Ole Miss coach Pete Golding held his first game week press conference of the season Monday. For nearly 20 minutes, Golding spoke to reporters about the Rebels’ upcoming opponent, No. 24 Louisville, as well as his thoughts and feelings headed into a season-opening game as a first-time head coach.
Here’s everything he said.
Pete Golding, Head Coach
On preparing for Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz…
I think it’s a combination of a couple of things. Obviously, from an athletic standpoint and looking at his skill set, you go back to previous tape where you can actually see him play the game as a dual-threat guy, his arm strength and all those things.
But I think you also go back and look at when Brohm has had a first-year starter at the position. What does that look like early in the season? Is it the full menu for him? Is it specific things? We know he’s a super-talented kid. Obviously, he was recruited by everybody in the country coming out of high school. He was in a really good program and was coached really well.
We’ve talked to guys from where he came from, and a lot of really good things have been said about the kid and how competitive he is. Then you try to do your research throughout camp. You read all the press clippings and get guys reading what y’all put out there, trying to get some information. I have a lot of respect for Brohm and have for a long time. He does a really good job offensively of sequencing plays and playing to his players’ strengths.
One of the best things they do is they’re so multiple, they get guys the ball early and he puts guys in good spots. He knows what he has. He has done this for a long time. There are going to be some things we try to do to affect their quarterback like we do every week. But when you have athletic quarterbacks, sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. You start changing the picture, it isn’t there and then guys start running. We have to account for his legs as well. We definitely want to affect the quarterback. That looks different every week, especially with guys who are first-year starters in new systems. But they have a lot of weapons, so we have to be really smart about how we do that.
On the challenge of defending Isaac Brown…
No. 1, I think it’s really good for us to go against an elite running back every day. Thank goodness, because this kid is special. He’s explosive on tape and really good in space. He has the top-end speed to finish. I’m super impressed. I think he’s one of the best backs we’ll see all year, to be honest with you, when you really watch the tape.
That offense kind of goes as he goes. One thing when you watch Brohm in games is that he does a really good job of staying patient and never losing control. When the game is on the line in the third and fourth quarter, Brown is about to get it. He has shown he’s really explosive and competitive. The kid averaged 8.8 yards per rush last year. He’s very dynamic. They do a lot of unique things in the run game. They get on the ball and things like that.
From a tackling standpoint, we have to do a really good job getting to the ball. He has really good contact balance, balance in general and body control. Gang tackling, keeping the edges and not losing leverage are going to be critical in the run game.
On what he saw from the team during the mock game…
It was good to have some specific team periods last week where we could focus on Louisville and go into it with a little more of a game plan. Sometimes during camp, you can get lost because you aren’t game-planning for each side and you’re seeing so many different things. It was good to see them have a focus for a week. Here’s the plan, and then Saturday, what you’ve seen is what you’re going to get.
I thought the execution was better. I’ve really been on them about the consistency of the execution, and I thought we saw more of that. It’s still not where it needs to be. We need another great week of practice. I thought the guys played extremely hard. But with the contested-play piece that we always talk about, there were some explosives in that scrimmage because of a lack of communication. If you do that this coming Sunday, you aren’t going to win the football game.
There’s still a lot we have to clean up. I thought the effort was better. I thought the attention to detail was a little better. It’s still not where it needs to be. I didn’t think we started very fast offensively, but I thought they got it going midway through the second quarter and finished strong in the third quarter before we pulled some guys. There were some really good things on tape, and then there were a lot of things on tape that we went through yesterday and said, “Look, man, you can’t do this and win against Top 25 teams.”
This is real now. This is for keeps. We have this week to make sure we prepare really hard and clean it up.
On what stands out about Louisville’s defense…
No. 1 is the way they affect the quarterback. They’re really athletic and long on the edges. Both of those guys coming back combined for double-digit sacks last year. They play the game really violently. I think their nickel is a really good player and does a really good job in the run game. They’re very versatile on defense. They give you a lot of different looks while still keeping things simple. Their guys play extremely fast, and they’re physical.
We have to protect the football. That’s always the No. 1 concern in Game 1 when a lot of these guys haven’t been live. With their edges, both in the run game and passing game, we have to control the edges. We have to get the ball in space to our guys, but we also have to slow the game down and run the football effectively when we need to. They’re going to challenge you with how they line up, the run pressures and things like that. They were really good against the pass last year. I think they led the ACC in pass defense.
We’ll have our work cut out for us. The length on the edges and the athletic ability up front stand out. They look like an SEC football team.
On the importance of the running back depth against Louisville…
It’s complementary football. A lot of that depends on whether you can run the football. Are you ahead of the chains or behind the sticks in an obvious passing down with those guys teeing off, disguising coverages and playing different things? Staying ahead of the chains, staying balanced like they are offensively and taking what people give you are going to be really important based on the looks, box counts and certain matchups.
This is no different than an SEC game to me when you watch them on tape. From a head-coaching standpoint with Brohm and how well he coaches, and the team they have, you better be able to run the football. You have to stop the run. They have an elite running back, and they have a really good front. To me, this is an SEC game. You have to be able to run the football, stop the run, take care of the football, win the turnover battle and play really well in critical situations, or you aren’t going to like the outcome.
On the relationship between John David Baker and Joe Judge…
It’s really good. We talked about it before during the bowl game, having JDB here while Joe was already here. There’s no doubt why either one of them is here. They both want to win. Neither one of them has a big ego. I think a lot of people hear “Coach Judge, former New York Giants head coach” and think there’s going to be something there. He’s here for one reason: to develop really good quarterbacks and be an asset to JDB and to me to help us win football games.
As a matter of fact, we just left a meeting with Joe, JDB and myself talking about offensive personnel, game planning and all those things. They work very well together. On both sides of the ball, all of us have guys around us who can poke holes in things, make sure we’re doing things correctly and think a little differently than we do.
That’s really healthy. It has been awesome to see that relationship grow. There’s a natural respect between both of them, but there isn’t an ego where one of them wants the other guy’s job. I think that’s really important for the buy-in. They’re here for our players, to develop really good players and to try to win football games. It has been cool to see throughout camp.
On entering his first regular-season game week as Ole Miss’ head coach…
I feel like I’m behind a little bit, to be honest with you. No, it feels like I’m going into a normal season. I think part of the reason is because I still wanted to call the defense. I had the defensive staff this morning, and I just left the offensive staff, which is something I normally wouldn’t have done previously. There are a couple more things on your weekly to-do list, like this deal right now and things like that.
But I’m so ingrained in the football piece of it. I know we’re playing a really, really good football team, and we have to get this defense prepared to play an elite running back and an athletic quarterback. I think the slot from Vanderbilt is a very explosive player. The tight end from Tulsa is a really good player. We know where our challenges are defensively.
It has been nice to get back into the tape and game planning and get away from the outside world a little bit. Getting the routine down was really helpful for me going through the playoffs and having to do that. Then you had the spring and summer. We really simulated game week, not as much for the players, to be honest with you, but from a staff standpoint. We wanted to make sure we had the schedule down, built the right routine and were hitting everything. To me, it feels like a normal game week.
On facing an elite running back in Week 1…
No. 1 in football, you better stop the run. When you’re playing a really good player, especially in a season where there haven’t been a ton of live tackling reps, that’s always a concern. You try to structure practice with tackling circuits, certain drills and things like that, but there’s nothing like getting out there 11-on-11, having a responsibility against the run and pass, and then coming up against an elite player and having to get him on the ground.
That’s always your concern going into Week 1 — ball security on offense and the ability to get guys on the ground on defense. When he’s really good at making people miss and he’s really fast, that makes you a little more nervous. We were live on defense during the mock game. We thudded on offense, but we were live defensively. A couple of the explosives that showed up were because of missed tackles.
That’s something we’re emphasizing going into this week. We have to get bodies there and keep leverage. We have to create vice tackles against this guy and try to create more two-on-one situations than one-on-ones because the kid is really hard to bring down in space. They do a really good job of stretching you horizontally to penetrate you vertically. The stretch game is a big part of their offense, and they’ve been really good at it. We’ll definitely have our work cut out for us.
On his confidence in Lucas Carneiro and Oscar Bird…
They’re huge to have in your back pocket, especially guys with experience who you already trust. They’ve been here, and they have a relationship with Coach Schoonie and trust in Coach Schoonie. It’s really nice to have those legs. Both of them have been able to flip the field. Fourth-down territory isn’t always what it used to be when you have Lucas. From a game-planning standpoint, that affects some decisions at times. It can be really big for momentum in games, when we do something and why we do it. Having him means you don’t always have to be in four-down mode based on where you are on the field, which is a huge advantage. The experience component of having done it in big games is really important, too. There’s a silent confidence with both of them. They had really effective years last year, but they also did it in big games. The moment isn’t too big for them. Having those two guys is a big advantage.
On the overall health of the team entering the opener…
We’re good. It was good to see a couple of the corners come back for the mock game. Some of those guys had been out with bumps and bruises. Kite and J. Craw and those guys went through the mock game, so it was really good to see them out there in a live environment. We’re pretty healthy. There are some natural soft-tissue things and bumps and bruises that you’re naturally going to have after 25 days of camp. That’s why we went Saturday instead of Sunday, to give them Sunday as a walkthrough. Today is their day off, so they’ve basically gotten 48 hours to get back into the training room and get ready to roll tomorrow. Tomorrow will be more like a fast Friday than a normal Tuesday, and then Wednesday will become Tuesday. We purposely gave them that time to make sure we’re getting back and ready to roll while trying to mimic a normal game week with us playing Sunday. We’ll have everybody we intended to have when we started camp. Everybody is available and in a pretty good spot.
On developing his approach to game management…
No. 1 is focusing on it. We do a lot of things during the spring, summer and fall camp to put ourselves in those situations. We might mimic a situation that has occurred within the last three years or somewhere within the conference. Every practice we go through, whether it’s two-minute, four-minute, end of half or end of game, we put ourselves in those situations. The more you put yourself in that environment, the more you can go back, talk through it, watch the tape and say, “Hey, we should have done this.” A lot of that is done before the game. The preparation piece is done beforehand so when you get into those situations, there’s already a plan and an understanding. You’ve talked about it, and multiple people are on the same page. I’m really big on that on both sides of the ball. We also have guys specifically responsible for those situations on top of myself. There’s going to be communication in those situations to make sure we’re doing the right thing and what we talked about throughout the week. It’s about having a plan, but more importantly, actually executing it through the structure of practice. Even tomorrow, the last 15 minutes will be nothing but situational football. We’ll put ourselves in two-minute drives, four-minute drives and end-of-game situations. It’s for the players, don’t get me wrong. There’s familiarity there. But it’s also for the coaches. We can go back and make sure everybody was on the same page and that it was the right thing to do.
On the chemistry between Carneiro, Bird and Caleb Blankenship…
They had a unique relationship even last year. Obviously, Caleb was already here and worked his butt off. All those specialists are kind of their own little group. They hang out together and do all that stuff. They’re super close, which I think is really important. All three of them work their butts off, and there’s a lot of confidence in those three. It gets to the point where sometimes one of them is snapping for the other guy or holding for the other guy, and there’s a little jealousy there. It’s like, “You’re cheating on me.” They’re super close. It’s a unique group, and they’re fun to be around.
On the running backs’ ability in pass protection…
No. 1 on that side of the ball is how you play without the ball. That applies whether you’re a running back or receiver. There’s a selflessness on that side of the football where you have to block. That’s part of the game. Coach Wilson does a really good job with that, and it starts with JDB and the emphasis he puts on it. A lot of these backs understand that if they aren’t going to do that, they aren’t going to play. Otherwise, the scouting report becomes really easy. This guy comes into the game, here’s a run. Then the defense changes based on that. A lot of those guys have embraced it. They know, “I want to protect No. 6. That’s my responsibility. We have to protect our quarterback.” They take a lot of ownership in that. It starts from the top down. JDB and Frank do a really good job with it. Some backs are naturally better at it than others, like any position. There are some guys throughout camp who have created value for themselves in certain situations and obvious passing downs, whether it’s catching the ball out of the backfield or protecting. They’ll have roles doing that. There’s definitely an emphasis on it.
On his mindset the night before a game…
The night before is about the only night I actually sleep. It has always been that way. The sleepless nights are getting ready for it. By that point, you’ve either done the right things, held them accountable, put together a really good plan and practiced extremely hard, or you haven’t. Normally, by that night, I’m pretty exhausted. That’s my best night’s rest for sure. It’s more about putting them in good spots and holding them accountable throughout the week. Make the week a lot harder than game day. Then game day is about making good decisions, putting them in the best possible positions to be successful and letting them go play. By that point, you’ve put together a roster of players and coaches. You’ve developed schedules, practice structures and all those things for these opportunities. We have to make sure we do what we need to do this week in order to have a good time Sunday. Game days are about guys going out, executing, flying around and having fun. Then, as coaches, it’s about making good in-game adjustments if something happens that you didn’t anticipate. You have to have the ability to make those changes. But you don’t want to take the game away from the players. I’ve always said that even the perfect call isn’t going to win the game. Execution will. We have to do a really good job of calling things they can execute and that we’ve prepared them for. Our job Sunday night isn’t to have the best call or the perfect call. It’s to get them into good spots and allow them to play. That’s why we recruited them here. Let them have fun.
On what Michai Boireau brings to the defensive line…
He’s a big force inside and super heavy-handed. He has a lot of experience. He’s really smart and understands blocking schemes. He has created a lot of value for himself on our defense. A lot of people haven’t talked about him up to this point, but I think after games, people are going to be asking who No. 88 is. He has a lot of value, especially on base downs in the run game. It’s different when you have him, Jaheim and Will all inside. That’s a different game in there. He has created a role for himself. He’s very mature. He’s tough. He’s competitive. Coach Joyner does a really good job with him. He has probably had one of the better camps, to be honest with you.
On Edwin Joseph and Jordan Renaud after going through a full fall camp…
I think they’re both who we thought they were. I mentioned this last week about Edwin. He has a very unique skill set and is very instinctive. He has a knack for finding the football and very unique versatility that gives us flexibility to move him around based on what package we’re in. That’s exciting. Jordan has come on. His was a shoulder issue, which is a little different at that position because of the striking and get-off. I think he’s starting to get into game shape. Early in camp, you could see the flashes, but they weren’t consistent based on the shape he was in. Paul and those guys have done a good job with him. He’s somebody we definitely wanted to add on the edge with Kam and those guys so we can have a good rotation and play winning football. He has shown he can do that in this conference for multiple years. He’s definitely who we thought he was.
On the growth of the team’s leaders since the spring…
We talked about it in the spring. When you bring 51 new guys into a team, they’re looking for somebody to follow. You need guys who, No. 1, have had success on the field, but No. 2, already know the expectations and standards on that side of the ball and can hold people to them. Kam Franklin and Will Echoles both know they can’t hold other people accountable if they aren’t doing it themselves. Both of those guys are wired the right way. They’re tough, competitive and love football.
That hasn’t changed. They’ve been pretty consistent throughout the spring, summer and fall. It has been good to see some of those new guys who came in, kept their mouths shut and went to work now start talking a little more. They know what to do, work extremely hard and are starting to bring other people with them. That’s starting to spread.
It’s definitely not where it needs to be, so right now the coaches still have to do some of that, which is OK. That’s part of it. But those guys are setting the right example. We’re starting to see other guys step into leadership roles because they’re doing what they’re supposed to do.
I think this group understands that they aren’t going to talk until they’ve earned it by doing things the right way. You’re starting to see guys like Keaton Thomas and Horatio Fields who do things the right way, are tough and competitive, and have other guys looking up to them. They’re affecting the people around them. That’s exciting to see.
