some older veteran guys that have really elite leadership that are putting a close grip on some of these young cats and make sure they’re making smart decisions around here. But their focus has been where it needs to be. This is just an extension of a road game for us. That’s how we’re looking at it. You’re just here a couple of days earlier than normal.
“We’re doing our normal Thursday routine, getting into our normal Friday routine, and trying to keep that routine as normal as possible. But they understand what they’re playing for. They understand they can come back to New Orleans and party all they want in spring break. This is not what this is about. And so I think the focus is on the right spot right now.
On impression of QB Trinidad Chambliss throughout the season…
“For me, my impression of Trinidad started in camp, because I was going against them. We were going against our offense day in and day out, because you’re good on good. And you’re not game planning for anybody.
“So we always went ones on twos and scrimmages. So it’s our first defense going against our second offense, at that point, which was Trinidad was with the twos, because Austin was obviously with the ones. And just the kid’s competitive character in live environments, and how he handled the situations, and how calm he was, how well he took care of the football. And the one thing that really stood out to me is the ability to extend plays and keep his eyes downfield to really affect the other side of the ball. And so it’s no surprise to me to where something was to happen in Austin, that we would be in really good hands. And a guy that had a lot of the experience, there was a quiet confidence in him, even early when he got here, that he didn’t say a lot.
“He just kept his head down. He worked extremely hard, was preparing for his opportunity. And I think the big thing for him, when you’re coming Division II into the SEC, and you’re coming to a school that’s offense has already been in place, and there was stability within the scheme, with a guy that’s looked at as the franchise quarterback already, and the things that you had to do to keep him, and knew he was coming in as the two, I think that speaks volumes of his confidence, knowing I’ve got one year left on the transfer to the SEC, with a system that’s already in place, with a guy that’s been two years in the system, at my position, to have that confidence to know, hey, I’m going to come in here, I’m going to learn it. And whenever I get my opportunity, however that comes, I’m going to be ready for it, and I’m not going to lose it. And that’s what he did. So I think the kid’s competitive character is out of this world.
“I think he’s got a unique personality. I think guys gravitate to him. He’s a dude that you want to be around, always got a smile on his face, super positive.
“So it’s really easy for our players to gravitate to him, number one, by his work ethic, and number two, how he treats other people. And then the production on the field speaks for itself. So I think his ability to take care of the football and make really good decisions has continued to improve throughout the year. But that’s something that we did see in camp, going against him every day.”
On Chambliss’ personality impacting fans, community in Oxford…
“I think it’s awesome when you have a team that’s created this for themselves. And I think that’s the beautiful thing about Oxford. It’s such a small town that Ole Miss is the NFL team. And so any individual that has success becomes pretty big, pretty quick. And so the best thing about that, to me, for this team has been he doesn’t let it get to him.
“So he can have fun, and they laugh about it. But he’s the same dude the next morning, regardless whether he throws for five touchdowns or not. He’s going to walk in. He’s going to go to work and all that. But I think we do have a unique group that can separate when to have fun and when not to have fun. And I think that’s really important. I think they engage with our fans really well. They know that’s a part of college football now. A lot of our alumni and our fans support and pay for some of these guys through the collective.
“So they get it. They understand their role with it. But I think it’s been really unique for his story, not coming into it, not highlighted as the guy coming into the season like most of them are to pop up and have the year he’s having. And he understands he’s having the year he’s having because a lot of other people around him and those guys in front of him that are doing an unbelievable job and how talented we are on the perimeter. And it’s one thing in this offense to be talented on the perimeter. But if you don’t have a running back, it’s really not going to matter because you become one dimensional.
“So he understands how important Lacy is, a part of that success. So I think he does a really good job sharing the success with those guys. And they understand when that flag goes up, it’s all 11. It ain’t just Trinidad. But he does a really good job with it.”
On professional challenges this week…
“I think we’re just in a unique time in college football, both players and coaches, based on the calendar. And I know a lot of guys have talked about that. But I think from day one, when that opportunity was created for a lot of these guys, it’s going to be no different than every opportunity created for these players once January 2nd hits. They’re going to have every opportunity that they want if they played really well throughout the season.
“And I think coaches are no different. When you have success and you do a really good job like Coach Kiffin had done here and the assistants had done here, you’re going to have opportunities. And I think it’s everybody’s right normally at the end of the year to evaluate that.
“Am I in the best situation for me and my family? And what do I need to do what’s best for me? I think the timeline was unfortunate. And it’s not their fault. But from the assistant’s standpoint, I was never concerned because there was never a doubt from them about them wanting to coach and finish the season that they had promised to the players. And so that was my whole thing when you’re recruiting the staff. I was like, look, guys, let’s not worry about 2026. Let’s stop worrying about where we’re coaching in 2026. And let’s focus on finishing 2025 the right way for the players. And so I think from the very beginning, regardless where they were going to be in 26, that was their goal. And so I felt pretty comfortable throughout the entire process regardless whether they’re going to be coaching somewhere else next year at Ole Miss, they’re going to finish what they started for our players to create the best opportunity for them.
“So obviously, we’ve got a really good relationship with them on a personal level anyway. So I think there’s a respect factor, regardless of the chair that you’re sitting in, that they want to do it the right way, not only for their players, but for the other people in the building. So was it a challenge? It was disappointing for me being the time of it’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, leading up to a Wednesday signing day that instead of talking to recruits, parents, and recruits, you’re meeting with grown men and trying to convince them of why they should finish what they started. But other than that, it was fine.”
On Georgia WR Zachariah Branch…
“They do a really good job getting him his targets. He’s an extension of the run game, with a lot of the smokes, and the bubbles, and the screen game, and all that. Really elusive in space. Still use him in the priority pass to work the one-on-one concepts. Primarily in the slot, they like the matchup. They’re trying to get that on a safety or a backer, depending on the coverage you’re in. Move him around a lot to create it. And that’s something we’ve got to be aware of. So you’ve got to have a plan for him, but they’ve got other guys too. And I think that’s the balance of their offense, of the tight end position, the back.
“And then you look at the skill. Not only him in the slot, but they’re going to have some side speed on the perimeter that they’re probably going to get back as well. So when you start focusing on one guy with these, they’re going to do a good job of attacking somewhere else. Mass is an easy game. So numbers are going to be a big part of this game. But we’ve got to do a good job of leveraging the ball.
“I think that’s the big thing. The one-on-one on branch doesn’t always end well. You’ve got to understand, if I’m going to miss, where to miss? And where are my helps coming from? So I think that’s something we didn’t do very well in the first game.
“We had double-digit missed tackles. We didn’t leverage the ball very well. We weren’t physical on the perimeter.
“And so I think it’s going to be a really important piece to leveraging the ball and having great pursuit inside out to be able to polish the football, because you need to get two-on-one on that guy. But he’s a special player.”
On Georgia coach Kirby Smart…
“Number one, the respect factor that I’ve always had for Coach Smart and the job that he’s done every year, whether he was in the coordinator at Alabama, and I was a young coordinator, Division II and 1AA, always studying their tape and trying to figure out what they’re doing and how we can increase our package and do it better. Him having been at Valdosta in the Gulf South, when I was at the Gulf South, there’s a lot of that that I appreciated about him, about being D2 and working his way up through it and having the success he did. So it was more of a respect factor based on what he’s done and where he came from and how he did it.
“Obviously, he was a defensive back like I was, some of those similarities. But there wasn’t a friendship of having worked together, really been around him. You feel like you know him through the people that you’ve worked with. And then obviously, I’ve worked with a lot of guys that work with him. So you feel like you know him probably better than you do. But it’s always been more of a respect factor for that.”
On a defensive head coach fraternity…
“I think any time you’re a defensive guy, you become a defensive head coach, you want that guy to have success because you want to create other opportunities for other defensive coaches. For a long time there, you felt like that offensive thing was the fling, right, and the hot young OC coming in. So you just want to be able to do a good job, obviously provide a good product for your players, but we definitely pull for each other, for sure. But as far as from a fraternity standpoint, I mean, we don’t have that group message yet, unless Kiff puts us all in one. But other than that, no, we kind of pull for each other.”
On Georgia QB Gunner Stockton…
“I’ve always known his wiring and his competitive character and how he played the game and doing a really good job at taking care of the football. And I think he’s really smart and he shows up on tape and understands coverages and leverage and where to go with the football. So that piece of it, we kind of knew what we were getting going into it.
“I think he’s gotten continually better throughout the season and that’s even games that they didn’t have success, it wasn’t not based on the ball, didn’t go to the right guy, or he didn’t read it right, or he didn’t make the right decision. The accuracy in that game might’ve been a little off in some of those things, but I know last time we played him, it wasn’t. And he made a lot of really good decisions and made a lot of plays.
“And I think it’s really key for us on base downs to not allow him to extend plays with his legs. You got to create some third and longs by creating negative yards plays early so you can have a plan for him. But they’re really balanced in the run game on base downs.
“And so it’s tough to account for the run game and him extending plays when they do pass it. So we got to be really sound up front and make him be a pocket passer and try to beat us with his arm, which he’s shown the ability to do. And we got to be able to change the picture on him and make him go to a second read.
“But he’s a veteran guy. He’s got a lot of competitive character. You can see on tape, you can tell the guys around him play really hard for him. He’s got a really good command of the huddle. So yeah, it’s going to be really tough.”
On Ole Miss LB Suntarine Perkins…
“I think number one, we get with Perkins, there’s probably not a more competitive kid on our team. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s ping pong, right? Whether we’re playing corn hole, like gets all in.
“He only knows one way and one way to do it. And he was that kid growing up that he was going to be outside and he was playing whatever sport it was until the streetlights came on. And then that was the sign to go home.
“So I’m not concerned with him at all. It doesn’t matter if we’re opening up with Mercer or we’re playing in the sugar bowl, he’s got a mentality to where a spot the ball, it’s all exactly the same. And I’ve never got to be concerned with his work ethic or his preparation or his energy and effort, right? Throughout a game.
“So he’s the least of my worries. Now, do we need him to attack with the guy with the ball? You’re damn right. All right, does that make sense? We need him to play really well from an execution standpoint, but his mentality going into it has always been exactly the same.”
On comparisons of CFP to D2 playoffs and Chambliss’ experience in D2…
“I don’t look at football any different based on the level you’re at and having been D2, 1AA mid-major in the SEC, like true competitors, regardless what the stadium is, regardless how many people are in the fans, like it’s an opportunity to go out and compete at the game that you love and play at an extremely high level to win the damn game. And that’s why you play and that’s why they keep scores. So I think true competitive character, regardless of the level, you’re a competitor and you’re going to prepare the right way.
“You’re going to practice extremely hard and you’re going to go out and try to play your best game. So, you know, I don’t think anything different in the level of instead of how you travel, how you travel is a lot better. The things you eat are a lot better, right? Does that make sense? How are you going to get there? You’re not on the bus league anymore, right? And driving 13 hours to Valdosta, right? Like trips are a little quicker.
“And so your only concern to me is like when you bring in some of those guys, does the moment get too big? Cause they get caught up in all the external factors and they’re walking into a stadium for the first time and they’re worried about taking a picture, right? We’re worried about the wrong shit. All right, does that make sense? All right, you got plenty of pictures. We can take one after the game, you know? And so I think a lot of it’s based on the guy’s wiring and that was one thing.
“He didn’t come to this league based on stadiums, right? He came in this league to compete against the very best and show everybody that he can do it no matter what the level is. Cause that’s always the thing to me about elite players at D2 and 1AA. You aren’t questioning their ability. You are questioning the ability of the guys they were going against. And so the question is at the next level, he’s going to be going against better people. Can he do that versus better people? It’s not his ability, all right? He was dominant at that level. And then now to come here, like he had a chip on his shoulder to prove everybody that he can do it at any level. Cause that’s who he is. So I think it’s just really important in the recruiting process, regardless of the level they’re coming from, is how they’re wired.
“And I think that’s tough sometimes based on the timeline of how quick their turnover is. And here January 2nd hits, you never talked to him in your life. And then he takes the OV on January 5th and he’s enrolling in school on January 16th.
“So where it used to be in a recruiting process, you’re recruiting guys two to three years, right? And you were finding out a lot about them and that competitive character would come out and you would know. So I think you got a really good job in the transfer recruiting piece of, you better be taking it from somewhere that you know somebody and that you respect and that you trust their opinion and you know who you’re getting, especially once you turn the money into it and that investment. Cause if it don’t and the money’s on the sideline, you’re not going to be very good.
“So he’s just wired the right way. But I think that’s the biggest thing in recruiting right now, guys that are tough, competitive and love football. And it’s hard to find some of those guys.
“A lot of love what football can do for them, right? Not truly love football and competing and going out to put the best product on the field and increase their value and their team’s value. So he’s just very unique from a competitive character standpoint.”
