Ole Miss is back in Oxford preparing for its next game Saturday against Charlotte after what was a hard-fought win against then-No. 24 Louisville.
Tuesday saw Pete Golding hold his weekly press conference with local media and had plenty to say about the 41-38 win in Nashville. Most importantly, he provided a positive injury report that should ease some concerns. Here’s everything Golding said:
Pete Golding, Head Coach
On the team’s health after the Louisville game…
It was a heavyweight fight, so we’re definitely banged up. The good news is all the X-rays were negative. The MRI on Keaton Thomas’ foot was negative, so it’s a lot of bumps and bruises. Obviously, we’re only 48 hours out right now, so a normal Tuesday was more of a jog-through today to try to get some of those guys back healthy. The good news is nothing is significant and nothing is long-term. We’ll manage those rep counts this week as they get healthy and see what this weekend looks like.
On the offensive line’s performance against Louisville…
I think we’re really pleased with the execution component and the communication. Obviously, it’s something we talked about last week with their edges. They had a lot of experience and a lot of sacks coming back. To come out of that game and not give up a sack, for starters, and be able to run the football at times when we needed to was good. Then to be able to plug and play with Tommy Kinsler going down, I thought Connor Howes came in and did a really good job.
On what stood out after reviewing the Louisville film…
I think it’s exactly what I thought coming off the field. It was a tale of two halves. That was the one thing we talked about coming out of camp. I knew we had a good hook. We could swing with anybody, but could we take one and then come back and swing again? I just felt like in the first half we didn’t catch our rhythm offensively and turned the football over. Defensively in the first half, we were swinging and we were hitting. Then we came out and it kind of flipped. The offense came out in the second half with a sense of urgency and started swinging, and then defensively we took it. That’s the big thing this week. Regardless of who you’re playing, it doesn’t matter. We both have to swing at the same time to deliver that knockout punch. The good is that all three phases showed they have the ability to do it. The bad is all three phases showed that they couldn’t at times. That’s on us. We have to get that more consistent. That has been the same message throughout camp, the highs and lows. We were very fortunate in that game that guys bounced back late and made plays when they needed to win the game. You aren’t always going to get those opportunities when you play good football teams and you bust coverages, miss 19 tackles and give up 240 yards after contact. There are a lot of things within that game where, moving forward in this league, you aren’t going to have an opportunity to hit a game-winner. That was the big thing to the team. The outcome was 1-0, but if you’re just looking at that and not looking at the guts of this thing, we’re going to be on the other side of it before too long if we don’t get it corrected. I think they understand that. The positive is there were flashes and times where that’s what it’s supposed to look like. We just have to get it more consistent.
On getting more production from receivers other than Deuce Alexander…
I don’t think I’m surprised. A lot of it going into the game was about making sure we took what they gave us. You have the first-game jitters, so to say, and obviously you’re coming into a new offense with the timing of things. They gave us some different looks. I thought they did a good job defensively of switching it up, especially early. Game 1 is always a concern when you’re adding new guys into a new system because of the timing mechanism and execution. There are definitely some plays we want back where the depth was wrong, the eye control was wrong and things like that. We could have had some plays that we didn’t based on technique, and hopefully from Week 1 to Week 2 we have the ability to clean that up. I don’t think there was an unrealistic expectation for some of those guys going into Week 1. Am I surprised Johntay came out of it without a catch? Yeah. Obviously, that’s something we have to correct.
On whether the secondary’s mistakes still appear fixable after watching the film…
Yeah. My whole thing is that you get concerned as a coach when it’s a contested play and they go up and make the play, and that’s happening over and over. Their Jimmys are better than our Joes. That’s a bad feeling because you get to where, regardless of what you call, it isn’t going to matter. That wasn’t this. A lot of times you’ll do new things going into a game in order to stop certain things. That wasn’t this either. Some of these calls were Day 1 camp calls that we didn’t communicate. It wasn’t even a motion that created it or anything else. It was just a lack of execution and a lack of focus at some critical points. That’s something we have to continue to work on. I think they see it. I think they understand it. It’s our responsibility to hold them accountable to do it.
On keeping the team focused on Charlotte instead of LSU…
I think that was the best thing about what happened, to be honest with you. Coming out of that tape, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing Louisville, Charlotte or Delta State. If you call three-cloud and they don’t roll to cloud, it’s going to be a touchdown. I don’t give a shit who you play. That was the best thing about it on both sides, really all three phases. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, where we’re playing or when we’re playing. If we do that, you’re not going to like the outcome. I think this is the best week for that. They’re faceless. They’re nameless. It doesn’t matter. This is about us regardless of who we’re playing because if we don’t get that corrected, we’re going to be playing some real guys moving forward and you’re not going to like it. I think it came at the right time because now we’re putting the focus back on us, the attention to detail, training our eyes, focusing on angles and all the things that came up in the game that had nothing to do with the call. I think it’s good timing.
On what he wants to see against Charlotte…
Execution. I think it’s execution on a consistent basis. Right now, it’s about guys getting lined up right, seeing their key, snapping to their secondary key and doing their job. We’re not asking them to do too much, impress anybody or do somebody else’s job. It’s the consistency within that. Getting population to the ball carrier and not creating takeaways on defense is one thing. Another thing is not putting violent shots at the football on tape, which I didn’t feel like we did on a consistent basis. The tackling component and physicality on defense, I thought, were there. I thought you saw a physical team at times. Understanding when I can take that shot and when I have to go long shot or short shot, the situations of tackling, is something we really have to clean up this week. Hopefully, they have a little chip on their shoulder. That’s what I think. Obviously, the narrative has changed, which is a beautiful thing for them because they read what y’all write. I said, “OK, go ahead and read the first half compared to the second half if you’re on offense or you’re JDB. Go ahead and read the first half compared to the second half if you’re on defense. That shit’s going to change.” You have no control over that. Your responsibility is to prepare, practice really hard and go out and execute. That’s what has to be our focus in all three phases.
On whether mistakes are sometimes necessary to reinforce attention to detail with a new roster…
I think so. A lot of these guys, you tell them, show them, walk through it and try to create it, but until it happens to them, sometimes that sense of urgency and understanding isn’t always there. Most busts from a defensive standpoint are strictly a lack of communication. That was the stress for me in the team meeting this morning. Nobody goes into a game and says, “Hey, I’m going to screw this up.” Monday through Friday, where was the attention to detail in the meeting and the walkthrough? That’s the problem I’ve had with some of these guys coming along. It’s funny in a walkthrough. That shit ain’t funny on Saturday or Sunday night. It’s going to cost you the game. Holding others accountable within the team is part of it, too. Some of those examples that I put on tape are really healthy for everybody. It’s for sure a lack of communication more than anything. We aren’t changing a call or doing anything like that. It’s an open-book test. You’re standing right beside three other people. Ten of the 11 are doing everything right and you’re not. What are we doing? That’s why we have hand signals, verbal communication and all that. I think it’s just a lack of sense of urgency and attention to detail that we have to do a better job of coaching.
On reports that SEC presidents could vote on expelling LSU…
That’s the first I’ve heard of that. We had meetings and practice earlier. That’s the first I’ve heard of it.
On how the team has responded to adversity following the Louisville win…
That was another bright spot to me within the game. I thought you had some elite players not play well early, like Trinidad and Lucas, and then you had guys come back in the same game in the second half when they were needed the most. I think that’s competitive greatness — being at your best when your best is needed. Trinidad comes through and makes the drive, and Lucas makes the kick. Sometimes you’re waiting for those moments throughout the season. When are they going to come up? Are they going to be ready? I think it was a huge blessing for us to get punched in the face in Game 1 by a really good football team and be able to see that on tape and see how guys responded. I saw the adversity piece in the game. That’s what I was excited about. That’s what I told them. I told y’all during camp that I didn’t know how we were going to respond to getting hit in the face. Remember me telling y’all that? They responded. We got hit. We got hit a lot. They responded. We just didn’t respond collectively as a team together the right way. Each side of the ball did at certain times, but we have to do it together. That was definitely a bright spot for me. But they have to understand that you aren’t always going to get those late opportunities when you’re playing an elite team that isn’t going to allow you to claw back into it. I like this group. I told y’all after the game. I think they’re resilient. I think they’re tough. I think they’re competitive. We have to be smarter, play smarter and execute better on a more consistent basis. We have to do a better job tackling and knocking the football off guys.
On his family’s excitement for his first home game as head coach…
My personal kids? I get advice from them all the time. Obviously, they love being around our guys. I have really good relationships with our guys, and with their buddies and friends here, they love game days. I haven’t gotten the pep talk yet, so I’m sure they’ll have me a new call sheet ready to roll. We’re excited to come back for our fans and excited for our players. It was an awesome showing in Nashville. It felt very similar to me to the Sugar Bowl. It wasn’t just the ending, but looking up in the crowd, seeing our fans and the atmosphere and everything like that. I’m super excited to get back in the Vaught for our players and for my kids.
On whether Keaton Thomas’ injury affected the Green Dot communication…
No, absolutely not. I don’t think it suffered at all. That’s one thing we do in practice. We teach them all the Green Dot early in the week. They all have them, and then as we go through the week we’ll have one guy with it. We alternate that in practice every day, so they all get experience doing it. Whether that’s Luke in there or Tah’j, they do a good job with it. It wasn’t the communication of the call from the front six that was the issue. It was tackling the guy with the ball. We had 19 times where we hit him and he didn’t go down, for 256 yards. They had 12 explosive plays for 324 yards. That’s 80% of their offense. It’s hard to beat anybody doing that. It wasn’t like they were new calls. It wasn’t like they didn’t get the call. It wasn’t anything like that. It was just the focus and communication component of it. I don’t think the Green Dot communication had anything to do with it.
On continuing to serve as both head coach and defensive play-caller…
I definitely feel comfortable doing both. I know every week it’s going to be outcome-oriented based on what the result looks like. When you go back and really watch the tape, and you’re a football guy and actually watch what should be going on and what did occur, and the opportunities that were there, never once did I feel like I wasn’t prepared. Never once did I really feel like I wasn’t a step ahead. I felt very in the game and locked in. To be honest with you, it’s probably the most comfortable I’ve been in the four games as far as the flow of the game, calling the game and feeling a step ahead on a lot of things. We just didn’t execute it, which we have to get corrected.
On having Bryan Brown in the press box…
I kind of told y’all a couple of weeks ago that, to me, it’s more about what happens within a series. You get a feel if they’re stealing signals and you need to change the signaling operation, which I’m not looking at during the series. If they have something within a series that we missed that they’re going to come back to, you’re getting that communication from the top. I thought the communication was fine. I like having him up there. Coach Woodson does a really good job on the sideline. He replaced him with the corners on the sideline. I think the communication was getting communicated. We just have to execute it.
On whether limited live tackling in fall camp contributed to the missed tackles…
No, I don’t think so because we don’t take our offense to the ground. The biggest concern going into Week 1 is always ball security from an offensive standpoint because they aren’t ever actually going to the ground. You create takeaway circuits and shots at the ball against good people. Defensively, we go to the ground a lot in August, especially when we go against scout teams. We’re one of the few teams that is live on Tuesdays with our scout team all year long. You’re creating tackling circuits and all those things to put them in situations with live bullets. It’s not the same as when you go to isolated things where it’s, what’s my job, what’s the call, what’s the communication, here’s a motion, here’s a reaction and now here’s the tackle. Some of those things came up a little bit because you have minimal live opportunities in fall camp. As far as the structure of the tackling circuit and the approaches still being live against scouts, none of that has changed. The angles were very poor. Guys were stopping their feet on contact and lunging. Those are all correctable things because it was never a lack of violence where a guy actually turned it down. It was the technique, the angle, the pad level and the foot pattern that weren’t correct. It’s our job to put them in those situations and get it coached up.
On Caleb Cunningham and Samari Reed…
I thought Samari came in and played well when he was in there. It wasn’t a huge role. Obviously, Caleb was managing some soft-tissue stuff through camp. Going into that game, there were very specific roles based on field position and packages that didn’t come up. That’s definitely a focus moving forward, especially with Caleb. We have to get him more involved the healthier he gets and get him into the game plan because he is an explosive player.
