Both Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding said Saturday’s game between No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss wasn’t about the head coaches.
It was about the players and the game featuring two teams with playoff aspirations. They weren’t wrong, but one of the most decisive moments of the game didn’t come from any player.
It came from the head coaches. More specifically, it came from Golding.
Golding’s decision to go for a two-point conversion after Trinidad Chambliss’ 14-yard touchdown run gave the Rebels a 30-24 lead was one of the most consequential decisions of the game.
The situation is easy to understand. With 6:14 left in the game, Golding essentially had three possible outcomes to consider.
- Go for two, fail and lead by six points;
- Kick an extra point and lead by seven points; or
- Go for two, succeed and lead by eight points.
There’s certainly risk in a decision to go for two. Fail and all LSU needs is to drive down the field in six minutes, score a touchdown and kick an extra point. With the way its offense was playing in the second half, overcoming a 17-point deficit, watching the Tigers do just that wouldn’t be surprising.
The safe choice was to kick the PAT and put the next major decision on Kiffin.
Maybe the Rebels’ defense forces a stop or a turnover. Maybe LSU marches down the field, scores a touchdown and converts a two-point conversion. Then it becomes a matter of how much time Ole Miss has to get into Lucas Carneiro’s field goal range.
There was another layer to the decision, too. Golding wasn’t making it against a stranger. He and Kiffin spent years together at Ole Miss, meaning each had a pretty good idea of how the other thinks in situations like this.
And maybe the identity of the coach on the other sideline mattered. Golding spent years working under Kiffin. He knows how aggressive Kiffin can be, particularly when given an opportunity to decide a game himself. Going for two allowed Golding to make the aggressive decision first.
So, Golding rolled the dice and rolled a natural 20.
TWOOOOOO EASY ✌️@JtLindsey4 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Y0Dr3Xsmpv
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 20, 2026
Not only did Ole Miss convert the two-point conversion, it forced LSU into back-to-back offsides penalties. Instead of needing three yards to convert, Ole Miss needed less than a yard. Send in a couple defensive linemen as additional blockers, have a direct snap to running back JT Lindsey and the Rebels had an eight-point lead.
That small difference changed the entire equation for Kiffin and LSU on the ensuing drive. The Tigers always knew they’d need a touchdown to stay alive, but it wasn’t as simple as just scoring a touchdown.
Seven points gives the Tigers choices. Eight points eliminates them.
Do you hurry up and try to score a touchdown as fast as possible in case the two-point attempt fails so you can try a miracle onsides kick?
Or do you play for overtime and try to leave little to no time left for Chambliss for another game-winning drive?
In the end, whatever LSU and Kiffin’s answer to that is moot. The Tigers got close. Six yards to be exact. But on fourth-and-goal Kam Franklin tipped a Sam Leavitt pass into the air where Jaylon Braxton caught it for the interception.
Ball game. Ole Miss wins 32-24.
Golding is only six games into his head coaching career and has a long way to go before anyone starts talking about statues. But moments like this can shorten that path considerably.
